I wasn't asking... but your first answer is fine, and the first sentence of the second answer is also good.
why would I want to waste a week either starting a new one that I won't finish in a week or continue on an old one that I also won't finish in a week
I would keep this to myself in an interview. The reason you work on your own projects is to structure some learning; sure, there is some finished product that you want, but there is also the experience of making something that's important. You can't learn programming if you don't do it, and the usual 9-5 work environment is 90% distractions and 10% actual programming. So to be the best among programmers, you need to supplement your 9-5 job with something that's 100% programming and 100% you.
The reason I work on my own projects because I enjoy doing them. Why does everything have to be for "structured learning"? I bet you learn and discover more just randomly fiddling around....
why would I want to waste a week either starting a new one that I won't finish in a week or continue on an old one that I also won't finish in a week
I would keep this to myself in an interview. The reason you work on your own projects is to structure some learning; sure, there is some finished product that you want, but there is also the experience of making something that's important. You can't learn programming if you don't do it, and the usual 9-5 work environment is 90% distractions and 10% actual programming. So to be the best among programmers, you need to supplement your 9-5 job with something that's 100% programming and 100% you.