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I don’t know if I can wait a year or more to do this project

Macro Oxygenation

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MACRO OXYGENATION@2x

The Context

Micro oxygenation is the practice of giving small ideas a fighting chance to breathe and grow by nurturing them with encouragement, freedom and affirmation. It's crucial for minimizing the barriers to creating new things and reducing the effort of completing version one of your work. Macro oxygenation is a similar process, except instead of a small idea, it's a big project. A venture with a longer incubation cycle, say, six months or more.

The Tool

two color

Macro Oxygenation

MACRO OXYGENATION -- Giving large projects a chance to grow on your team by nurturing them with encouragement, freedom and affirmation.

When you're executing that kind of work, it's more of a slow burn. Your creative fire needs oxygenation to sustain its flame over a significant period of time. That idea requires encouragement, freedom and affirmation to thrive. Otherwise you'll get frustrated and rage quit, trap yourself into a stalemate, or lose momentum and watch your project slowly fade like a fart in the wind. Unfortunately, the reason many creators struggle with the skill of oxygenation is because it requires unsexy stuff like patience, restraint and delayed gratification. Blech. Who has time for that? This project needs to exist in the world right now, goddamnit! Yes, any creator can relate to that level of enthusiasm.

Scott's Take

Scott's Take

Let me share with you a few of my own macro oxygenation rituals that help sustain my creative flame with big projects. First, create an idea bank. Start a simple document or spreadsheet. Revisit it every day, or a few times a week. Give yourself space and permission to express any new thought related to your project without judgment. It may not look like much in the moment, but that incremental progress will feel like breathing onto the embers of a fire. Second, create a hero map. Make a list of people you admire who have already launched big ventures similar to what you're trying to build. Map out each of their project journeys from start to finish. These case studies will give you inspiration and perspective over the long haul. Finally, document as you develop. Don’t wait to be asked what you’re up to. Every two weeks send out a progress report to a small cohort of trusted people who believe in your vision. Keep it short, keep it simple, and keep it small. It builds accountability to keep making progress and invites much needed encouragement. Plus it's a cool time capsule to reflect on years from now when your idea is worth millions of dollars.

The Rest

With these macro oxygenation rituals, you will sustain your creative flame over time. Remember, this very sense of urgency is a key part to making any idea into a reality. But let's not forget, creativity is a long term relationship. It doesn't go away. We're in this for life. How will you nurture your project with ongoing organization and affirmation?

The Benefits

Sustain difficult projects over ra long period of time
Avoid quitting from frustration, or stalemating from neglect
Build creative stamina so you can make progress on your work incrementally
Accumulate enough momentum so that executing stops being hard and just how you live

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