Curious how others deal with this: if I focus on one vertical slice of a long project (e.g. some design problem), I become annoyed that everything else remains frozen for long periods; if I work on a horizontal slice (a few pieces at once), bulk progress is very slow. Any escape?
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The key question: What’s the most important thing I could be doing right now to make progress on the project?
Do that. Don’t worry about the parts that remain frozen. If you keep answering the question, eventually, their time will come.
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I really like this angle, Ken!
Sensing into why I hesitate to do this: I think it's because the scope/definition of my projects are often so contingent, continuously-negotiated. And so I feel (right or wrong) I need to pay attention to the rest to shape the scope/def'n over time
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For me this feeling stems from unknowing what the end state looks like. Nowadays I try to have a good understanding of what the end will feel like and look like before I start. That’s for both programming and writing.
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Ah, yes, this makes sense! Alas, for me, understanding what the end will feel/look like really *is* the project! :)
Journaling is a great way to force your conscious mind to reckon with and communicate with your subconscious mind. Highly recommend it if you don’t already.
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If anything, the problem is probably more that I do too much of that, and less simply working-on-the-most-important-thing! :)
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