Learning and Discerning

Back again after a much-needed vacation of doing Absolutely Nothing That I Had To, out on the Cape. The weather was very "Perfect Storm" with 75 mph gusts battering the 3rd floor penthouse we were staying in, and the surf crashing up over the railings of the waterside condos down below. And this was on the bay harbor side. I shudder to think what it was like on the ocean side.

But it was good to have that primalness in the room with me and my project of choice. I did a lot of writing, over those days, none of which is yet available for public consumption, and the prospect of leaving the penthouse was flat-out unsavory. So, I didn't. Good thing.

Because even though I've been out of the 9-5 grind for about a month, now, there was still some residual compulsiveness to my work habits that was carrying over into my PEAPOD work. It's all very well and good to have a clear vision of where you want to do, and how you want to achieve it, and the new technologies are very heady and very exciting. But when that excitement translates into obsessive-compulsive blinders that shut out everything else in life, besides Getting It Done, well, that doesn't bode well for the quality of life in general.

One of the very real hazards of doing this kind of work -- writing and podcasting and telling the world, as you go, is that there's a temptation to think that because you've talked about the work, you've done it. Another temptation is to think that because you've done some work lately, other people know about it.

That's the quandary I'm in right now -- actually, the latter, rather than the former. The temptation of just talking about the work, rather than doing it, comes at other times.

I've actually been really, really busy writing and editing, and I haven't lifted my head much past the keyboard/pen and paper, except to do chores, shovel snow, attend planning meetings for upcoming events I'm involved in, and try to catch up on my sleep.

I have to say, with all the work there is to do, with PEAPOD projects, it's very, very easy to get caught up in this manic do-ing-ness frenzy that pushes everything else out of the way. I'm sure it's an adjustment issue -- you just need to keep at long enough to get into a groove. Once you get there, it's cool.

But until you do, be warned -- a PEAPOD project can be very addictive and it can force everything else in your life out of the way. Because there's always something else to do. There's always something else to accomplish. And because it's so easy to do such powerful things, you really need to learn to discern what's important and essential, and what's not.

I'm serious. LEARN TO DISCERN. You can all too easily get swept away in the thrill of the moment, recording your podcasts, editing with Audacity, noodling around with your code, and blogging till the cows come home. It's so easy, and it's so much fun, that you can get swept far out to sea before you realize the tide has changed. And that doesn't bode well for things like:

1) physical fitness - because just about everything takes place at a desk, and we know what constant sitting does to the human body.

2) your social life - because even though social networking is fast becoming a vital tool of guerilla marketing, an online relationship is still no substitute for the real thing -- especially if the Real Thing is living in your home with you and tapping his/her feet, waiting to see if/when you'll notice him/her

3) other interests in your life beyond you PEAPOD project - because the rest of the world always seems to take longer to catch on and sign up for your interesting initiatives, than can happen online (especially if you have a successful PEAPOD initiative)

4) rest and relaxation - because as I said, it's so very easy to do this stuff, and there's always a lot to be done, and if you're an indie publisher like me, well, then it's all up to you, isn't it, when it comes to Getting Things Done. If you don't do it, who will? That's the big ole burning question. Even if you aren't an indie publisher, and you're involved in a PEAPOD project, if you don't have it carefully planned out and you have a whole lot to do, it's all too easy to get swept up in the DOING.

That being said, because PEAPOD projects are so rich with opportunity to DO THINGS, and because they are so "instant gratification", it can be very easy to get pullled off-track and lose sight of your plan of action. One thing just kinda leads to another, and before you know it, you've got a whole raft of things you've just gotten done, and there's a whole raft more, that need more work.

To be truly effective, you really need to plan. Plan and follow through with excactly what you said you're going to do. Map out your plans ahead of time. You wouldn't go searching through a foreign land for treasure, without a map, now would you? There's definitely treasure to be had, out there, and it's up to you go go find it. So, decide what treasure you want, draw your map, and get crackin'.

And don't forget to rest, now and then.