Why I Paused My RAG Project to Build a Digital Workers Booking Platform

A few months ago, I was working on an open-source RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation) project. At the same time, I found myself reflecting on my past as a freelancer.

Back then, life was intense. I had a 40h day job, and on top of that, I took on at least 20 hours of freelance work. For a while, it felt like an exciting adventure, pushing boundaries, learning new things, and building side income.

But the reality hit hard once projects shifted from short-term gigs to long-term commitments. Suddenly, time management became critical: planning tasks, handling tickets, and dealing with client pressure. Those “20 hours” of freelancing I had planned? They quickly turned into 40. Before I realized it, I was basically working two full-time jobs. Crazy.

That experience stuck with me, the good and the bad. And it’s exactly why I decided to stop working on my open-source RAG project and instead start developing something I wish I had back then:

BookBySkill - A booking platform for digital workers.

The idea is simple:

• Clients can book a set number of hours with a digital worker.

• Digital workers can manage availability across multiple clients.

• Everyone has clarity on time commitments, so no one ends up overbooked or overwhelmed.

I believe this can make freelancing more sustainable, both for workers and clients. It’s not just about productivity—it’s about balance.

You can check out the project here: https://bookbyskill.com