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2015-12-28 19:06
Life: plans, Well-Sorted Version
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In January I planned to blog every two weeks.
This is my 26th post of 2015.
A few of them were finished last-minute, but they were finished.
It was a great writing exercise, and I’m going to let my posting frequency drop a bit as I write elsewhere.

I didn’t mention the plan because I didn’t want to jinx it.
When I worked on the Well-Sorted Version I didn’t talk about it.
I sometimes said I was working on an art project.
When the final printing was in progress I slipped and called it “my book” a couple times, but otherwise I only said anything about it after the boxes arrived.

When I started the WSV I was scared I wouldn’t finish it.
I’m pretty sure I got the idea from Derek Sivers writing “Keep your ideas to yourself“: talking about a project acts relieves the pressure to finish it.
The idea seemed sound, the research was plausible, so I shut my mouth and worked.
I succeeded.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about projects and my long-term plans.
I’ve thought hard about my motivations, picked my goals, winnowed my projects, and planned my systems.

There is a particular glory to a called shot, and I’ve envisioned at least a decade of work.
So the compromise is this: I’m going to name these projects, but it’s the last I’m going to say about them until they’re well on the way to completion.

• Fulcrum
• Solver
• Formula
• Eleven
• Control
• Workbook
• bhsh
• From A to B
• Math
• Bibliography
• Glossary
• Edit
• Terminal
• Historiography
• Typesetter
• Hypertext

Life happens.
Maybe a project will be superceded by someone else’s work, maybe I’ll add a good idea along the way.
But I’m certain I want to see these done.

If you’ll excuse me, I have some work to enjoy.