Building a product with a newborn and a 9-5. Here's what nobody tells you.

My daughter is 3 months old. I work a full-time job. I'm also building a product.

Here's what my "founder journey" actually looks like:

— Coding at 5:30am with one eye open

— Falling asleep mid-commit

— Watching my wife do the hard stuff while I "just need 20 more minutes"

— Guilt. Lots of guilt.

— Shipping features that took 4 weeks instead of 4 days

There's no "wake up at 4am and crush it" energy here. Just survival mode.

But I keep going. Not because I'm disciplined. Because I'm desperate — in a good way.

I want my daughter to see her dad build something. I want options for my family that a salary alone can't give. I want to stop trading time for money before she's old enough to notice I'm never around.

A few things that actually help:

- Smaller scope, always. Cut features until it hurts, then cut more.

- Protect 1 hour like it's sacred. Not 4. Just 1.

- Tell your partner the real "why." They'll cover for you when it matters.

- Lower your standards temporarily. Shipped beats perfect.

Some days I make zero progress. Some weeks, honestly.

But the product exists. It's growing. Slowly.

Anyone else building in the margins of life? How do you make it work?