Missed Opportunities... On Repeat!

I'm content, but I'm not fully excited about my work.

I've got a website and online presence, but it's not representative of my latest skills.

I've got a resume, but it's not ready to send when needed.

I've got things to say, but I don't find the places to say them.

These are all thoughts I've had in the past, and they are all thoughts that come back time and time again.  At first glance they don't seem that important.  At least there's something there for each... but they never really meet the potential.  And ultimately the fact that each is often true at a given point means I miss opportunities.  A dream job that opens up.  A conference asking for proposals.  I feel as though I'm always at a point where I am perfect for something that comes by, but I've not made that known to anyone but me.  Which does not help me.  By the time I have time to update my resume or type up a proposal the opportunity is gone.

I've been trying to find a way to break out from these missed opportunities and be ready the second something comes up.  I have no idea if it will work, but at least I am committing to something and we will see what happens.  Here's my current plan.

  • Commit one evening at the first of each month to make sure my resume is representative of my experience.
  • Commit one evening at the first of each month to make sure my website looks fresh... either by design or content.  Make sure my latest work is on there somehow.
  • Commit at least one evening each month to work on open source projects.  My Github account looks pretty dry right now, even though I've worked on a few projects that I need to release there and can contribute to others.
  • Release my work regularly.  This one's not clearly defined... but I (as I think is often the case) have a problem calling code/design/etc. finished... there's always something more I can do to make it better.  But I need to iterate and release more often for my side projects, and for my blog, and for my other contributions.
  • Similarly, release work that is small but visible.  What I mean here is that I have done a great amount of work at my office that I'm really proud of... Progressive Enhancement, Responsive design, Mobile First... working on the latest iPhone all the way back to a Razr.  But it was for a client that used it for internal projects.  No one will ever see it outside of that company.  So I need to take what I learn and use them in other places.  Small little websites.  Small Windows 8 apps.  Small Cordova apps. Small JavaScript libraries.  Just to get that knowledge out there.

These are things that really don't take much time, but the longer I wait between them the longer they take.  Just like cleaning a shower.