Challenge Yourself with an Extra Side Project
In order to do any kind of improvement in our life, we need to challenge ourselves as much as possible. This doesn’t mean that we cannot appreciate currently happening things, but this does mean that pushing ourselves is a requirement to becoming a better version of ourselves.
Side projects are a great way to improve ourselves. The reason behind this is simply that by adding a new task within our regular schedule, we get the opportunity to challenge our skills further.
I believe the above seems obvious to everybody already.
But to push for real improvements, we need to dig deeper and find further challenges, look for a long rope that we can drag closer to us, trying to reach further on it.
This is why we should not only challenge ourselves with a “simple” side project but should add as regularly as possible another side project within it. Through this process, we can not only reach a new, higher, level in our skills, but also expand our horizon and discover weaknesses that were too close to us to notice at first.
This is one of the reasons why I have decided to add a regular post about Burmese to my schedule. This can provide me with new hardships to go through, such as writing about a topic I am still learning about for instance.
It is important to put boundaries for this extra side project though. If it is to be done on the side of the original side project, we cannot allow ourselves to have it disrupt entirely the main side project. While the goals of those two may have some common parts, the main side project needs to stay the main concern on our mind.
If you feel like the extra side project will disrupt your schedule, then you need to find another way to implement it or you may even need to reconsider the timeline you have given yourself.
In February, planning on writing a short story as a challenge to myself, I made some time to start on it but I quickly realized that it was taking too much time away and that I needed to reevaluate the importance of me handling this task within February. I then came to terms with the fact that if I were to actually go on with it, I would most certainly have to miss at least a few days of writing. This is why I gave up on this task altogether for February.
Taking tough decisions is crucial for us to go forward but be careful not to forget your main goals. Challenging ourselves is fun. But remember what motivated you in the first place, what was the most important goal you identified in your decision-making process.
A side project within another one may be the best idea you could have so give it a go… if you’re sure the main one will always your first priority!
