Matt Drayer's Journal

Projects are amazing things. They (mostly) kick off full of optimism and vigor. You attack the problem with gusto, often moving too fast for your own good. You imagine the end state -- the perfect end state: Humming along that winding country road, wind whistling, sun shining -- won't it be absolutely grand?

The "low hanging fruit" is quickly picked, and the reality of the real project -- YOUR project -- becomes evident. You stop to consider the prospect for a day, or a week, or a decade, and hopefully decide to continue. You go deep, reducing the job to its component tasks, tearing it all down and building it back up. You set and reset dates, you procrastinate, you nitpick, you buy more tools, you clean the workspace, you read forum posts, and yes, you actually work on the project too.

Finally, you've done all the possible little ancillary things you can do, and you've done the big important things as well. Enough fretting. It's time for the Big Test. It's time to start the engine. Will it start? Will it run? Will it run smoothly? Will it shoot a piston through the hood? Will I look like a fool on YouTube? I guess there's only one way to find out...

<br/>Marblehead MG - Episode 40: First Start!