by Skellie
Photo by striatic (CC license).
When it comes to new projects (for me, a new blog or a website), you could say that I’m commitment phobic. For a long time I was more interested in the ideas behind a new project than the execution, leading to a long trail of half-finished projects — and some that never made it out of my notebook.
I found my mind wandering as I was trying to sleep a few days ago and hit upon a project idea that excited me. I could run it alongside Skelliewag. It would only be a hobby thing — nothing serious. My neurons started firing as I began to plan what I’d do when I woke up (ensuring it would be another hour or so before I finally drifted off).
One moderating influence I’m grateful for — in hindsight — was being unable to get online the next day. When I finally sat down to think about this new project, I noticed that something had changed since I started working with this blog.
Instead of leaping into the process of choosing a domain name and making the project a reality, I started to ask myself some hard questions. They’re not fun to answer — particularly when you’re feeling inspired and excited — but they have the potential to save you a lot of time and, potentially, a lot of money.
(A note: I’m deliberately avoiding specifics about my idea so you might be better able to see yourself in the process. My apologies to the curious!)
1. What are my end goals with the project?
If you don’t know where you want the journey to end, you can’t do anything except wander around in circles. The first step in starting any new project is to work out where you want to end up. You can then start to reverse-engineer everything else from that point.
I decided that my goals for the project — the point where I’d be satisfied with it — were to build an active niche forum with a blog off-shoot. I would be catering to a really small niche, so grand aspirations didn’t figure into it.
This question is probably the easiest of the five, because it allows you to stay firmly in that comfortable realm where you’re thinking about the end product in ignorance of the ‘How‘ question. What’s involved in getting there?
The Honeymoon didn’t last for long!
2. What will I have to do to reach those goals?
Like any strong structure, worthy goals tend to have more than one foundation. I split my goals into two:
- Build a thriving forum to serve a very small niche.
- Create a blog offshoot to convert blog readers into forum members (and vice versa).
As I considered both these necessary steps, some difficulties began to spring up immediately.
- I don’t know how to promote a forum — though I could probably learn.
- The niche I’m targeting is already partially served by a few different forums. How could I move them to leave — or participate in more than one forum?
- There’s little opportunity for off-blog promotion because there are very few active sites in the niche. In other words, there’s nowhere to guest post or comment *gulp*.
- I’ll have to create blog content on a topic I’m not an expert on.
- I’ll have to moderate the forums, or get others to do so. In my previous experiences being a forum admin, this hasn’t been fun!
While none of these challenges are insurmountable, they did start to cause me some worry. Which was a good thing. It meant that I was starting to take the ‘How’ question into account.
At this stage, it’s important to break up your goals into the separate chunks required to achieve them. Then comes the difficult task of identifying the necessary steps you’ll need to take — and the potential problems with each step.
Photo by striatic (CC license).
3. Do I have enough ideas and inspiration?
Ideas are the fuel behind any new project. While two or three good ideas can be enough to get you excited, a successful project requires a lot of good ideas over an extended period of time.
I’ve started many projects only to find that I ran out of steam after a month or so. I wasn’t inspired and the content started to bore me. The finished product I had in mind seemed far removed from the regular drudge of creating the content required to get there.
It’s not quite enough to be passionate about something. You also need to be passionate about writing about it. That’s an ugly sentence, but it’s the truth. There are a lot of topics I’m passionate about — topics I thought would make the perfect subject of a blog or website — only to find that my passion didn’t extend quite so far as to enjoy writing about it semi-daily.
The process for answering this question is simple, but it’s a step many of us (myself included) have been reluctant to take. Essentially, you need to start before you start.
- You should be able to brainstorm 20-30 ideas for content. If you can’t make it, that’s a warning sign.
- You should aim to write five or so content items for the project before you start thinking about a name. If you can’t make it, that’s a warning sign. If you make it but didn’t enjoy it, that’s another sign you might be running into trouble.
4. Do I have enough time?
This is one question which seems to be a recurring theme in most of our lives.
The short of it is this: if you’re not juggling any other projects, you can make enough time. You may just have to pace yourself. If your goals are attached to a time-frame, then you run into a problem.
If you’re adding the new project on top of an existing one, this question becomes even more important. If you’re dedicating all your available web time to your existing blog or website, then you’re either going to have to make more time or redistribute the time between the two sites.
Between Skelliewag and freelancing, I simply couldn’t make more time without stealing it from one of my other projects. At the moment, I’m not willing to do that.
5. Will it impact on my other projects?
An offshoot of the previous question, and the final one you need to consider. A new project often requires you to sacrifice some part of your old project — unless you take time from elsewhere.
Unless you spend large swathes of time doing absolutely nothing, something will have to be sacrificed. This is another oft-overlooked factor in the ‘Eureka!’ moment behind a new project idea. You need to be sure the project will be worth the sacrifice, whether it’s less time with the Playstation or less time working on your magnum opus.
Wrapping up loose ends
I hope this list of hard questions will be useful to those of you flirting with the idea of starting a new project or running two (or more) projects at the same time. It might also be a resource you return to if the desire strikes in future.
It’ll also be interesting to see whether any of you feel this list could be applied to projects in other fields — from a new business venture to a new novel.
To wrap up my personal story, the new project I’ve been thinking about is on hold indefinitely. (Much like Lynne Spears’ parenting book). Before I start, I need to figure out how to make it work without taking time away from the things that are most important to me.
With Leo Babauta, J. D. Roth and Maki (who each work harder than me already) all starting new projects alongside their existing ones, I can only think: if they can do it, I have no excuse not to try. But first, I need to take the time to think before acting on impulse.
It’s taken me seven years to develop the ability to do that. If you find it hard, you’re not alone.
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46 Comments, Comment or Ping
Warren
These are good questions to ask. I wrote a similar post on my blog recently. It’s called “The Hard Questions: 10 Questions You Need to Ask Yourself When Starting Off.” My name above links to it.
Dec 21st, 2007
Ritu
Skellie, thanx for the post. I have two projects that I would like to implement in 2008 and you can imagine the stress.
Both projects are related to blogging and just like you I have a high degree of committment in anything I do. I have been stressing myself with the plan and how to execute it, I am not sure yet. My mind seems to wander time and time after whether it’s something good to start or not.
The questions you have asked yourself are certainly worth asking myself. Although I had some fair knowledge on what I wan and should do with the implementing process of these projects, your post has given some more things for me to ponder about.
The best things we can do is to sit, relax and be realistic when it comes to launching a project. As for getting off the bed and buying domain names, that’s the only problem I don’t have. I have been buying domain names for couple years and I think I have quite a few I could pretty much use for any of my projects I might have in near future.
Once again thanks for the insight. These are certainly some things we need to ask ourselves before we start anything. Things look different when we visualize it in our mind and when we put it on paper ( action ). We need to analyze every aspect and impact of what we are launching.
Dec 21st, 2007
Warren
[to RITU] Starting new projects is definitely hard. Skellie’s tips would be a good starting point but I wonder what would happen if you decided to just focus on one of your two projects for the year. Maybe it’s something to consider. Focus all your energy to make something great as opposed to two things that are pretty good.
Dec 21st, 2007
Sean Hodge
I’ve just recently started taking the idea of launching my own projects seriously. Well projects beyond my freelance site. Launching my first blog has been a learning experience. I’m just starting to get some level of flow with my writing. But its a blog on my favorite program so I have tons of ideas and I love writing about it. So, I picked the right topic. I’m also shooting for one post a week. Not multiple posts a week so it won’t be to much time taken from freelancing work.
Thanks for the article. I’ve also bought tons of domain names on projects that I might start.
Dec 21st, 2007
George Beinhorn
“Is it coming from my mind, or my heart?”
Works everywhere, even in the cubicle.
Dec 21st, 2007
Mary Jaksch
This is an interesting post.
I’m an out-and-out enthusiast and an idea for a new project makes me fire on all cylinders
Unfortunately, I have lots of ideas - so I tend to be a danger to myself! I’ve now learned to use a ’safety switch’, i.e., I run a new idea past my son and friend Sebastian, who has a cool head and is a fellow blogger at http://learninghowtosurf.com
I tend to follow his advice.
I still do a lot more with my life than most other people I know. On one hand to do ‘too much’ means to really pack this life full of juicy living! On the other hand, there is a point beyond possible - where life then becomes stress without joy.
It’s a tricky balance, Skellie. One of the important things is to finish a project. So, for example, if you are still studying, it’s important to complete your course. I have read that only about 10% of all people complete a voluntary project. It takes grit to finish.
I find writing a 5-year plan in form of a mindmap helps because I can identity overarching goals and then look carefully to see if my wild plans support these goals or not.
All in all: more fun to have too many ideas and projects bursting out of one’s mind than to be dull and dreary!
Dec 21st, 2007
Ritu
@Warren: You are very right. Like I said in the comment above, I get so committed and excited when an idea pops up in my head. You can pretty much compare me to a kid in a candy store
Anyway, that’s a very good tip and actually I have been thinking about that. I am thinking of launching one sometimes in mid February. We will see how that goes as that would be the stepping stone for the other one.
Once again thanx for the tip Warren and thanx for taking the time to visit and comment on my blog.
Dec 21st, 2007
Sonia Simone
Skellie you are such a KILLJOY.
Thanks for this, I am on project overload and I need something objective and rational to slow me down from taking on new things. I have much more enthusiasm than I have time or energy. (Or money, but that’s another post.)
Dec 21st, 2007
Dee Stewart
Great post. What you have said here don’t just apply to blog projects, but to any. I have a goal to complete a novel by the end of this year. I have one week to go. Don’t think I ‘ll make it, so of course I want to switch gears and start on a new book. I’m determine to keep going even if I have to go bast my deadline. This blog, especially the part about what will i have to do to complete this project is very important. One should also ask themselves what are they willing to give up to complete the project.
Dec 21st, 2007
Brian Auer
I’m notorious for starting projects and never finishing them — my wife hates me for it. I just tell her I’m creative.
I’ve actually got a couple of sites that have been in development for over a year now! And yet… I’ve started up a new website project. But I’ve thought this one through, and it’s going to happen before the end of January — I swear!
I’m actually more confident of success on this one after reading this post. I actually have good answers to the questions and I have a good feeling about it.
Great tips and advice for people like me, Skellie!
Dec 21st, 2007
plonkee
*Now*, I read this. I’ve just started my new project.
Fortunately it’s something that’s been percolating in my mind for a few months. I’ve deliberately set my expectations low for how much time I can put into it, and I’ve been doing as much preparation as possible. But you know it’s a good idea to start when you keep getting more and more ideas for what to write about.
Dec 21st, 2007
skellie
@ Warren: Thanks for the link. I like the post :-).
@ Ritu: You’ve piqued my interest in the two projects you’re starting. Do let me know when I can see them.
@ Sean Hodge: Freelancing really is like a project in and of itself, so anything extra you do is an admirable bonus :-).
@ Mary: I agree — I absolutely love the brainstorming stage. I suppose it’s just finding that balance between ideas you should play with and ideas you should invest time (and possibly money) in.
That being said, I would never be doing this if I hadn’t attempted to make dozens of ideas a reality of the years — even if some, perhaps many, didn’t work out.
@ Sonia: Yeah, I’m sorry if I seem like a bit of a killjoy on this topic. I hope it doesn’t sound as if I’m discouraging people from taking on new ideas. Quite the opposite. I just want people to invest time in the ideas that they have the capacity to see through. Hopefully a little bit of optimism shone through :-).
@ Brian: It’s great to hear that you made it through the questions. I suppose that’s the good thing about them, they can both highlight potential problems and solidify the faith you have in an idea (if you can come up with good answers).
Good luck with the new project :).
Dec 21st, 2007
skellie
@ George: That’s a cool saying. I’ll remember it :-).
@ Dee: Yep — considering the sacrifices you’ll have to make is essential. Good luck with the novel — or any others you might start.
Dec 21st, 2007
Tess
Well-known coach Barbara Sher refers to people like us who have minds bubbling with new projects as Scanners. Her book Refuse to Choose is a good one on the subject.
One of her suggestions is to create a Day Book in which you write project ideas - in as much detail as you like - so they are recorded for the future even if you can’t do them. This has a dual purpose: it keeps projects noted and it acts as a continuing pump for your creativity as ideas spark off each other.
Dec 21st, 2007
Keira Peney
Aye, all good questions. Especially when I have so many projects lying around half-completed already. There is nothing like that first rush of excitement that keeps you awake at night though, as you plan out how wonderful it’s going to be!
Dec 21st, 2007
Mrs. Micah
Sometimes the fear of having my project join my other half-completed ones scares me away from new ideas. In that case, I have to remind myself of the various projects I did complete and that I’m capable. Then I ask myself similar hard question–like “Will this keep my interest?”
Dec 22nd, 2007
Ritu
@ Skellie: Well, I guess I am heading the right way as I am raising interest among influential people like you. The project is due sometimes in mid 2008. I will certainly let you know and would appreciate feedback once it launches.
Dec 22nd, 2007
Michael Martine
Great article, Skellie. One of the big insights I gained into myself in the recent past was that sticking with something over the long haul wasn’t something I had been good at, so I vowed to change that.
I think of new projects all the time. I keep an idea book and such. Only a very few of them see the light of day, anymore, and the process I went through with them was very much like your excellent questions above. New projects can easily spread you too thin and damage what you’re trying to accomplish with existing efforts.
But if you decide to start the project, there are new dangers. I find that an incredible percentage of people haven’t the faintest clue about real project management. So, if you really decide to go ahead with your new project, I invite you to read Project Management for Blogger, an article I wrote to help with this very situation.
Dec 22nd, 2007
Kate Foy
And I thought I was the only one who kept an idea book! Amazing how those scratches and scribbles and half thought out notions can gell over a week or so into a new project. At this point and for an energetic enthusiast and creative arts worker it’s hard not to dive in too quickly to the next realisation phase. Good to hear how others deal with this.
Dec 22nd, 2007
skellie
@ Tess: That’s a cool idea… I do tend to use my notebook to record ideas but I don’t have a notebook dedicated specifically to that task. It might be something to consider.
@ Keira: Hehe, I’ve lost a lot of hours of sleep while internally brainstorming ideas for my ‘perfect’ new project. At least, it always seems perfect at the time ;-).
@ Mrs. Micah: That’s a good question. I guess ‘Will this keep my interest?’ is probably most similar to ‘Do I have enough ideas and inspiration?’ on the list.
@ Ritu: I look forward to it :-).
@ Michael Martine: Really fine article. Added it to the Skelliewag links blog.
@ Kate Foy: I hope you’re a little better at putting the creative brakes on than I’ve been ;-).
Dec 22nd, 2007
Mark
Skellie - very timely post as we all contemplate new projects to keep us thriving in 2008. I hope it is not the ebook you are putting on hold…?
Happy Holidays,
Mark
Dec 22nd, 2007
Alfa King
Great. In a nustshell it’s all about;
(i) identifying your project;
(ii) planning for its execution;
(iii) allocating the necessary resources;
(iv) working towards its realisation;
(v) ensuring that it’s on track (monitoring performance);
(vi) reviewing
The questions may be hard, but your commitment should be harder for an effective project management.
Dec 23rd, 2007
Community Building Blog
Hey Skellie
Thanks for the link - every time you link out to my site I am flattered. The quality of your articles is outstanding and I have no doubt that you will see even more success in 2008.
Merry Christmas.
- Martin Reed
Dec 23rd, 2007
skellie
@ Mark: No, it’s not the eBook, thankfully… though it is giving me a bit of trouble ;-).
@ Alfa King: That’s a nice, actionable summary. Thank you.
Dec 23rd, 2007
Seo Design Solutions
I think you essentially nailed what every visionary has to endure when questioning their internal fortitude. I am glad to see your honesty to put it all out there like this and reinforce the whole issue of commitment, which is a necessary ingredient to any form of success.
Informative and extremely useful information for all. Thank you.
Dec 23rd, 2007
Karen Zara
It’ll also be interesting to see whether any of you feel this list could be applied to projects in other fields — from a new business venture to a new novel.
It certainly could. And I can use one of the examples you gave: I have several ideas for novels and short stories, but I’m not working on any. I do know what my goals are and what I should do to reach them. Inspiration? I have even more than I actually need. However, I don’t have enough time and fiction writing might have an impact on my other projects.
After reading your post I realised that a better distribution of my time could allow me to get back to fiction. But the impact-on-other-projects issue remains.
Thank you very much for this thought-provoking post!
I think this is the first comment I leave here, although I’ve been a regular visitor — and subscriber — for some months now. This article is the sort of thing that deserves an answer. And it gave me some food for thought, so… thank you for feeding me. 
(Sidenote: I’ve been a forum admin too and, just like you, I’ve had not so good experiences in this field. But I’d like to try it once again someday.)
Dec 23rd, 2007
Evan Hadkins
I guess I think these are questions to keep in mind.
We try to answer them before we start. But then reality has a way of coming up with surprises. We didn’t think of something. Something takes far longer than we planned for. Other things turn up that take up more of our time.
So I think asking them upfront can help set priorities. But really we find the answers to these questions as we go along.
Dec 24th, 2007
NaturalWoman
To wrap up my personal story, the new project I’ve been thinking about is on hold indefinitely
THE BOOK IS NOW A MEMOIR
Dec 25th, 2007
Camilla
Thank you so much for this article! Perfect timing! I am one of those that’s full of ideas and I just get on fire thinking about the beginning stages. I would call myself commitment phobic also. I have several unfinished projects!
Dec 27th, 2007
Vineet
Hi Skillie,
Its a very interesting post. I started a project 2 months back. Start a blog. All I wanted to do is take it a step at a time. Since it was a new area for me technically (I mean the how to) I would just learn how to do x and do it and then figure I need to do y and then do y and so on. I guess I never went into the goal setting. I can see that as a result all the tasks are kind of never ending. I will never know if I achieved what I was set out for.
Secondly without clearly defined goals it is difficult for me to know if the actions I am doing are the ones that will take me closer to what I really expect out of my blog.
Murphy’s law states that the work stretches to take up all the time you have. So I fear I will be working on my project all the time and will achieve very little of what I expect.
I guess lesson learnt is that I need to define clearly defined and achievable goals. Goals which are time bound. Goals which are measurable. And work on that goal relentlessly. and keep measuring progress.
I definate advantage of the approach is that I can get better results for my effort. As my effort will be very focussed at achieving a particular goal at any particular time.
The way I am going now is that - oh - I need to create content, and oh - I need to work on mind map and oh - I need to work on SEO, and oh - I need to track these 10 blogs, and oh ………..
So many targets at the same time without any defined finish line is really confusing and unfocussed.
I kindda realized this as this is what I do at work but never put it to practice.
Very interesting article. Thanks for this.
Hopefully I can be more focussed and goal oriented.
thanks
Vineet
Vineetnair.com
Dec 27th, 2007
Rod
Hi Skellie,
thank you for this post. I myself learned about points 4 and 5 (time and impact on other projects) the hard way earlier this year. I was running WAY TOO MANY blogs and I finally decided to stop many of them.
It has been a hard decision but no regrets. The “survivors” are performing much better now.
Happy New Year !
Rod
Jan 2nd, 2008
Joel Falconer
I am also a bit of a project-starting junkie, though I’ve leaned to temper it a bit.
For me, the vital question is: “Will this help others?”
And if the answer is yes, I ask: “How much?”
I know that helping others will motivate me for the long run, make audience building easier, and in turn all this makes income generation viable.
Jan 3rd, 2008
Sangesh
This is quite an inspirational article for me. Be sure I’ll follow these before starting any new projects.
Thanks again.
Cheers
Jan 16th, 2008
Patrick
Ah yes, the trail of half finished projects. I’ve walked there many times.
This is an excellent article. I was just going through the “search for a domain name” phase this morning. You article give me something to think about.
Thanks.
Jan 30th, 2008
Charlie Gilkey
Your point about writing five articles before naming your project is spot on, especially when it comes to blog domain names. I’m now at the point that I’m fighting against a less than effective domain name, but had I written first, I likely would have come up with the domain name that I currently have in my head that fits much better. It’s hard to estimate the impact that a bad domain name can have on blog promotion, but the fact that you worry about it detracts from your efforts to write and promote.
Great post!
Mar 17th, 2008
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