The following is an IRC discussion with a few friends this morning about Thursawday project procrastination. Follow along for some tips on how to choose what project you want to get done. For those not familiar with IRC the @ indicates an operator of the IRC channel. Some of the conversation has been edited for sake of brevity or content.

@TDWinXP> you guys ready to commit to some Thursawday projects yet?
@TDWinXP> no better time to start than Thursawday #6!
@TDWinXP> (well, ok, maybe Thursawday #7!)
@TDWinXP> Lestat, darkmoon, johnnyRS, what do you guys want to get accomplished?
@^Lestat> I wont.
@^Lestat> I shouldnt say that.
@^Lestat> Maybe I will, but Im not ready yet.
@TDWinXP> Ahh good, procrastination
@TDWinXP> Good thing to talk about when making plans to get. something. done.

Anti-procrastination tip #1:
@TDWinXP> Start with something very simple. Something you *know* you can get done

We put things off in life based on obstacles — either real or imagined — in the world. By starting with something easy and not very time consuming like my second Thursawday project: take a screenshot every week of the Thursawday sawvents schedule. This takes a minute or two to complete. I explained this to my friends.

@TDWinXP> For example, my second Thursawday project is to take and post a screenshot each week of Thursawday progress from the sawevents schedule page: http://www.thursawday.com/sawce-code/777.php
@TDWinXP> this takes maybe a couple minutes max to do
@TDWinXP> purpose? to chronicle the progress over 777 weeks
@TDWinXP> this also helps me remember where I’m at in the progress (week #6 of 777 weeks)
darkmoon> hmm?
darkmoon> get accomplished?
@TDWinXP> On a percentage basis, I’m 0.0077% closer to the end goal
@TDWinXP> yes, something in life — personal, professional, whatever — you’d like to get accomplished
darkmoon> at some point in the next 777 weeks, I wanna get married. :p
darkmoon> I want to run a business of some sort for the next 777 weeks at least. lol
darkmoon> nothing I want to do is continuous though… that I can think of
darkmoon> my interests change so if I committed to something, it’d have to be in a generic form.
darkmoon> and I don’t have kids.
darkmoon> I hear when you have kids, your priorities change there too
darkmoon> :p
@TDWinXP> so you have two things you want to get accomplished then, darkmoon. #1: get married at some point between now and the next 777 weeks.
@TDWinXP> #2: want to run a business of some sort for the next 777 weeks
darkmoon> lol. yeah.
@TDWinXP> those are two bigger projects
@TDWinXP> good ones though
darkmoon> I might change my business or whatever… but I do want to run continuously, from one thing to another.
@TDWinXP> So let’s refine it: #2: I might change my business or whatever… but I do want to run continuously
darkmoon> I’d like to be married for at least 777 weeks too…. but that’s not up to me entirely. lol

Joking around
darkmoon> I’d say, 777 weeks of sex too…but that’s impossible. :p
@TDWinXP> a lot of business fail within the first 5 years, so having the main business get to the 5+ year mark is quite an accomplishment
@TDWinXP> well, depends on what kind of sex lol
darkmoon> we’ve got 2 years now under Firelace’s belt.
darkmoon> 777 weeks of sex? haha
darkmoon> and even so… that’d be a tough one
@TDWinXP> you could say to your significant other: my thursawday project is to have sex every ThurSAWday
@TDWinXP> so if you’re not up for it, I’ll have to look elsewhere lol
darkmoon> lol
darkmoon> you try pulling that with [your wife]. :p
darkmoon> see if you’re in the dog house. lol
@TDWinXP> I’m not sure that would help fit your first stated goal (be married within 777 weeks)
darkmoon> lol
darkmoon> that goal actually isn’t too terrible.
@TDWinXP> no, that’s a good goal
darkmoon> unless I screw the pooch entirely. lol

Back to Thursawday project business
@TDWinXP> is that what you’re going to go with for your first thursawday project?
@TDWinXP> it’s a good life goal
darkmoon> now… staying married for 777 weeks… that’s a good life goal. but that’s a tough one. lol
@TDWinXP> Hey, we’ve done it It’s not that hard, I could offer tips along the way for making that work
darkmoon> I dunno. be married and own a business? yeah
darkmoon> lol. I don’t doubt I could make it happen.
darkmoon> we’ve been together for five years now.
darkmoon> longer than some marriages.
darkmoon> lol
@TDWinXP> so maybe some more refinement to your first project: #1: get married within the next 777 weeks and stay married during this time at least
darkmoon> lol.
@TDWinXP> actually a secondary thursawday project would be #2: stay married at least 777 weeks

Why a committment to mowing the lawn every week wouldn’t be a very “viable” Thursawday project
darkmoon> see.. like.. I can’t commit to mowing the lawn every week for 777 weeks. lol
@TDWinXP> the lawn doesn’t need to be mowed every week, particularly in the winter
darkmoon> true
darkmoon> I know.
@TDWinXP> I was talking to a guy who mows lawns, they skip weeks in the winter months or it hurts the grass
@TDWinXP> so that wouldn’t be a very viable Thursawday project, would it?

Back to the life goal of marriage as a Thursawday project
@TDWinXP> but back to the marriage thing, assuming you — or somebody else with the same idea — is serious. You could do something there every week to follow up on.
darkmoon> I’m not going to do tips though.. on marriage. lol
darkmoon> I see a lot of failures… but each one is slightly different.
@TDWinXP> you could seriously ask yourself what you’ve done in your relationship every week to move closer to that life goal
@TDWinXP> or the converse: what you have NOT done to get closer to that life goal
@TDWinXP> and each week you chart your progress
darkmoon> what… towards marriage?
darkmoon> I know I’m getting married. lol
@TDWinXP> correct
darkmoon> so that’s not an issue.
darkmoon> mainly it’s… 1) finances… 2)… finances.
@TDWinXP> hey, you aren’t married until you’re, well, married lol
@TDWinXP> clearing the obstacles out of the way
darkmoon> yeah… I’m doing that. lol.
@TDWinXP> I see this as a good project … the thing is how much will/would you feel comfortable sharing with the world
@TDWinXP> have to make some of this generic, so it’s not too personal. Idea isn’t to embarass anybody by sharing something too personal
@TDWinXP> you can talk about the obstacles in a generic way
@TDWinXP> so as not to break any personal confidences
@TDWinXP> like “I have this one obstacle I’m working on … it’s too personal to share with the world right now, but here’s what I’m doing to try and deal with it … a, b, c”
@TDWinXP> well that could be part of reporting your progress
@TDWinXP> “I consulted privately with a friend”

Privacy tip #1: You shouldn’t share anything publically about your Thursawday project that would be too personal or make you feel uncomfortable.

Discussing the point of this conversation
@TDWinXP> I’m editing this IRC stuff for a proposed post — which I’ll share with you guys first before publishing so you can have me edit out anything you don’t want there.
@TDWinXP> just FYI
@TDWinXP> a post on Thursawday for others to follow
darkmoon> lol
@TDWinXP> part of my activity toward my thursawday project
@TDWinXP> action = progress
@^Lestat> oh were you doing an interview? (sorry mate)
darkmoon> huh? nope.
@TDWinXP> tis no problem, I’ll edit around the crosstalk We’re trying to establish what some good thursawday projects would be, including yours, Lestat
darkmoon> play games for 777 weeks? if I have time? lol.
@TDWinXP> not an interview, a discussion rather that can be shared on thursawday.com
darkmoon> I don’t think I’ll ever stop playing games.
@TDWinXP> and be helpful for others thinking: what the hell is Thursawday about? What is a Thursawday project? Why should I make one? What is the benefit to me?
@TDWinXP> Why? why? why?

Thursawday project procrastination
@TDWinXP> Which brings us full circle to your comment “I wont” — you won’t what? Plan any kind of thursawday project?
@TDWinXP> Have you registered for the site yet? (looking)
@TDWinXP> nope, Lestat, that’s step #1 lol
@TDWinXP> darkmoon and JohnnyRS are in, so is [Fergy]. We got a group
@^Lestat> Well shhot, if they’re in then Im definately gonna be in too
@TDWinXP> now we need to help motivate each other in our sawcial network to get our individual projects done and accomplished
@^Lestat> hehe
@^Lestat> I can’t bank on a single weekday to dedicate to a project. Ive got a 2yr old and the schedule is mad
@TDWinXP> http://www.thursawday.com/wp-register.php
@^Lestat> mad I tell you mwuhaha
@TDWinXP> Ahh, obstacles
darkmoon> I’m in what.
darkmoon> it’s not a weekday thing. the shit I offered up to TD wasn’t a weekday thing
@TDWinXP> And I’ve got three teenagers, two businesses and plenty of obstacles too. See what we do?

Why do we create obstacles for why we will or won’t get something important done?

darkmoon> like …. getting married… and staying married.
@TDWinXP> The only once a week thing is an update on progress
darkmoon> I thought you had a teen, lezzie.
@TDWinXP> because without an update on progress, you aren’t really committed to something
@TDWinXP> you’ll forget about it and it becomes less important
@^Lestat> So I could discuss how my thinking about progress is going
@^Lestat> I have both darkmoon
@TDWinXP> you could discuss it here and then copy/paste to a post at Thursawday
@TDWinXP> done, finished
@^Lestat> 1 is soon to be 15, the other soon to be 3
darkmoon> geez… talk about waiting to have your 2nd
@TDWinXP> well, not just “talk” — more or less explain what you are doing to accomplish your stated project
@TDWinXP> committments are bastards
darkmoon> actually… I quit feeling bad about making excuses in college.
@TDWinXP> so step #1 for Lestat — register for the site
Register for Thursawday: http://www.thursawday.com/wp-register.php
@TDWinXP> That’s [the first step]

There you go, the first step for you to get started with your Thursawday project is to register for Thursawday.com. It’s official, Lestat has joined thursawday.com. It’s your turn.

What are you waiting for?