The Plan


Category: Life
Tags:  Well-Sorted Version plans

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.

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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.

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 Maybe a project will be superceded by someone else’s work, maybe I’ll add a good idea along the way.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.