The Doldrums
I wrote this post on the 12th of October last year.
Today it is exactly what I needed to hear at this moment - advice from my past self as I prepare for week 43 of my training. The event day has been pushed out again and I now have several more months of training ahead of me and I am feeling it.
Grateful for the act of writing and it’s ability to transcend time and deliver its message exactly when it needs to. Sometimes back to the person who wrote it in the first place.
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Week 24 of my training – The Doldrums
Saturday morning marks the start of a new training week for me.
It’s week 24 and I am just over half away to the event that I am training for.
I clocked 30.5 hours of training last week and the idea of having to do that week after week for another 17 weeks is kind of heavy.
I am at the point where I have put so much in, and I still have SO FAR TO GO.
I’ve entered the part of the project timeline that I like to call the Doldrums.
Let’s take a closer look at what’s going on:
Amen. Amen. Amen.
And this:
“Here are seven things you need to know about the area which has tortured mariners for centuries...” [my comments in square brackets below].
There's no wind here. [The Project Doldrums is the first high risk area for running out of steam. You’re at an almost equal distance from both the starting line and the finish line, and you’re starting to ask yourself if it’s worth the effort to get to the end. Can you do what you just did, all over again? The excitement, fresh energy and momentum you were riding on at the beginning are gone, and this is the bit where you have to get the oars out and paddle].
It's a place for trade winds to meet other trade winds. [The Project Doldrums are a crossroads. This is where you decide if you are going to keep going, or give up and turn back. Since you are at an almost equal distance between the start and the finish, the effort required to travel both distances is exactly the same (the ‘effort’ required to retreat will be more a psychological and emotional nature as you try to process things like disappointment and regret). There is an illusion of choice here - since both directions require the same amount of effort. You may as well head to the finish line.]
It has a bit of a reputation. [The Project Doldrums are ‘what hard feels like’. This is exactly why you didn’t want to do this in the first place. When you said you weren’t sure if you could do this thing – this is what you were talking about. “This is what hard feels like. This is where most people stop, and this is why they don't win.” – Alex Hormozi. You’re tired and bored and you haven’t received your prize yet. It’s starting to feel like it’s not worth it, but it is. Remember that it won’t always be like this so just keep putting one foot in front of the other and eventually you’ll get there.]
There's science behind it. [The Project Doldrums are where the growth starts. It’s actually the whole point of doing anything. It’s where the work stops being about the work, and the work starts being about you. If you can get past this point, it’s all upside. Everything you experience from here on out is the prize. “The climb is the fun part” – James Clear.]
It can go from 1 to 100 in seconds. [The Project Doldrums are where you need to pay attention and focus because things can change in an instant. This is make or break time for your project – you still have enough time to change your approach if you’re elbow deep in the work and discover that something is off or you need to change direction, but that opportunity will not last forever. It’s also the time in the project where you may be thrown some curve balls. A crucial supplier falls through. Key element you were counting on is no longer available/working out. What are you going to do about these things? These will be the lessons you take with you into the future, and the stories you tell at the end. The Project Doldrums can feel like a hard slog where all you want to do is coast, but you can’t take your eye off the horizon until you’re on the home stretch. At the 50% mark, you are mos def not there yet.]
It has nightmare neighbours. [The Project Doldrums are where a lot of dreams die. While you’re there you may see some ghosts of your own, or others. Don’t be distracted by previous failures. That is not this. And this project does not have to meet the same dreary end.]
It's hard to predict. [The Project Doldrums are formless and have no hard edges. It’s a kind of vacuum where you meet yourself. You won’t know for sure what exactly you’re going to encounter until you get there. Like the upper limit problem, it changes every time in order to remain undetected. Boredom? Fatigue? Burnout? Shiny object syndrome? Addiction? Focus on your destination and nothing else. Don’t give yourself any other options and don’t look down.]
Getting to the Doldrums is not a disaster – it’s a privilege.
Most people don’t even make it this far, but this is where it actually starts to get good.
To the doldrums, the real MVP🥂