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Strategies for Long Projects

benbrostoff.github.io

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Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#11

Post by vitro »

yamrzou wrote: post #4

Great post, with a lot of helpful advice. I particularly found this point of view interesting, would love to hear some examples of it: > Moreover, I believe that choosing to feel something can make you feel that way even if the feeling is artificially manufactured. What I mean by this is that when someone asks us to label how we feel, the label we select is based on how we physically feel at the moment. But what if y…

If you are happy, you smile. But also, try to smile if you are not happy, it works both ways. Your mind projects itself in the body, but by controlling the body, you can influence the mind. With this said, I can imagine how re-labeling can actually have physical response.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#12

Post by vitro »

hobo_mark wrote: post #8

Something I have been wondering all these years I've been working on long-term projects is, how do others make relationships work with something that, almost by definition, consumes all of one's free time and energy?

Just today, we put our kids to kindergarten, went for a coffee and had a nice walk in an autumnish weather. It is 11AM now and I still haven't started working, but once I do, I probably won't finish sooner than at 9PM.

I guess you need to find a sweet spot between tension and relaxation. Too tense and you end up being burned out. Too relaxed and you quit because it won't be interesting or challenging enough.

Your mind needs a rest too to serve you (and your projects) well. So by taking a rest and forgetting the project for a while, you actually help the project as well!

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#13

Post by wawawiwa »

killjoywashere wrote: post #6

I don't want to come across as putting down the author's work, but for the sake of everyone else, I want to reframe the definition of "long project". This would be a nice post if it was titled "Strategies for Quick Projects". I'm on year 8 of what is likely a life-long project (at a pace that is doubling annually). That's a fairly long project, but far from the longest. The Manhattan Project, the Human Genome Project…

I agree with the author about the definition he gives to "long".

I think it's subjective anyway. Notre-Dame or the Sagrada Familia were / are being built in more than a hundred years, so the dozen of years of Apollo could be qualified as short in comparison.

When reading "long", it can only be subjective so there is no point of arguing.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#14

Post by onion2k »

killjoywashere wrote: post #6

I don't want to come across as putting down the author's work, but for the sake of everyone else, I want to reframe the definition of "long project". This would be a nice post if it was titled "Strategies for Quick Projects". I'm on year 8 of what is likely a life-long project (at a pace that is doubling annually). That's a fairly long project, but far from the longest. The Manhattan Project, the Human Genome Project…

The Manhattan Project, the Human Genome Project, the Apollo project. The Shuttle program. The National Cathedral. These are long projects.

This is semantic hair-splitting a bit, but those things aren't "projects". They're portfolios of programs that are made up of lots of individual projects.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#15

Post by pure-awesome »

Swizec wrote: post #5
danShumway wrote: post #2

Excellent post. A lot of this rings true to my experiences as well, particularly being defensive about time and commitments. Really, most of the authors points had me kind of nodding along. On the other hand, I somewhat feel what the author is getting at with optimism, but I'm not sure optimism is the right word for what makes me productive. It's difficult to put into words, but I do agree there is a kind of strange…

I believe the word you’re looking for is “grit”. Gritiness has also been shown to be the greatest predictor of success. > Grit in psychology is a positive, non-cognitive trait based on an individual's perseverance of effort combined with the passion for a particular long-term goal or end state (a powerful motivation to achieve an objective). This perseverance of effort promotes the overcoming of obstacles or challeng…

I know you're just quoting Wikipedia here, but any idea what does "non-cognitive" mean in this context? What are some examples of cognitive and non-cognitive traits and why does grit fall into the latter category?

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#16

Post by hobo_mark »

vitro wrote: post #12
hobo_mark wrote: post #8

Something I have been wondering all these years I've been working on long-term projects is, how do others make relationships work with something that, almost by definition, consumes all of one's free time and energy?

Just today, we put our kids to kindergarten, went for a coffee and had a nice walk in an autumnish weather. It is 11AM now and I still haven't started working, but once I do, I probably won't finish sooner than at 9PM. I guess you need to find a sweet spot between tension and relaxation. Too tense and you end up being burned out. Too relaxed and you quit because it won't be interesting or challenging enough. Your min…

Since you post this on a monday, I assume you don't work a regular job? I also finish working at ~7-8pm, so I can only work on my own projects after that (until ~1am or so). I do rest, on Saturdays, but when I do I'm too tired to socialize, and if someone asks me out I will say no. I'm not going to give up my projects, hence the dilemma.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#17

Post by aytekin »

vitro wrote: post #11
yamrzou wrote: post #4

Great post, with a lot of helpful advice. I particularly found this point of view interesting, would love to hear some examples of it: > Moreover, I believe that choosing to feel something can make you feel that way even if the feeling is artificially manufactured. What I mean by this is that when someone asks us to label how we feel, the label we select is based on how we physically feel at the moment. But what if y…

If you are happy, you smile. But also, try to smile if you are not happy, it works both ways. Your mind projects itself in the body, but by controlling the body, you can influence the mind. With this said, I can imagine how re-labeling can actually have physical response.

I love doing something similar with my small kids (4 and 2). I start laughing for no reason and when they see me laughing they start laughing. We laugh and have good time without any reason until we get tired. I also remember seeing some festival in India on TV. Everyone is laughing and having good time, for no reason.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#18

Post by KineticLensman »

killjoywashere wrote: post #6

I don't want to come across as putting down the author's work, but for the sake of everyone else, I want to reframe the definition of "long project". This would be a nice post if it was titled "Strategies for Quick Projects". I'm on year 8 of what is likely a life-long project (at a pace that is doubling annually). That's a fairly long project, but far from the longest. The Manhattan Project, the Human Genome Project…

I like the idea of the specific strategies, although the three offered mainly seem to apply to one-person projects, or to the experiences of a single person in a wider team. There is a mention of the evolution of intra-team dynamics of a group project, but no specific strategies aimed at groups.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#19

Post by vitro »

hobo_mark wrote: post #16
vitro wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Just today, we put our kids to kindergarten, went for a coffee and had a nice walk in an autumnish weather. It is 11AM now and I still haven't started working, but once I do, I probably won't finish sooner than at 9PM. I guess you need to find a sweet spot between tension and relaxation. Too tense and you end up being burned out. Too relaxed and you quit because it won't be interesting or challenging enough. Your min…

Since you post this on a monday, I assume you don't work a regular job? I also finish working at ~7-8pm, so I can only work on my own projects after that (until ~1am or so). I do rest, on Saturdays, but when I do I'm too tired to socialize, and if someone asks me out I will say no. I'm not going to give up my projects, hence the dilemma.

As a freelancer I have a luxury to be a master of my time, with all the bad and good that comes with it. Last week I worked half Sunday so this Monday I have hours covered.

I also work on my project, sometimes whole day, or two, sometimes even a week.. it depends on my clients' requirements and how skillful I was in planning the time.

It took me some years to get there, however. And now with kids it gets even more challenging.

Regarding socializing, it is true, my circle is now rather small, but I take it as a temporary state.

Re: Strategies for Long Projects

#20

Post by vitro »

aytekin wrote: post #17
vitro wrote: post #11

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If you are happy, you smile. But also, try to smile if you are not happy, it works both ways. Your mind projects itself in the body, but by controlling the body, you can influence the mind. With this said, I can imagine how re-labeling can actually have physical response.

I love doing something similar with my small kids (4 and 2). I start laughing for no reason and when they see me laughing they start laughing. We laugh and have good time without any reason until we get tired. I also remember seeing some festival in India on TV. Everyone is laughing and having good time, for no reason.

Yes, with kids that works nice. Sometimes they are upset so I start to laugh for no reason until they cannot hold it anymore and start laughing as well. Well, sometimes they get even more upset, so use with caution.
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