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:

[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:

• Define "done enough"

• Ship/publish/deliver

• Capture lessons learned

• Archive materials

• Celebrate

Abandonment (equally valid):

• Acknowledge the decision

• Extract any reusable parts

• Note why it didn't work

• Archive without guilt

• 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