Wednesday 3 April 2013

Project's Update

It's that time of the month again. How productive have I been on my self-assigned projects? Let's find out:

Project Pitch:

My original proposal from January is still sitting in editorial. I can check the status of it in real time and I'm literally watching it get shuffled further and further into the back of the line, gathering dust on whatever virtual shelf it's sitting on.

So fine, maybe the editors are considering it for later, it's still there and they'll get to it, eventually, I hope. I decided to try and write up another proposal and send it in for editing. And I actually had something, all the ideas were there but I was just bored with the topic. And honestly, the ideas felt like loosely connected dots that I could barely spin in an interesting way.

Eventually I had to stop, enough was enough. It sucks to have several hours of work turn out fruitless. But the ideas are still sitting there, maybe I can re-use them in the future. In the meantime, I'm going to try and write something else up.

JUST GIVE ME FEEDBACK ALREADY.

Project Derp:

March was the best month I've seen so far for the second phase of Project Derp. Traffic improved, profits increased since I started, but it's still not enough. I'm not even halfway to the point to where I would consider it a success. I guess I still haven't fully optimized everything and I estimate that I'm going to need at least 50 hours more work on it.

Unless, unless I can figure a way to make something more efficient.

I'm not abandoning my previous work, far from it. But I'm going to try a project within a project I guess. There's a combination of apps and tools I'm trying to use to help me, including the automation tool I mentioned before. But not all of them are cooperating and it's getting a touch frustrating.

Project Cold:

I've previously talked about my relative success with Project Cold over here. Being a marketer for student painting is going well enough. I know I mentioned how I said I set my own hours for this job but in reality it's often better for me to tailor my hours for when people would be home. Meaning I generally make more money if I head out later and if I work on weekends.

Also, East Indian wives are kind of notorious for consulting their husbands for everything. I don't know how many houses I've gone to where I'll be greeted by the wife, it's clear she wants some painting done, BUT she has to get the approval of her husband first. Do their own opinions not matter or something?

It's like they're incapable of making decisions on their own.

Project Copy:

Uhhh... I've neglected this one for a long time. I have a massive backlog to catch up on and it's going to take me a long time to get back up to speed.

Oops.

Project Koi:

This was the new project that I started in March and I didn't have high hopes for it. If the statistics that I've found are correct, the average of success is about 10%. My experience with this project so far occasionally shows glimpses of something working, only to disappear quickly after. If I go an entire week without a valid reply I'm calling it quits and declaring it a failure.

Though, to be honest, I am impressed I got any responses at all but ultimately I think it'll be fruitless. At least I'll get a blog post and a good story out of it. I think I'll give it another try in the future but right now is probably not a good time.

I know when to call it quits.

Project Vegas:

This project is still on hiatus. I mentioned before how I found a loophole that I could exploit for my benefit. Unfortunately, it requires that I spend several hundred, if not thousands of dollars within a set time limit. Clearly, I cannot do it just yet, well, not without going further into debt and requiring my parents to bail me out.

Which is exactly why I am pushing so hard for Project Derp to succeed. I can kill two birds with one stone.

Phase 3 of Project Derp could not only allow me to spend and pay off that amount on my own, but also give me a sizable profit on the side. The amount of work is minimal but it requires all the knowledge and groundwork laid out by phase 2.

I've done the research, the math, studied the risks and individuals who have come before me to ensure that I'm not running towards some fool's errand. I see the potential, I just need a bit of luck and some more work.

And more sleepless nights fueled by caffeine.

Finals are approaching soon, and then summer. As much as I love all my projects I honestly would like an upgrade from my fast food job. Because if I can have my projects work AND do a 9-5 job it's like earning double the income. Additional budget cuts in the city mean things are going to be harder but a job fair in the coming weeks may have something of interest.

We'll see how things go.

24 comments:

  1. Good luck with the job thing and the projects. It sounds like most of them are coming along quite nicely and ending up a lot more profitable than I expected them to be. I think there are just a lot of households where women can make their own decisions but aren't allowed to, or maybe they just wanted to consult their husbands anyway and you might run in to a guy who wanted to consult his wife.

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  2. Good luck finding a pt job!

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  3. so many projects, so many projects!

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  4. Meanwhile, I'll leave the painting choices to my wife. I'm not even going to pretend I understand how to pick out paint or know what needs painting.

    Double the income? That's awesome. I need more projects that actually make money, instead of, you know, costing me money.

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  5. Sounds like they are coming along, but if the project Vegas actually works, wouldn't it be worth going a bit further into debt, then winning right then and there and paying it right off?

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  6. I couldn't imagine having so many projects

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  7. Good luck with all your projects!

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  8. Holy shmup man, that sure is a lot of ongoing projects! Is it just me, or are your descriptions of things kind of vague? Have I been out of the loop? ):
    Anyway, hope Derp catches on, sounds like a lot of things depend on its success.
    (If anything you can probably write a novel about your ventures, encoded in a James Bond-esque action story.)

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  9. Good luck to project koi in the future =)

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  10. That's kind of sad about the Indian wives man, just the amount of apparent control that their husbands have over them, glad the extra job is going well at the same time though. I really hope that you manage to get that feedback soon too, there's nothing more annoying than just waiting around wondering when you'll hear from somebody.

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  11. Sounds like things are coming together nicely!!

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  12. Yeahhh, project pitch sounds frustrating.. But you've got other things to look forward too, that's good.

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  13. Job fairs are a good way of finding a job in your line. I wish you good luck. Meanwhile I pray that your project gets looked at.

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  14. I'll give you a big fat internet high-five.

    I just got a job serving food and drinks in a cafe, and am juggling it with all my writing projects - so I feel you buddy!

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  15. Good Lord, you must be busy. Good luck. Add some extra hours to the day. And find some more videos ;)

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  16. Wow, that's a lot of projects. It still looks like things are happening though.
    Good luck with that job fair.

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  17. Good luck with your project,hon :)
    P.S: That puppet slamming its head pic is uber cute! :D

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  18. You have the best name for your projects!

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  19. Man, how do you have time for all that stuff? I only have a couple things I've been working on lately, but it's been taking up all of my time. @_@

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  20. Good luck with all your projects!

    I hope something interesting comes up at the job fair.

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  21. I bet a fast food job provides great motivation to succeed! I think we've almost all been in your shoes...good luck~

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  22. so many projects... so little time.. unless of course they all kinda meet together somehow.

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  23. re: your comment: If you have any other useful skills, and are in need of a programmerbro to work with, feel free to hit me up! It'll be great experience, look good on my portfolio, and probably have other benefits for both of us.

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  24. Wow, you really seem swamped. Don't burn yourself out completely now!

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