project-orchestration

What this skill does

# Project Orchestration

Manage many projects without losing your mind.

## Core Philosophy

### The Reality of Creative Work

- Projects exist in various states simultaneously
- Energy and attention fluctuate
- Context-switching has real costs
- Not everything can move forward at once
- Done is better than perfect

### Orchestration vs Management

| Traditional PM | Personal Orchestration |
|----------------|------------------------|
| Timelines and deadlines | Energy and momentum |
| Resource allocation | Attention allocation |
| Status reporting | Progress awareness |
| Team coordination | Self-coordination |
| External accountability | Internal systems |

---

## Project States

### The State Model

```
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                  ACTIVE                          │
│  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐  ┌─────────┐         │
│  │ Primary │  │Secondary│  │ Support │         │
│  │ (1-2)   │  │ (2-3)   │  │ (many)  │         │
│  └─────────┘  └─────────┘  └─────────┘         │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
         ▲                           │
         │                           ▼
┌─────────────┐               ┌─────────────┐
│   WAITING   │               │   DORMANT   │
│ (blocked)   │               │ (paused)    │
└─────────────┘               └─────────────┘
         ▲                           │
         │                           ▼
         │                    ┌─────────────┐
         └────────────────────│  ARCHIVED   │
                              │ (complete)  │
                              └─────────────┘
```

### State Definitions

| State | Definition | Attention |
|-------|------------|-----------|
| **Primary** | Active daily work | Deep focus |
| **Secondary** | Regular progress | Scheduled time |
| **Support** | Maintenance mode | As needed |
| **Waiting** | Blocked on external | Check-in only |
| **Dormant** | Intentionally paused | Monthly review |
| **Archived** | Complete or abandoned | None |

### Capacity Guidelines

- **Primary**: 1-2 projects max
- **Secondary**: 2-3 projects
- **Support**: No limit (but be honest)
- **Total active attention**: 5-7 projects

---

## Weekly Rhythm

### Weekly Review (30-60 min)

```
1. CLEAR (15 min)
   - Process inbox
   - Update project statuses
   - Log completions

2. REFLECT (15 min)
   - What moved forward?
   - What's stuck?
   - What drained vs energized?

3. DECIDE (15 min)
   - Primary focus for next week
   - Must-do items
   - Might-do if energy allows

4. PREPARE (15 min)
   - Next actions are clear
   - Blocks identified
   - Environment ready
```

### Daily Check-in (5 min)

```
Morning:
- What's the ONE thing today?
- What state am I in? (energy/focus)
- What might derail me?

Evening:
- Did the thing happen?
- What surprised me?
- Tomorrow's one thing?
```

---

## Project Tracking

### Minimum Viable Tracking

For each project, know:

```markdown
## [Project Name]

**State**: [Primary/Secondary/Support/Waiting/Dormant]
**One-liner**: What is this?
**Next Action**: The very next physical action
**Waiting For**: (if blocked) What/who/when
**Last Touched**: [Date]
```

### Project Dashboard

| Project | State | Next Action | Blocked? | Last Touched |
|---------|-------|-------------|----------|--------------|
| [Name] | Primary | [Action] | No | Today |
| [Name] | Secondary | [Action] | Yes: [reason] | 3 days ago |
| [Name] | Dormant | - | - | 2 weeks ago |

### Progress Indicators

Simple traffic light:

| Status | Meaning |
|--------|---------|
| 🟢 | Moving, on track |
| 🟡 | Slow, needs attention |
| 🔴 | Stuck, needs intervention |
| ⚪ | Intentionally paused |

---

## Energy Management

### Energy States

| State | Suitable Work |
|-------|---------------|
| **High Focus** | Complex creative work, writing, coding |
| **Medium Focus** | Editing, planning, correspondence |
| **Low Focus** | Admin, organizing, routine tasks |
| **Recovery** | Rest, input, inspiration |

### Matching Work to Energy

```
Don't fight your energy. Match work to state.

High Energy → Primary project deep work
Medium Energy → Secondary project progress
Low Energy → Support tasks, admin
No Energy → Rest or quit for the day
```

### Energy Recovery

- Physical: Movement, sleep, nutrition
- Mental: Different modality (visual vs verbal)
- Creative: Input (reading, watching, listening)
- Social: Connection or solitude (know yourself)

---

## Stuck Points

### Common Blocks

| Block | Signal | Intervention |
|-------|--------|--------------|
| Unclear next action | Avoiding project | Define smallest step |
| Fear of failure | Procrastination | Lower stakes, draft mode |
| Perfectionism | Endless revision | Ship deadline |
| Overwhelm | Paralysis | Reduce scope |
| Boredom | No progress | Find the interesting part |
| External dependency | Waiting | Follow up or route around |

### Unsticking Protocol

```
1. Name the block (what specifically is stuck?)
2. Identify the feeling (fear? confusion? boredom?)
3. Find the smallest action (2-minute version)
4. Do that action now
5. Reassess
```

### When to Pause vs Push

**Pause when**:
- Consistent dread over multiple days
- Other projects urgently need attention
- External factors make progress impossible
- You've lost the thread entirely

**Push when**:
- Resistance is fear-based
- You're close to a milestone
- The project has external commitments
- Pausing would create more problems

---

## Multi-Project Coordination

### Context Switching Protocol

```
Ending a work session:
1. Write down exactly where you are
2. Note the next action
3. Leave breadcrumbs (comments, notes)
4. Mental "close" ritual

Starting a work session:
1. Read your previous notes
2. Review recent work (5 min)
3. Start with smallest action
4. Build momentum before diving deep
```

### Interleaving Strategies

**Time blocking**: Dedicate days/half-days to projects
```
Mon: Project A (Primary)
Tue: Project A (Primary)
Wed: Project B (Secondary)
Thu: Project A (Primary)
Fri: Admin + Secondary projects
```

**Energy blocking**: Match projects to energy patterns
```
Morning (high focus): Primary project
Afternoon (medium): Secondary projects
Evening (low): Support tasks
```

**Theme days**: Group similar work
```
Mon: Deep creative work
Tue: Communication + meetings
Wed: Deep creative work
Thu: Learning + input
Fri: Admin + planning
```

---

## Project Lifecycle

### Starting a Project

```
1. Capture the spark (what excites you?)
2. Define done (what does completion look like?)
3. Identify first milestone (what's the first "win"?)
4. List knowns and unknowns
5. Determine initial state (Primary? Secondary?)
6. Set review date
```

### Maintaining a Project

```
Regular questions:
- Is this still worth doing?
- Is the scope still right?
- Am I the right person?
- Is the timing still right?
```

### Ending a Project

**Completion**:
1. Define "done enough"
2. Ship/publish/deliver
3. Capture lessons learned
4. Archive materials
5. Celebrate

**Abandonment** (equally valid):
1. Acknowledge the decision
2. Extract any reusable parts
3. Note why it didn't work
4. Archive without guilt
5. Free the mental space

---

## Tooling Principles

### Tool Requirements

Must have:
- Quick capture
- Easy status view
- Friction-free update
- Works when you're tired

Nice to have:
- Cross-device sync
- Search
- Relationships between projects

Avoid:
- Complex setup
- Maintenance burden
- Tool becomes the project

### Recommended Approaches

**Minimal**: Text file per project + master index
**Light**: Single notes app with tags
**Medium**: Notion/Obsidian with simple database
**Heavy**: Full PM tool (only if you actually use it)

---

## References

- `references/review-templates.md` - Weekly/monthly/quarterly review templates
- `references/stuck-interventions.md` - Detailed unsticking strategies