Things to try and remember [random, projects]

[rebeccmeister]

The local neuroscientist notes that yes, it's a good idea to continue trying to learn how to do new things, especially if they are on the more difficult end of the spectrum.

Maybe wooden boat-building can count for the moment, but then later on, I probably should go and learn how to play a different musical instrument, too, not just for the cognitive benefits but for the enjoyment of music.

It's easy to entertain this ambition right now, since it's one I don't plan to act on soon.

Yesterday we also had some really interesting conversation about differences/variation in personal project management styles; out of four people at dinner, two of us (me being one) tend to have about 80-bajillion different projects in various stages of progress at any particular point in time, while the other two are serial project completionists (one project at a time, finish that one before moving on to the next).

I feel like intellectually, I can understand and appreciate the serial project completionist approach. But in practice, that's just not who I am, for a host of reasons. For me most of this falls in the realm of, "People are funny," but it does make me wonder about the distribution of project styles across people in general.

And so the year of attempting to finish lingering projects shall continue.

Comments

[rebeccmeister]

I should add another note to myself about a comment from Smellsofbikes (fellow project juggler) about how there are some projects that don't actually have a definite endpoint. Kind of a tinkerer perspective. This seems helpful to try and remember, too.

[twoeleven]

The day is short, the labor is vast, the workers are lazy, the reward is great, the Master is urgent. (A variation on the aphorism often given as "Ars longa, vita brevis".)

It's easy to entertain this ambition right now, since it's one I don't plan to act on soon.

I have many ambitions like that. An entire headful, even. Would you like a few spare ones? :)

And I too have many, many projects I'm juggling. The projects are long, the time is short, the interest is variable, the new undertakings are limitless.

[threemeninaboat]

I look forward to you learning the concertina so you can concertina while I piano.

[mellowtigger]

I learned a long while ago (which I've promised for years to write about someday) that my mental health takes a serious nosedive if I get too many things happening at once. Every obligation becomes a distraction to the others, resulting in no action at all. So I'm solidly in the serial task camp. It's an interesting topic. I'm sure there must be good papers somewhere on different types of executive function.