Everything at once

When I tackle a new idea I wrestle between jumping in with effort focused in a specific area and planning and organizing the idea to be a full force effort on all fronts. The former is exciting, makes progress quickly in a small direction, while the latter both increases the chance of longterm success while decreasing the likelihood of my continuing because of fizzling out on energy.

This is always a trade off I wrestle with. If I’m starting a new project do I focus on the initial content, or all the pieces surrounding it to make it more secure, hold up to growth, and be available for more use cases.

I always choose quick wins and jumping in.

But I’m also aware of the tradeoffs. For this blog I could have an email newsletter running alongside it, an audio podcast associated with it for those who prefer to listen, illustrations or photos along with the posts, a social media presence encouraging others to pull in, a subscription or ad based revenue feature, and so much more. The list is endless.

Sometimes I get bogged down in that list and feel like it’s not worth continuing.

So I focus on the writing, honing my craft, improving my words, finding resonance with readers, and creating something that will be worthy of someone’s time.

There’s risk in the tradeoffs, and I’d rather focus on a small of impact now. I of course want to do more, there’s so much more I’m interested in doing, but the essential thing right now is to have words that matter to people I care for.

With that said, I’m looking at what’s next. I’m exploring an email newsletter option for those who prefer to listen that way, and will probably copy my friend wholesale.

I share this to encourage others. When in doubt focus on what’s essential.