Skirmishes as Method

04.11.29

As I sit here at the end of November, 2004, the following thought recurs. Currently, I am invested in the Flight 93 Memorial Competition, an investigation of career trajectories, future educational goals and feasibility, ongoing reading, ongoing study of cognitive science/philosophy/architecture, and forthcoming design & fabrication projects and portfolio revisions looming — and then when will i finally build a website — all in addition to my day-job.  At the moment, I have to get the Flight 93 Memorial Competition finished. But I have to prepare myself to continue with and/or begin the other tasks. To drop all other tasks until the competition is done is not a productive strategy. It will mean that I will struggle more with the other tasks when the time for each arrives.  Alternatively, I cannot spend time on these other tasks at the cost of not finishing the design competition. And all need to happen for me to advance my agenda, so cutting scope is not an option without limiting desired outcomes.

This scenario, these pressures I expect to maintain throughout my life. It will always be the case. To deal with it, I attempt to have brief but regular skirmishes with those tasks not currently qualifying as most important. In effect, the idea is to prime myself to engage these tasks and to maintain myself as primed to engage these tasks, until the appropriate time arrives.