When It Rains…
Only three more days to fund The Wardenclyffe Horror!
Old adages like “A chain is only as strong as it’s weakest link” or “a leopard can’t change it’s spots” are cliche, and sometimes more than a little dated. There is a good reason they stick around long after styles and trends leave their folksy wisdom behind: they are often very true. Here at Caffeineforge, we have no leopards and our chains are made out of adamantium, (in case we do get one) but there is one old saying that is certainly both true and applicable the last week or two: when it rains, it pours.
Though this old saw could just as easily be applied to positive things, like the mind-blowing generosity of our backers, for instance, it is generally applied to more negative circumstances. I have no idea. For some reason people associate gloomy clouds, driving rain, and all the lighting and thunder that go with them to be a bad thing.
The last few weeks have been pretty busy. This is in large part due to the Kickstarter, of course. Taking the time to work on the next update, look for new publicity, connect with your current backers, and address their concerns is a full time job. By comparison keeping this blog up to date only take a few hours a week. Since The Wardenclyffe Horror was launched though, it has taken up a majority of my nights and weekends. I realized the other day that I have not read a book for fun, or played a single minute of a video game since before this project was launched.
That is self inflicted though – it’s fine. There will be plenty of time to remember what fun is, after the project funds. The real kicker has been work.
Its like the wind turbines know that this month, of all possible months, is my weakest link (see, there it is again). Last week was among the busiest and most stressful of my professional life. Stack that up whats going on in my personal life, and you will have the information to guess how much time I robbed from my sleep schedule to make chronological ends meet.
Enough with the whining though – when life gives us challenges like this, I rely on a few tricks to keep everything humming right along:
- Plan – Be aware of what you need to get done. Spend a little time every day planning for the day and the week. Some people like stickies, other like day planners or outlook – use what works for you, there is no right answer here.
- Work ahead – Take advantage of the lulls to get caught up, and when possible, ahead. This blog is evidence of how effective that technique is. I usually have two or three blog posts waiting in the wings for a day when I can’t find the time to write. Proactivity beats reactivity nine times out of ten (or an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure).
- Prioritize – If you’ve got too much to get done, then figure out what NEEDS to get done today. Many tasks, like that conversation with the artist, or the rewrite of the dialog in the third act will grudgingly wait till tomorrow, or the weekend. Urgency and time sensitivity are great metrics, and will often see you through till your personal storm subsides.
I know I’m not the busiest person in the world; I think that title goes to anyone with children, they’re the real pro’s. So tell me, what other techniques can I use to thwart the world when it absolutely, positively wants to rain on my parade?
Caffeineforge 
Wisdom.
Sarcasm?
Makes me want to open a bar for sad and lonely people. Over the fine assortment of rums and various fruit extracts (I don’t drink anything else, so stop judging) it will read: When it rains, it pours, but when it pours, we drink!
Moving to the tropics, are we?
Alabama proved more than enough for me. I’ll stay here in Chicago. Mai Tai’s taste just the same!