Detour
As I was driving home from Joshua Tree yesterday, zooming down I-10 at a mildly irresponsible speed, it struck me that I hadn't made any progress on The Forest all week. For the first few days after I announced it, I rode the initial wave of energy and made huge progress on it daily. It felt so easy to dive into it after a long day, and I was sure I'd hit my deadline to ship in early April. But last week, life caught up to me. In addition to the daily publishing on Substack, I spent some time catching up on work for the Foster Collective, plus I did a ton of coaching calls. By the end of my days last week, I had zero extra energy for The Forest.
Crossing over the Colorado River into Arizona, I began thinking about what it would take to get V1 finished by April. At my current leisurely pace, I doubt I could finish before June or July. But if I pick up the pace, and start working evenings, April is still doable. That said, the idea of speeding up like that, and forcing myself to work evenings, fills me with dread. I've done hardcore work sprints like that before, where I totally overload myself, and it always leads to burnout and resentment and lower quality work. My goal is for The Forest to feel like it's filled with life and created with love, and if I'm in a state of burned out deadness as I make it, I suspect it would undermine those goals.
As I was cruising into Phoenix, windows down and rocking out to Middle Class Rut, another idea struck me. What if I used my morning writing and publishing habit to fill up The Forest instead of this Substack? What if the same 2-3 hours a day I've been devoting to public writing went instead to this private project? Immediately, I felt a wave of relief wash through my body, and the excitement returned. The thought of working on The Forest every morning feels so good and right. It's more alive to me than the daily Substack thing, which is starting to feel a bit repetitive. I think I'd rather publish 2-3 good things a week than 7 rushed things.
I've mentioned it already, but I suspect The Forest is going to be my magnum opus for Ungated. It'll be the singular place that weaves together my entire philosophy of 1,000 true fans, Creative Individuation, and breaking The Pattern. I also suspect it'll make it possible for more people to walk their own path, instead of me prescribing a path for them. This thing's gonna break so many rules around what an online course is and can be, and that lights me up.
So yeah, for the next few weeks, I'm gonna be shipping less here on Substack, while still writing and publishing furiously in the background. It just won’t be public in the same way. As a result, V1 of The Forest will get here much sooner, probably in early April. After the release, the plan is to return to daily publishing here until the 100 days are up in mid-May. No matter what I will writing and publishing daily, because that’s the commitment I made to myself.
When I woke up this morning, I had reservations about this plan. It felt like I might be breaking my commitment by retreating into private work. But just writing it all out here makes it clear this is the right decision for me. One of my core maxims for Ungated is to follow the aliveness. And right now my aliveness is leading me right into the depths of The Forest.
Rob's Daily Invitation
Seems like I should probably pitch The Forest here. But no, I refuse to play by the rules, especially the ones I make up and impose on myself. 😤
So instead, I'm gonna invite you to join me on The Frontier. This is far and away the best way to become a true fan of me and the work I'm doing here. A membership gets you everything I've made these last few years, along with everything I will make going forward, The Forest included.
I can feel your high energy, go for it Rob!
The Forest, and getting away from The Pattern are exactly why I joined the Ungated community. I can't wait to see it!
Okay, now get back to work and quit reading comments.