[Graham]: The problem of getting things done
Graham wrote:
The trouble I find with projects, particularly daily projects, is that they’re bloody hard to keep doing sometimes. Mur Lafferty has had the problem with The News From Poughkeepsie. JR Blackwell, who’s doing a 365 days photography project has also encountered it. And now I’m really hitting a wall with my own daily project, 360-odd days of 2008. So far I’ve posted up to day 156 (June 5th) and I’m struggling to get round to doing day 157 or anything thereafter (for reference, today is day 162).
I have my reasons, to an extent, for not being able to get much done at the moment. For a start, I’m not able to go very far at present, which limits the things of which I can take photos. On top of that I’m not, unlike JR Blackwell or Rebbeka Gudleifsdottir or a dozen other photographers on Flickr, particularly photogenic and I’m not terribly fond of self portraits. I do have some ideas for shots in which I could serve as the subject but having the time to execute them is another matter entirely. Oh, and there’s always the matter of what to say when someone sees you taking a self portrait and asks “what are you doing?”
And let’s not even talk about writing. Well, okay, let’s. But only insofar as to say I’m not doing any at the moment and haven’t been for a while. And of course, when you’re off the wagon for too long it makes it harder to get back on. Much, much harder. So even now, when I have the time to write, I find myself doing something else entirely whilst thinking “I should be writing.”
All of which means I am made of FAIL.
Still, a night’s sleep and who knows? I might get up in the morning, full of the joys of… er… Summer, and sit down and write 1000 words before breakfast and then, after breakfast, go out and take some photos.
In an infinite universe anything is possible.
What I can tell you about doing a 365days project, when you feel down, or frustrated or tired or sick is that you just push through. You cowboy up and do it. You admit that every day isn’t going to be perfect, and some days aren’t even going to be good, but you go ahead and do it anyway.
365days is my first daily project, but when I founded http://www.365tomorrows.com, I wrote 84 flash fiction stories in 365 days. During that time I also started a podcast, worked on my Masters degree in creative writing and studied photography. I am familiar with daily projects. And some times you just push through till you get to the other side. You do something you aren’t happy with, you take a risk, you do something that isn’t perfect because you know that if you do it today tomorrow, or the next day, or any day ahead may give you something wonderful that you wouldn’t have found if you didn’t push through the hard times.
Best of luck to you.
-J.R.