Today I'm embarking on an experiment to try out that dudebro approach to consolidating a year's worth of work into twelve weeks.
This was going to be week one, finishing up September 1st, but I'm spending this week reading the book and watching videos to learn more about it and if it's really suitable for my kind of work, and to make a plan for the next twelve weeks, if so. I mean, I'm not even certain if they're suggesting to actually condense the work into twelve *consecutive* weeks, or if there's some trick or catch where actually you're supposed to work a month and then take a month off or whatever. So I'm going to learn more first.
I'm also looking forward to really *beginning* next week instead of this week due to this being the low-energy phase of the moon happening now / this week; right now the moon is waning / just a little sliver, and will be dark mid-week. It will be more auspicious to learn and plan during this period of time (especially considering it being deliciously gloomy weather with high winds and an atmospheric river / lots of rain this week), and actually start sowing seeds and kicking things off when the moon is actually newly waxing. Mock if you will, but I find "moon magic" or the farmer's almanac approach is helpful for keeping balanced and aware of time and natural cycles. If nothing else, it's a good reminder to spend some time outside looking up at the sky instead of constantly inside staring at screens.
Another factor in the timing of this webwhore101 12-week year project: my porn star / camgirl / webwhore wife actually got a new civilian job this year. Part of me feels like this is indicative of a tremendous failure on my part with our sites and running our businesses online. Another part of me is super relieved and happy to just accept that this is the reality for now; having to do all of the admin stuff for us and kind of just be a shitty boss who doesn't have a clear and rewarding way of providing benefits like paid sick leave, vacation time, retirement funds, etc. to the person I love the most has taken a toll on both of us over the years. That's all gotten worse/less tolerable as we are now in our fifties and NEED insurance and some security in our future.
With Delia working outside the house for a reliable mainstream employer I feel like a lot of weight is lifted. I don't have the responsibility of trying to lovingly manage both of us and our work (I'm not really cut out for being both creative and management, and haven't been doing a great job with anything partly because of how ill-suited I am to all of that); with my wife reporting to a boss that is not her spouse/me, I feel a bit more freedom to focus on doing what I *am* good at with less guilt.
On top of that, I am burdened by less fear and uncertainty; I know when and where and with whom she's working and when she's due home. While there are definitely dangers and risks with her new job, they aren't due to anti-SW sentiments or regulations, so all but two of the worst things that could happen to her on the job are things where it feels like it would be easier to cope with and get help if something bad happens versus with wh*re work where seeking help or treatment could easily endanger her more and be costlier. With a reliable mainstream employer, there are layers of safety nets if something bad happens and that makes me feel less anxious, giving me more energy to focus on more productive endeavers.
And then there are the introvert logistics; I need to be alone and uninterrupted for many many consecutive hours to do most of my work, and indeed to be happy. It's taken me a really long time to fully accept the extent of the reality of my limitations in this area, and the actual time alone required for me to thrive on top of just to RECOVER from interacting or just being around people and/or lots of stimuli. To be honest, these are more than just "introvert logistics"; there is a lot more to my neurodivergencies, and my needs and limitations and special capacities, than "introversion". That is a topic for other post; suffice it to say I need a lot of predictable, reliable time alone to not want to shoot myself in the head, let alone FUNCTION or come anywhere close to the excellence I strive for.
This is the first week Delia has a reliable minimum of 37 consistent hours on a schedule that is set to last through the duration of the next three months: perfect timing to attempt a twelve-week year! And also just a huge reality check to experience something we have not had the entire twenty-two years we've been together, but that I have actually desparately needed: structure, and time alone I can count on while also being able to count on when she comes home and is OFF work. Like, this is the first time since she started shooting for me and then camming very early in our relationship that we've at least known when she is OFF WORK and an authority outside us has designated her TIME OFF (and even pays her for some of it).
I'm fifty-one now, and it's taken a really long time and a lot of trying -- a lot of trying VERY HARD -- to accept that with some things I've been fighting a losing battle. Like I am just not ever going to be able to do the bulk of my best work in something like an open office setting or even just an open DOOR setting, or even just an on-the-same-property with someone else -- even my beloved wife -- setting. It just depletes me too much and destroys my effectiveness.
Despite the way it sounds as though I'm completely weird and incompetent, all of these realizations come with super-awesome platinum linings. One of them right now is that I may be very good at doing a year's worth of work in twelve weeks, if what the authors lay out in the book is what the title sounds like. Approaching a year's worth of work in a shorter, more intense and focused, and STRUCTURED way can be really good for people like me who are often able to do a lot of things faster than normal people and thrive when distractions are eliminated, and no time is allowed for boredom or a wandering mind to set in.
I'm excited to see where I'll be at 1) the end of this week after having actually read the book, and 2) by Labor Day 2024 (assuming the book is not completely irrelevant horseshit)!
To write more about later as a follow-up, or actually a kind of prologue, maybe: most of we old experienced webwhores and pornographers never needed a book to tell us we could do a year's worth of work in one season, and that we actually *should* be doing it that way -- in fact that we have long been one of the self-employed with the type of business better suited to this approach and privilege than most -- and that any of us not doing it this way have actually been working against ourselves. Of course, one of the problems any entrepreneur has but maybe especially anyone with a personality-driven business is resisting the urge to do FOUR YEARS OF WORK in one year, but that, too, is a subject for another post.