You may have noticed that this site doesn't update very much. Every year I say I want to post more, and somehow it never happens.
It's not like I'm not doing anything. Let's look at the projects I have going right now:
And maybe that's the problem? I have so many projects on the back burner. I mean, on top of those listed above, I have all the ones that have been sitting back there, untouched for months or years:
And that's not couting the things I need or want to do that have little to do with this site:
Have you noticed that most of those are just media consumption? Yeah, that's why getting out more is the first thing on the list. But when I do that, I'll have even less time for everything that's already on the list. That's not to say it isn't a worthwhile tradeoff, but it still doesn't help me here.
So what's my actual problem? Well, I think there are a few of them:
I don't know what to do. I've tried making lists, but maintaining the lists became yet another chore to manage. I've tried deadlines, which have worked in the past, but they end up just increasing the pressure, making everything even more of a chore. I've tried making up schedules of which days I'm going to work on which projects, but I never even got started with those.
I suppose one thing I could do would be to post works in progress. That wouldn't necessarily help the overall problem, but it would at least give me something to put on the site. Having the unfinished versions out there would give me more incentive to finish, so I don't let down anyone who wanted to see the completed works. If I can get feedback on the WIPs, that would be a big help in keeping my enthusiasm up, and in deciding which projects aren't worth the effort and should just be canned to make way for better ones.
I also need to be less of a perfectionist. As I learned years ago from that post-a-day challenge, Focusing on getting things done rather than polishing them forever can still yield good results. Of course, that wouldn't do much for my lacking the energy or inclination to keep at a project.
I'm sorry if you were expecting a more thought-out blog post or something with some actual advice for those having the same problems I have. I guess I'm just thinking out loud, more than anything else. Well, that, and just telling anyone who cares that I'm not dead and letting you know what I've been up to. Oh, and ensuring that I don't have another year missing from my blog archives. But mostly just thinking out loud.
Thanks for listening. Er, reading.