The Shelf of Forgotten Dreams

3 questions that prevent your project from dying

Your absolute top priority when starting a new passion project should be this: finish it.

The most common destination for creative side projects is the shelf.

The project takes too long, momentum is lost, progress lapses. The result is something you were once so excited about languishes on your hard drive, unrealized.

Trust me: you will feel better finishing a bad project, than not finishing a good one. An unfinished project can’t be good. It doesn’t exist.

The solution: make your project easier.

Creative work is always harder than you think it will be. It’s a long road and you better like it. Whenever possible, reduce complexity, reduce friction, make things less scary and more fun.

Start with a goal you can confidently complete. If you're not experienced, see the bar so low you can walk over it. If you’re excited about the complete project and think it has further potential, create the bigger and better version next.

Answer these three questions to make your project easier without compromising on your long-term goals.

1) Can I make it smaller?

Big projects are intimidating. Start with the miniature version of your project. For instance, a book is a big project. Instead, start with an article. If an article is too big, write a series of short posts.

2) Can I chunk it?

It's not just books that have chapters. Find the chapters of your project, the component parts. If you can chunk it, chunk it.

3) What is the easiest media form I can use?

I know some of you are filmmakers, musicians, developers and more. You've got your medium already. But if it's possible to work in an easier medium, do it. If you can write an article, rather than make a video, start with that.

Here is the spectrum of media difficulty.

• Text is easy… and also hard. Short text is easiest of all, but long text, like a book, is extraordinarily hard and will likely take years to complete.
• Non-music audio is relatively easy. I'm mainly thinking of podcasts. Podcasts can be much harder if they have a lot of writing and production.
• Still images are also relatively easy. Graphics, illustrations, and photos often take hours or days to produce.
• Video and code are hardest. Video is a lot of work. You need to write, edit, mix music, add sound effects, graphics, and more. It's like all media combined into one. Similarly, software can cross the boundaries of many realms and be even more complex. (I don’t code, so I’m kinda guessing here.) Live and conversational video can be easier, similar to a podcast.

Execute a version of the project in the easiest medium possible. Move right if the project seems promising.

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