I originally intended to spend this year working on a computer game to submit to the IGF this fall. Then I found out that, having recent transitioned into adulthood, that adulthood is hard, and lots of things came up (and during the period earlier this year when I was putting in 20 hours a week on top of my regular job, I was able to do so mostly because I had just moved and didn’t have any friends at the time. Thanks in part to the NYC Rationality group… I have friends now. So… thanks Less Wrong!)
Over the past two months, I’ve modified myself into someone with more flexible goals. I feel that I’ve been accomplishing worthwhile things in the past several weeks, even if those things are less grand in scale. I’m assigning myself smaller projects that can completed in a week or two. I’m not sure which of whether this is right call. It was embarrassing to give up on a project after putting a lot of work on it. I think it was a good learning experience to be able to accept the sunk cost and move on. But I’m not sure if I wasn’t also saying “gah, this is too hard, I’m giving up.” I’m pretty sure I overcame SOME kind of bias but I’m not sure which bias it was.
What I HAVE done, this week, was create some Harry Potter Fanfiction Fanart Fanart. I am not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I tried not doing it for a while and that wasn’t working… and I think I’m pretty proud of the result. I wasn’t going to post here because it seemed only tangentially relevant, but since you asked:
I think you made the right call in appreciating it as a sunk cost, presumably you also got other benefits from teh process regardless. What are the smaller projects you’ve had success on?
The actual “self-assigned goal for a week” thing is recent. The Harry Potter poster is the first, the next will be to finally record and compose accompaniment for the humanist song I wrote a few months ago.
But prior to that, basically I realized that it was summer, and I wanted to enjoy the sunlight and meet new people. So I’ve been spending a lot of time walking around with a sketchbook, introducing myself to people in parks, drawing them and having good conversation. The sketchbook isn’t a “project” per se, but watching it fill up and being able to see how I’ve improved in a short time is both useful and gratifying. Two weekends in a row I ended up on impromtu pseudo-dates with people I met while out sketching, which was also rewarding. I feel like I’m doing a good job blending my social and artistic goals. (Originally I thought I wanted a summer fling, but I’ve realized that I don’t want a sexual or even romantic relationship so much as just people to wander around outdoors with in beautiful summer weather).
I’ve also realized since my original post in this thread that I’ve been improving in less exciting ways. Learning Python at work. Getting more exercise (when I find myself walking somewhere, and it isn’t crowded, I run instead of walk, and if I don’t feel like it I say out loud “I am the sort of person who runs when they have the opportunity” and then do it. Got that trick from Less Wrong, can’t remembe the author).
I originally intended to spend this year working on a computer game to submit to the IGF this fall. Then I found out that, having recent transitioned into adulthood, that adulthood is hard, and lots of things came up (and during the period earlier this year when I was putting in 20 hours a week on top of my regular job, I was able to do so mostly because I had just moved and didn’t have any friends at the time. Thanks in part to the NYC Rationality group… I have friends now. So… thanks Less Wrong!)
Over the past two months, I’ve modified myself into someone with more flexible goals. I feel that I’ve been accomplishing worthwhile things in the past several weeks, even if those things are less grand in scale. I’m assigning myself smaller projects that can completed in a week or two. I’m not sure which of whether this is right call. It was embarrassing to give up on a project after putting a lot of work on it. I think it was a good learning experience to be able to accept the sunk cost and move on. But I’m not sure if I wasn’t also saying “gah, this is too hard, I’m giving up.” I’m pretty sure I overcame SOME kind of bias but I’m not sure which bias it was.
What I HAVE done, this week, was create some Harry Potter Fanfiction Fanart Fanart. I am not entirely sure how I feel about that, but I tried not doing it for a while and that wasn’t working… and I think I’m pretty proud of the result. I wasn’t going to post here because it seemed only tangentially relevant, but since you asked:
Spoilers for Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. Maximize your window before clicking for optimal effect.
Epic.
Thanks.
That is pretty damn awesome.
I think you made the right call in appreciating it as a sunk cost, presumably you also got other benefits from teh process regardless. What are the smaller projects you’ve had success on?
The actual “self-assigned goal for a week” thing is recent. The Harry Potter poster is the first, the next will be to finally record and compose accompaniment for the humanist song I wrote a few months ago.
But prior to that, basically I realized that it was summer, and I wanted to enjoy the sunlight and meet new people. So I’ve been spending a lot of time walking around with a sketchbook, introducing myself to people in parks, drawing them and having good conversation. The sketchbook isn’t a “project” per se, but watching it fill up and being able to see how I’ve improved in a short time is both useful and gratifying. Two weekends in a row I ended up on impromtu pseudo-dates with people I met while out sketching, which was also rewarding. I feel like I’m doing a good job blending my social and artistic goals. (Originally I thought I wanted a summer fling, but I’ve realized that I don’t want a sexual or even romantic relationship so much as just people to wander around outdoors with in beautiful summer weather).
I’ve also realized since my original post in this thread that I’ve been improving in less exciting ways. Learning Python at work. Getting more exercise (when I find myself walking somewhere, and it isn’t crowded, I run instead of walk, and if I don’t feel like it I say out loud “I am the sort of person who runs when they have the opportunity” and then do it. Got that trick from Less Wrong, can’t remembe the author).