The remaining 10 percent of the code accounts for the other 90 percent of the development time."

This rule is known asthe ninety-ninety rulein programming, but can be applied to many other fields as well.

Other times, the process of consolidation and piecing parts of the project together just takes longer than expected.

Before you get to the 90% mark, brace yourself.

Most people aren’t prepared for how difficult the final 10% of any project is.

As author Gore Vidalsays, “Whenever a friend succeeds, a little something in me dies.”

(“Oh, wow, Elon Musk sold PayPal to eBay when he washowold?

And what am I doing with my life?!")

You’ll hear about interesting changes in your friends' lives.

Maybe it involves quitting your job and trying a new one.

But take the decision slowly and think it through.

you’re free to actually use these negative feelingsto help guide you.

However, the impulsive decision making that frequently comes with these feelings won’t help.

When a False Choice Comes Up

Life is a large set of choices.

Sometimes, these choices are mutually exclusive.

However, many times, we’re not as constrained as we think.

The best choice for us may not be one or the otherbut both options.

James Liu, the founder of BoxCat Games,responded:

Do both.

He should stay in college.

If there’s reasonable income and statically visible growth, then that’s a time to evaluate dropping out.

Sometimes, you don’t need to quit what you’re doing to try something else.

you’re able to do both, at least for a short amount of time.

Instead, try learning Photoshop on your weekends andfind your first couple of clients.

(Here are some otheruseful skills it’s possible for you to teach yourself.)

As time passes, the landscape will slowly change.

Once you really can’t sustainably keep upeither physically or mentallythen drop one and go all-in on the other.

Ask yourself:

Have you abandoned a lot of projects at around 90%?

Do you immediately drop something the second you find another thing that excites you?

Do you wish you’d given up the majority of your projects earlier?

Do you really need to quit what you’re doing to get to try this new thing?

Is there a way you could manage to do both?

Sometimes, quitting can be the best option.

However, quitting is riskier.

It can put you in a tough situation, and into scenarios you hadn’t expected.

If you’re to quit, plan carefully, andexamine whether the timing is right.

Don’t make quitting a habit.

You’llneed a bit of persistenceif you’re going to succeed at anything.

Photos byvincent Angler,Philo Nordlund,Sherman Geronimo-Tan, andSteve Snodgrass.