Summer Goals – Elaborated

After publishing the post on setting my summer goals yesterday, I realized that perhaps additional details might be useful to further put this endeavor into perspective.

So, let’s start!

Here’s the nitty-gritty of each goal project, along with a detailed why.

1 Big Goal

Publish Cross-Referencing Creativity

Cross-Referencing Creativity is a book I wrote in 2024 about successfully transferring skills from one context to another, a “meta-skill” whose parameters I got to see – and document – in action, alongside my newly discovered passion for knitting.

In December 2024, I got feedback from my trusted beta readers, and well… I realized that the only thing I need to edit further is – the Preface.

Apparently, almost everyone had their own idea of how to apply the contents of the book to their life, but – in different contexts. My original idea was to present transfer from a personal setting to the professional, because this is how I documented it, but seeing the feedback with specific why-not-this examples was a real eyeopener, if you ask me.

The second reason was a very specific question packed at the end of the feedback – Why? Honestly, it has never occurred to me that I would have to answer this question in a world of insanely rapid technological (and other) developments, where transferable skills, upskilling, and soft skills are more important than ever, but here we are. 🤷

I actually have a lot to say about that topic, but the book is rather short, concise, and highly practical (shocking – I know!), so I said I’d think about the matching Why, and, well… I’ve been thinking ever since. 🙈

The level of completion is about 80%. Only the Preface needs to be updated, and the book is ready to be published. It’s already in the proper format, and I made the cover in December 2024 when I sent the book for reading.

So, maybe it’s time to take a day or two, bite the bullet and just – move on (while the topic is still relevant).

Three Medium Projects

Launch Biljka’s Daily Reminder

To simplify, I’ll use BDR to refer to Biljka’s Daily Reminder.

This is a project I started in spring 2023. It’s really not that complicated, and I honestly have no idea why I’ve been putting it off for so long.

Originally, I wanted a simple app that would offer a useful, funny or relevant daily reminder and then link it back to We Are Biljka for more.

First, I couldn’t agree with my best friend about the technical side of the app. Then I was considering a website option, and eventually I just got tired of thinking, so I packed the reminders on the backburner for what seemed to be indefinitely.

I initially wanted BDR to be as simple as possible, but about a month ago, I got this very cute idea to turn the reminders into images.

OK, in all fairness, two years ago, none of this would have been possible because back then, I didn’t even know Affinity existed, let alone how to use it.

So perhaps putting the project on the backburner was actually a blessing in disguise.

Also, when I showed my bestie the ideas for the image, he said Why not just make a calendar and link the images? And I thought Indeed, why not?

So… BDR is about 90% finished:

• I have the design; I just need to choose the final version.
• I must decide whether I’ll publish it on a WRB subdomain or as part of blog post series.
• I need to go live with it. Surprisingly, this is the easiest part. (Or so it seems. I do not exclude the possibility of endless complications when I step on that bridge.)

Anyway, it’s time for BDR to see the light of day.

Publish my poetry book

I have a little collection of poems that I’ve been writing since high school. The majority of them were written while I was studying and when I just starting working, and the last one was written two years ago.

Only a few people close to me have read them, and I have never really seriously thought about publishing them.

Until 2020. I had the poems officially proofread, so that can be interpreted as a serious intent, I guess. Also, my best friend even made the cover with one of his photos to show his support.

But life is complicated sometimes in Croatia, especially if you’re not truly dead-keen on something. So, just like many other projects, this one too slowly slipped to the backburner.

In December 2024, while I was waiting for the feedback for Cross-Referencing Creativity, something happened, and I decided to just go with it.

It’s a bit of a long story, but I’ll write a separate post after I publish it.

Anyway, long story short, I was about to publish the book as it was, just the poems, but then I got a copy of Ivana Pažek’s book Conscious Conception. She was kind enough to give me the honor of being one of her beta readers.

The book looked so beautiful in my hands, with all the intricate illustrations, and I just thought *the pseudonym under which the poems will be published* deserves so much better. So I decided to ask my bestie if he wanted to pitch in with a few more of his photos – six, to be precise.

And this is where the things got complicated and slid to the backburner, again.

He was happy to share his photos, but he has absolutely no interest in poetry. My idea was that he should read the poems and choose the photos he resonates most with, whereas his idea was to share a gazillion photos so I could choose the ones that resonate most with me. And, well, since my interest in photography is more or less the same as his in poetry, nobody chose anything, and the book remains unpublished.

Since I already have a rough idea of which photos I should choose, I’m just gonna bite the bullet again, choose the six photos I like, and get over with it.

I think *the pseudonym under which the poems will be published* would appreciate that.

Open a TikTok account

This is something I’ve been meaning to do for years.

You may think that this is such a trivial thing to put on a To-Do list, or even to be on the backburner, but I really don’t like social media.

On Instagram, everyone’s pretty; on LinkedIn, everyone’s successful; and on Facebook, everyone’s angry. And in reality, it’s anything but.

Adding one more time waster to my schedule just feels counterproductive, and I guess postponing it is my subconscious moonlighting as a time management consultant. OK, I may have gone overboard with this statement, but you get the sentiment. 🤣

I know you’re probably saying, Then get off social media, which is totally legit, but I think that I’ve already mentioned somewhere that the reason why I got back on was because someone told me they didn’t want to attend one of our open sessions because they couldn’t find anything about it online.

If it’s not online, then the most logical conclusion is that it’s a cult.

What?! 😵‍💫

Either way, I am aware that this was a huge compliment, knowing what kind of person it takes to run a cult, but sadly, I don’t. And I would really like more people to jump on the PREXcoaching® board because I firmly believe everybody could use a fresh perspective, no matter what stage of their life they’re currently in.

The level of accomplishment: Nike’s slogan.

Therefore, TikTok is about to get crossed over the backburner list, and I’ll just have to get over my fear of visibility and treat the world to my cringy appearance.

Hooray! 🫠

Five Small Projects

5 different creative projects

I feel like I’ve neglected the versatility of my creative side a bit, and I’d like to rekindle the passion, so any five creative projects, no matter how small, will do.

They can be related, unrelated, part of old hobbies or new ones, it doesn’t matter. As long as it’s creative and done.

Like I said in my previous post – wish me luck!

Have you made your summer productivity list yet?

Get in touch & let me know.

Share the post & get productive with me! 💓