Six: Sweating the Small Stuff On Purpose
Bumps of Dopamine to the Rescue!
Welcome back to Finishing School - the newsletter about the enormous piles of stuff that stand in the way of us finishing things, written by someone who is sick to shit of not finishing things.
In the last couple of newsletters, I’ve referenced a project I’m currently mashing away on like a big ol’ pile of Eldritch potatoes - This Is Elderhaven.
Now then, This Is Elderhaven is a Big Project. Capital B, capital P. It’s a multi-episodic thing, and even within each episode, there’s a lot to do. This isn’t a bad thing, because I really like what I’m making. Still, that’s not to say I don’t occasionally feel somewhat smooshed under the weight of carrying around this Big Project.
Certainly, the organizational tools I babbled about last time help. But isn’t there something that makes it feel a little less like I’m being felt up by some kind of Productivity Culture Bro?
I think there is and I’m gonna ramble about it today: little projects.
Recognizing the Truth About Big Projects
The first part of smashing any problem in its face is acknowledging that the problem exists. In this case, the thing it’s important to accept and understand is that:
Just massive douchebags, man. Oh, sure, they’re shiny and seductive, too. They also feel incredibly high value, as they’re ambitious undertakings that could potentially offer significant creative, professional, and (sometimes) monetary rewards. They’re beautiful. But, make no mistake, they’ll treat us terribly.
Big Projects occur over such a long timeline. They demand that we very slowly carve away at them with a teaspoon, while at the same time, they’ll grow new complex limbs every so often that we somehow have to manage with our mere two hands, one brain, and terribly deflated soul. When we think we’re finally starting to understand them, we’ll find out they’ve been gaslighting us all along and they’re something else entirely.
Obviously, this is all necessary bullshit on the road to finishing a Big Project. Sometimes, it even adds to the fun. This dickishness can make the finished outcome much richer and more interesting, and we can even grow as creative people by living through this beautiful nightmare. But man, dealing with this shit is exhausting.
It isn’t good to pretend the Bigness isn’t a problem, though. Every so often we have to point at the Big Project and call it what it is.
“You sir, are a dick and you think you can get away with acting like a dick because you’re sooooooo big.”
Even better, we can get our own back by spending some quality time with little projects.
Embracing the Mighty Minis
Little projects — if they’re little enough — don’t have the ego to be dicks. Oh, they can be lil shits…but they get away with it because they’re cute and don’t hang around for too long.
Recently, I’ve been trying to incorporate some of these mini projects alongside the ongoing work for This Is Elderhaven. There’s a couple of reasons this seems to help keep me on the road to finishing the Big Project.
DOPAMINE: With Big Projects, the dopamine hits that help with motivation and satisfaction are pretty few and far between. Being able to take a little time away to finish a small project can provide extra regular lil’ dopamine hits to keep me going.
VARIETY: One of the reasons I have such trouble finishing Big Projects is that my brain is one of those spicy (and inefficient) types that does not function at all well without frequent exposure to novelty except in very specific circumstances. Just looking at the balance of my started projects vs. finished projects is a horrific illustration of this. Incorporating regular little projects that I can quickly and easily finish is an excellent source of novelty.
RESILIENCE: Alright, this might be a slightly tenuous one, but hear me out. I find projects are a cycle of:
“I quite like this idea → I’m not sure this is working → I loooooooaaaathe this → this actually turned out okay.”
I suspect that being able to do a lot of small projects exposes me to this cycle more often, which builds resilience against the tendency to chuck it all in when I reach the loathing part of the cycle. This may make me better able to power through the nasty parts of the Big Projects and more likely to finish…though, the next step will be figuring out how to do so without producing night terrors.
Starting MORE Things? Are You Insane?!
Well, obviously.
But you’re right; taking on small projects can definitely feel like a distraction from the Big Project, which can bring with it all kinds of sensations of guilt. Not to mention that when you have a day job and time/energy is already pretty stretched, it’s only natural to wonder whether the little projects are the best place to focus.
Listen; I genuinely think the pros of doing these little things do outweigh the cons. At the same time, though my punk lil’ heart hates to admit it, there’s probably something to be said for laying down some ground rules for the little projects to keep things from becoming too overwhelming.
Set time limits: Seriously. The small projects really shouldn’t take more than a couple of hours, ideally. In rare circumstances, a couple of sessions of a couple of hours. But that’s it. These small projects are exercises in “done is better than perfect” creativity.
Make it different: For me, I try to avoid doing something too closely related to the Big Project. It’s gotta be something of a palette cleanser to be really effective, I think. Though…let’s face it, I can only avoid putting tentacles and eldritch horrors in things for so long.
Do something fun: Big Projects are fun…but they’re also a significant amount of work. Especially when things get a little too grind-y, it’s nice to have something that is close to pure fun to create.
Don’t consider monetization: This is a tough one because there’s a definite sense these days that everything we do should be optimized to make money. However, leading with this or even considering what project could potentially make money can just sort of suck the joy and creativity out of the little projects. So, I try to ignore it. Though, that’s not to say that I’m entirely immune to being a hungry lil’ cash whore afterward…
Keep on top of the Big Project: This is the main thing. Don’t let the little projects take over the Big Project. I’m trying to manage this with organizational tools and good scheduling (with varying success…it’s an ongoing battle for me). The small things should be side projects, rather than having equal billing. Remember: we’re still trying to finish.
Use the Cheat Code
Listen, you may well be like me and have several nagging voices in your head, one of which is telling you that you shouldn’t need to use this type of strategy, that you should have the discipline to just finish what you start.
Tell that voice…in no uncertain terms…to go fuck itself.
I’m not good at this bit. I’m very, very bad at this bit. Nevertheless, I’m trying to get better. The point is, it really doesn’t matter how we trick, finagle, or tempt ourselves toward the finish line, just so long as we get there. This seems like a pretty good way to do it, so I’m gonna keep doing it.
I hope it helps you too. In fact, lemme know down in the comments what little projects you’re doing to help you through the Big Projects.
Thanks for reading and…yup…I’d really appreciate it if you followed the Victorian hand to the subscribe and share buttons!
