Counting down to lift off…
and why I’ve delayed pushing ‘send’
I’ve been planning, procrastinating and hiding from my project, 1000Weeks, for an age. Why? A question I have been asking myself frequently. As I’m sitting in Departures at Christchurch Airport, New Zealand, 2/3rds through my Kiwi travel adventure, I realise it’s for a whole host of reasons.
Can I really be arsed to do it?
What’s the point?
Who will read it?
What original thoughts have I got to add to the swaths of writing out there?
Will I run out of ideas?
1000 weeks is a long time, errrr 20 years! Hopefully more.
Am I being pessimistic with this title or a realist who wants to embrace the remainder of my life what ever that is and encourage others to do the same?
I can’t quite figure out how to use Substack yet…what goes where, do I need a logo, paid or not paid, how do I link to Linked In and Insta, how do I attract subscribers, what colour palette should I use, do I need to find amazing photos/media to catch peoples attention blah blah blah
What’s the best time of day for me to write? Morning? Yes but what about exercise and stretching and my coaching clients and and …
Others are already doing a similar thing.
What might this project become? I don’t know. But I do have ideas…it may just be a weekly thought piece/journal/blog. It may become a community for those transitioning into life post ‘normal’ work, a guide to managing change, a space to question society’s expectations of age, a place for like minded people to gather and squeeze the juice out of life in whatever way is meaningful for them. Oh and with my financial planner and financial wellbeing hat on (did I mention I co-founded a Financial Planning business?) helping people think about money matters as they move through this stage of life.
To be honest (why do people say that? why wouldn’t I be honest?) I’m just going to post this and see what happens. I’ll find my rhythm and momentum by just bloody doing it!
It will evolve. It will become something. Or nothing. Either will be the right outcome as I feel my way into this new project.
Oh, and my 1000weeks proper starts in about a week, for now I am headed to the North Island and the Bay of Islands to continue my adventure.
Until the next time my friends.
X
Hey Ruth,
It seems that you have some healthy levels of self-doubt there.
That will work well for you, as will your *stream of consciousness* writing style for gathering the questions in your head.
Perhaps your readers will want more structure though, to get full value from those thoughts.
And forgive me, if I’ve missed previous posts, but what is this 1000-week project of which you speak?
Tell us more.
Who's it for?
What's the aim?
And have you taken Inspiration from Oliver Burkeman’s book, ‘Four Thousand Weeks’?
Thinking of posting on substack also.
Seems to be the place of the moment alongside Medium.
But for now I'm sticking with my own website, LinkedIn and Twitter.
Wish I could help with colour palettes, but I’m a lad – and we’re generally not very good at that!
Hi Paul
Thanks for the follow and comments. I am indeed inspired by Oliver Burkemans book.
You have not missed anything I’m just kicking this off. More details on my project/plan to follow. For now I’m enjoying my final 10 days or so in New Zealand 🇳🇿 This post was just a brain dump/teaser to get me into action.
Hope ‘24 has started well for you.
All the best
Ruth