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This article does not make it clear what a metaproject actually is. That said, I _believe_ the author is describing a concept similar to something I do. Choose a very small number of open-ended, broad projects. Each project should basically be an endless well of work. Moving the metaproject forward involves finishing several sub-projects, each of which is a respectable weekend or holiday project all on its own. A good choice for metaproject allows for a choice between a wide variety of new and interesting things to work on.

Get bored or stuck? Do something else. There’s so many things to do. You’re still working on the same metaproject.

Find something cool online that you want to experiment with? Find a way to frame it as an experiment or project under the umbrella of the metaproject.

For example, my overarching project is to develop my own computer system, from the custom CPU, up to the operating system and applications, as completely from scratch as possible. This has led me to learn more about Verilog, electronics, soldering, computer architecture, RISC-V, emulators, you name it.

At one point, I decided I needed to design my own high-level language for this thing. The compiler has itself become a metaproject where there’s always something to work on: parsing, lexing, optimization passes, experiments in syntax, garbage collectors, writing a debugger, etc.

Someday soon, I hope to be able to start a project to build video hardware with a sprite engine, like in those old 8-bit and 16-bit game systems. I’ll mentally bill this under the umbrella of “working on my computer project.”

I’ve been thinking of “that computer project” as a kind of life project that I’ll plug away on here and there until the day I die.

I wonder if this is how those old men who build boats feel about their boat. Hey, there’s my own catchy phrase right there: “Build your boat”

The article defines it through an example:

> You've been wanting to take cooking classes, but you've also been wanting to join an improv group. If you don't have time/resources for both of these projects, you might choose a metaproject like "weekly dinner party with funny friends" -- it doesn't strictly meet the requirements from either project, but it might fulfill some deeper desire.

So the idea is to extrapolate a new project that satisfies some core aspects of multiple projects you dont have time for.

That example was not there when he wrote the comment :) I snuck it in after all the helpful feedback in this comment section haha

What you're describing reminds me very strongly of Here Dragons Abound's "Forever Project":

https://heredragonsabound.blogspot.com/2020/02/the-forever-p...

Makes sense. I've been discovering that components of ideas I've had would make neat reusable libraries on their own.

> For example, my overarching project is to develop my own computer system, from the custom CPU, up to the operating system and applications, as completely from scratch as possible. This has led me to learn more about Verilog, electronics, soldering, computer architecture, RISC-V, emulators, you name it.

How long do you estimate is going to take you to complete?

Do what makes you happy in the moment.

I have a huge backlog of projects on my list. Many of them "feel productive" -- they result in betterment of some career skill, or they could turn into startups. But I also like to surf, I've been doing it my whole life. That's a skill, I'm trying to get better, but it's also just a pure experiential thing, a lens through which time passes. Surfing has no point to it, you paddle out, and then ride a wave in, and then paddle out, in a big loop. There's nothing produced, no tangible result. You can surf for a lifetime and never feel like you're actually good at it, and every time you go it seems like the culmination of your whole surfing life is just another 10-15 seconds of riding that single wave. There is no "done".

Sometimes, in the past, when the surf has been really good, I've chosen to work on my projects, instead of go surfing, so that I can gain some abstract "productivity."

The lesson I'm learning as I get older is, that's dumb as hell. Go surf, there is no "done"!

"Metaproject" doesn't capture the idea that I think the author is trying to convey.

An example: suppose you want to improve your French and also build your knowledge of Physics. So in order to target both projects, you attend Physics lectures in French, and also read French Physics books. Thus you progress in both your projects simultaneously.

I would call this kind of thing, "Poly-projects" or maybe "Project complexes". "Meta" would imply one extra level of indirection away from actually doing the project. E.g., thinking about what kind of projects you want to do would be a metaproject.

Reading this felt like talking to myself…get out of my head!

With that being said, I have so many projects, so little time, but I’m prioritizing the ones that both fulfill me and have a decent chance at replacing my $DAYJOB.

Also, having a schedule so I don’t burn myself out. It’s been working well for about a month so far.

Read more carefully, critics. He's sharing a big ol' mixed metaphor for living. The world and your mind are vast. Your job is to narrow it down to exactly your life. You are your own author.

I read the title and thought: ha, somebody had the same idea. But no.

Instead of git training video, I did a platform that creates command line training videos from markdown, merging output from VHS, generated speech, seperation slides etc.

Instead of CRM, I started build a Lotus Agenda clone that can be used to build a CRM.

etc.

I feel that a lot of the above comments are missing the point. To me, the article reads like the experience of a curious person, living in an age where the world is literally at their fingertips and how that is both overwhelming and awesome. I thought it was beautiful and relatable.

This is my read of it too, and I identify with it.

Damn near everything is interesting and I want to do it all, but there's not enough time to do even a hundredth of it. It makes me wish I could reincarnate and dedicate a lifetime to each interest.

What I've started to play with to help do more in the time I have is similar to the concept of "quest stacking" in MMORPGs, where you pick up several different quests that share objectives, allowing one to progress them all at the same time. Life often isn't friendly to the idea, though.

well written piece, enjoyed the authors style.. keep writing!

We used to call those mid-life crisis events, and have a somewhat robust way of letting people going through them that we know exactly what it is.

This doesn’t even give an example of what a metaproject is! All this essay is, is vibes!

Example: You've been wanting to take cooking classes, but you've also been wanting to join an improv group. If you don't have time/resources for both of these projects, you might choose a "metaproject" like "weekly dinner party with funny friends" -- it doesn't strictly meet the requirements from either project, but might achieve something deeper you're looking for.

Thank you! That is an actionable example that would be helpful if it was in the actual article.

That example is in the article, but typeset differently.

The example wasn't in the essay when he wrote the comment :) I just added it thanks to the helpful feedback

I have an impression that’s the only thing it actually does, right there in the last paragraph (but sure, it’s quite vaguely defined just by this single example).

It doesn’t really say much else, though - just a bunch of commonplace realizations that most of ideas never get done, and then some jump to “metaprojects”, possibly to reframe the frustrations so they feel less stressful, but I don’t get that part.

This shit is sickening. I'm nauseated by this generation of wannabe entrepreneurs who have decided to disable their amygdala and conscience.

did we read the same post? none of what was mentioned was even in the realm of entrepreneurship or anything ethically hairy.

Good sir, cut that fellow some slack - they’re clearly venting some steam, and in doing so they’re not saying anything particularly harmful or wrong.

The part about disabling conscience feels like a huge stretch (I don’t see it there, not explicitly for sure), given how the article is just some personal rant about task and goal management.

> I want freedom, money, affection, play, power, validation, fulfillment, etc. Of course I already have these things, but enough never seems enough. > My brain came pre-installed with Human OS; loss aversion will squander CPU until I install security patches (e.g. Taoism, Zen, stocism). > But I think I'm allergic to enlightenment. Meditation is difficult, quiet is boring, courage is scary, desire is addicting, etc.

This is just sociopathic. More more more. Turn off my loss aversion with stocism, etc.

Sociopathic how? I re-read the article a few times, as initially I haven’t got much sense out of it. Yet, all I see for sure is personal rant how a person is(was?) unhappy about their self-image and they’re reframing it differently to get at peace with themselves.

It’s one thing if one’s being a shitty person to others, and does some mental gymnastics to not feel bad about it. Plenty of examples out there, but author doesn’t strike me as such. I don’t see any of this here, unless maybe if author’s game or Mandarin skills are beyond atrocious, lol. Just kidding, of course.

It’s a whole other thing to be at peace with yourself about your own stuff. Not doing that is a potential way to become a sociopath, because if one constantly feels shitty about themselves all chances are they’ll start to voluntarily exclude themselves from society (to avoid feeling bad) and get out of touch with it.

And wanting good things is… normal, isn’t it? I would be rather concerned if someone doesn’t want anything - ahedonia is not a good state to be in.

The only social thing I’ve seen there, is author’s admission they want to impose imagination (whatever that means), but in my perception that’s just some random thought that wasn’t followed on.

The article is so empty beyond meaningless, overawrought metaphors, it doesn’t even indicate whether the author is a wannabe entrepreneur, or an obsessive autodidact, or a tortured artiste, or what.

Ouch! Honestly, I'm probably all those things (and worse). But I found the concept of "metaprojects" helpful for shrinking the footprint of my ambitions. Instead of wanting everything, now I'm happier pursuing fewer things :-) At some point, I'll hopefully learn to let go even more. I hope other folks can learn/resonate from my particular brand of crazy

As someone who takes on _a lot_ of side projects, I like your idea of a metaproject!

I often wonder what draws me to pick up so many interests and goals. I used to think its leading me towards something but after so many years I have started to wonder if that is really whats going on. Maybe there is something more essential I can tease out of all my side projects that reveals what I am really after..

Can you give us examples of metaprojects?

You are the project, and getting through your idea to something, is about building a better you. Which points back to the beginning: -- Publish that novella, build an OS, converse in Mandarin, release an indie game, publish that other novella, dominate a continent -- --

Seem to be a lot of complaints about this post, I'm enjoying it. Interesting flow of thoughts and share similar frustration with all my ideas and trying to channel them, and get to something. If I get to something close to my thoughts that's a huge win for me.

You neither explain what a metaproject is, nor how it is different from having multiple projects, nor how they overcome the problem of endless backlogs.