90 Day Check-in: Projects
Ok, I know that it’s way the hell over 90 Days. I acknowledge the fact that I’ve put off coming to terms with this project for a good while now. In a lot of ways, coming to grips with this project means coming to grips with all that I’ve learned over this past year, which is probably why I’ve been putting it off.
For my own benefit, let’s refresh our memory as to what the heck this whole challenge was about.
It started way back in June of this year with a 30 Day Challenge. The way I stated it back then was:
For the next 30 days I’ll spend a minimum of 50 uninterupted minutes a day either working on one of my projects, or engaged in active “Me Time”.
I was trying to use the “30 Day Challenge” tool to make myself spend more time getting things done on things that mattered to me (essentially “The Book”). I was successful in that first 30 Day Challenge. I extended it another 30 days and also hit that mark. Now that I look back at my project tracking for that time, I’m remembering that yes, I actually did technically complete the 90 days of working on my project(s) successfully. In one sense I suppose I won one battle and lost another in that I didn’t meet the timeline that I’d set for myself for completing the book. (The engagement is ongoing in the larger war though… I WILL finish this damn book!)
It’s good that I keep this blog. It’s so easy to forget things that may seem terribly vital in their time. As I look back on how far I’ve come with “The BooK”, I realize that missing those last 2 release dates in August and not having a bound copy for all of my students when I came back to teach was ok. It didn’t make sense to continue to spend money on the symbolic gesture of binding a copy every 9 days. It wouldn’t have made sense to spend alot of money binding (incomplete) copies to give to every one of my students for the first week of lessons. Ultimately I gave my students the content that I had in folders (my first year students received loose leaf notebooks of the material.) This wasn’t an ideal solution, but at least I had something to give them. I’ve spent a hell of a lot less time copying this fall than I have in the past.
So, what have I learned from all of this and what the benefits been? For one thing, I have a hell of alot more done on the book than I did back in June. Having the material that I did to start the year has helped alot, especially with my new students. I feel like I’ve finally been able to get them started in a way that feels consistent and honestly their playing is reflecting the more organized approach I’ve brought to the table. I wouldn’t have had that had I not worked on the book all summer. Also, my way of thinking about projects has deepened and matured over the past months since “failing” to release a v.1 of the book. I’m glad that I went through the process of tracking my work for that 90 days. Ultimately I think it’s the shifts in perception that have come in the last 3 months (of frankly avoiding working on the book on a daily basis) that will serve me better over the long term. I have a greater clarity now about how to use the tools of GTD (especially next actions) that I think will serve me well over the coming year. I’ve also discovered more about my habits and tendencies and hopefully am learning to hack my brain in such a way that I am more focused and more able to do the things that need to be done to move my life forward in a positive way.
It’s taken almost three months to get this “90 Day Challenges” post complete, but hopefully it was worth it! : )