Selection and maintenance of the aim is regarded as being the most important of the ten principles of war ... and has been foremost in my mind for some time.
Regular blog readers will probably have realised that for the last few months I have not been concentrating on a specific project, but tending to dabble a bit in several. It is difficult to explain why, but for some reason I have not been able to maintain my interest in anything for very long ... hence lots of bits and pieces getting done, but nothing actually being finished.
Earlier in the year I went through a period of ennui, but this is something different. It is more a case of just not being able to settle to anything because I cannot seem to select my ‘aim’, and therefore I have nothing to ‘maintain’.
I need to set myself an aim ... and over the next few days I hope to select one.
I feel your paint - I'm the original 'wargaming butterfly'
ReplyDeleteThe Good Soldier Svjek,
DeleteIt takes a special sort of mental discipline not to be a ‘wargaming butterfly’ ... and I don’t have it!
All the best,
Bob
I know how you feel. I set myself monthly targets to keep focussed, and take great pleasure from ticking things off the list. Funny how extra things sneak in during the month though...
ReplyDeleteHexeres,
DeleteI have an unwritten list of targets I want to achieve each month, but recently circumstances have conspired to stop me hitting many of them. I seem to keep getting diverted from what I want to do, and I never seem to have enough time to catch up with myself. That said, I have restarted the process of painting some figures I began over a month ago ... and hope to get them finished over the next few days.
All the best,
Bob
Hello BOB,
ReplyDeleteYes, it has been a difficult year. Choosing and maintaining an Aim is important to get things done. Mine is to complete two Imaginations Armies in 6mm for the Marlborough Period- and nothing else...however it is an Aim- Maintaining it is difficult as I'll have to wait at least a month before getting the figures- guess I'll just have to be patient. Best Wishes. KEV.
Kev Robertson (Kev),
Delete2020 has been a very ‘interesting’ year ... and not one that I’d like to repeat!
You are right about that selecting and maintaining an aim is vital to getting things done ... and it is something that I need to do, otherwise I will end up doing lots of bits and pieces that don’t actually end up as completed projects. Ideas are beginning to formulate in my mind, and by the end of this week, I hope to write a blog post that outlines what my aim - or aims - are going to be.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteYou may have noticed that I am the opposite, I have a very limited field of interest. Napoleonic period full stop. When I first became interested in wargaming I did try to expand my interest into Ancient (as it was then). But having painted up an Airfix Roman and Ancient Briton army I could not maintain my interest in different periods and rules.
However I have always admired those who have the mental capacity to maintain interest over a wide range of subjects, particularly when they continue to develop them. Not so much for those who just dabble and never finish any project.
They do say that "variety is the spice of life", and as long as the current project brings enjoyment it must be working. Far too many seem to have a very serious approach to the hobby and consequently seem to derive very little joy from it.
I am sure it will not be long before you are deep in another project, and I look forward to following your progress.
Best regards
Paul
Thistlebarrow (Paul),
DeleteI wish that I had your level of dedication, and was able to concentrate on a single wargaming period. I came close when I renovated my Napoleonic collection, but the need to do something different for a change kicked in ... and I went off at a tangent.
You and I have interests outside wargaming, and I am sure that helps us to keep our commitment to the hobby within reasonable bounds. I’ve met plenty of ‘serious’ wargamers whose whole life revolved around their hobby, and I am very pleased that I don’t have to place that level of reliance on wargaming to give my life some sort of meaning.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob
ReplyDeleteYes, it can be tough maintaining focus- I think we’re all ‘guilty’ of that one (inc. myself, I hasten to add...).
However, just bear in mind that there are many of us out there in the ‘online community’ wishing you well, and looking forward to whatever floats your wargaming boat next.
Martin S.,
DeleteI suspect that I’m experiencing some sort of reaction to the ongoing impact of the current pandemic. I have lots of time I could devote to wargaming, but lack the necessary concentration to make a commitment to a specific project.
I know that it will pass, and actually writing about what I was experiencing has helped me to begin the process of finding something to concentrate my time and efforts on.
All the best,
Bob
Bob, I seem to be going through the same thing at the moment, lacking concentration and generally feeling fatigued through the day. I can sit and paint figures, but can't find the motivation to get anything on the table, almost seems too much effort. No doubting that the fallout of this pandemic is not helping one bit. Anyway, keep at it Bob, maybe in the not too distant future we could meet for a game of the Portable Napoleonic Wargame, we only live about 20 minutes apart!
ReplyDelete‘Lee,
DeleteYou have pretty well summed up how I feel, and I agree that there would appear to be a link with the impact of the pandemic.
I wish that I was able to paint figures as well as you do, and my efforts are - at best - very crude ‘wargame standard’. That said, once they are on the tabletop, they don’t look too bad.
I hope to take up your kind offer of a Napoleonic battle in the not too distant future. It certainly gives me something to aim for!
All the best,
Bob
Given the year we've lived through it's not surprising that people are finding it difficult to maintain their focus. It's a normal reaction to the events happening in the world around us.
ReplyDeleteWith my former professional hat on I say, be kind to yourself and those around you.
Ashley,
DeleteI suspect that quite a few people in the UK are beginning to suffer from 'pandemic fatigue', and I sometimes wonder whether it is one of the causes of people deciding to flaunt the rules, even though they know that it increases their risk of infection.
Your last sentence is very good advice ... and I hope that I can do as you suggest!
Keep safe and keep well,
Bob
I know just what you mean Bob. I have been dithering and dallying, resulting in no achievement.
ReplyDeleteBut I am now focussed on a new game, and I have 60 x 1:300 aircraft on the painting board. My aim is to see if my home-grown “Bomber” rules are transferable from 1943 to 1940 and to refine the air to air combat rules. More to follow on my own blog.
Whiskers,
DeleteJudging by the other comments I received, this seems to be a quite common feeling at present.
Your current ‘Bomber’ project sounds very interesting, and I’ll be following your progress with interest.
All the best,
Bob
Well like the others have said, I've found it harder to maintain what focus I can muster this year, flitting from project to project. With no prospects of FtF gaming until next year, that drive to get a unit finished for a game simply does not exist. I'm not worrying about it but it is frustrating nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteSteve J.,
DeleteAs a mainly solo wargamer, I’d not realised how much I missed the face-to-face aspect of the hobby, and although Zoom etc., are excellent, they are no long-term replacement for actually sitting down and gaming/talking with other wargamers.
All the best,
Bob
Bob,
ReplyDeleteIt's very easy to decide targets and aims, but in my experience it's the maintenance part of achieving that aim that's the hard part!
I am a compulsive list maker,but find it counterproductive when it comes to achieving wargames project aims; as satisfying as it is to cross stuff off, if you are already feeling discouraged, a list of unachievable goals will crystallize that into inaction (especially if prone to the old "black dog").
I find the best incentive is in simply doing something; it's amazing how inspiring achieving a very small thing can be. As my Imagination-Nations lurch towards completion, I was faced with more painting or working on completing the armies already painted. Neither was appealing.
In the end I forced myself to start the varnishing; I was very hesitant, fearful of a disaster (or so I persuaded myself) but as I set to without incident, the improved look motivated me to do more and more.
I'm currently on army number 3; I really should take some pictures for my blog, assuming we have a day without rain.
The progress, coupled with related circumstances (the acquisition of 3 more old foolscap box files (public service type) which I use for storage in this project, has proved to be a major motivation, with basing being considered in practical terms (I know what I want in theory). I actually had a choice of tasks that were equally appealing!
I would argue that as this is supposed to be a hobby, aim to do things for enjoyment, not out of necessity. Hence, having several projects on the go at once means if you don't feel like working on one, you can vary things.
I often don't feel like painting, so will maybe find some modelling / converting / bodging of Arab-Israeli armour a more pleasant occupation.
Once upon a time I used to focus on one period, to the exclusion of all else (ancients then ECW, then SYW).
In deference to those who immerse themselves in just one period, I find myself becoming jaded concentrating on one period, with games becoming repetitive, so much prefer variety.
I think there is unnecessary discouragement of "wargames butterflies"; not everyone can endure or enjoy endlessly painting French Napoleonics week after week or playing nothing else.
The hobby is supposed to be fun- if that comes in the form of a dilettante approach, who's to say that's wrong?
Neil
Neil Patterson (Neil),
DeleteMy wife is a great list maker ... and I tend not to be. Perhaps I ought to use my blog as a substitute, as I’ve found that if I write on my blog that I’m going to do something, I tend to do it.
I take your point about doing something being better than doing nothing ... and I must admit that doing what you have done might be a good way forward for me. I still have some Napoleonic figures that are in need of renovation, as well as a sizeable chunk of my World War II needing the same treatment.
In the past, I’ve enjoyed having a couple of projects working in parallel with one another so that if I lost interest in one, I could easily swop over to the other. I think that part of my current inability to settle on such an arrangement is the fact that I have more than two projects I could be working on. What I need to do I to select two that I can work on to the exclusion of the others ... for the moment.
Thanks very much to you and the others who have made comments; they have helped me to formulate my ideas, and I am now in a much better frame of mine than I was.
All the best,
Bob
Looks like we may have married the same woman, in spirit at least. My wife is the planner and I fall into the role of executor in almost everything we do. Seems like that's the case in many marriages.
DeleteWe had a nature walk with our scouts today and I told our troop scoutmaster I plan to make little haversacks for scouts who make a habit of showing up regularly. I've set out a list of basic kit they are expected to bring and I feel having a special little bag for it with be a boost to the troop's esprit de corps.
This coming after making button compasses for the scouts. The GSM loved them and likes my haversack idea just as much. Now that I've shared my intent it looks like I'll have to carry through.
Mr. Pavone,
DeleteIt’s better that one member of the partnership is the planner and the other is the doer, otherwise you get nothing done or end up arguing about whose plan is the right one!
I like the haversack idea as it is both a reward and a badge/group identification mark. I’m not surprised that your idea has been given support from further up the line, even if it is going to involve you making them.
All the best,
Bob
Sometimes I wonder if the lack of motivation we feel is a result of not being able to properly engage in the social side of the hobby. I’ve been feeling a bit like that with work too, even though technically speaking my work hasn’t really changed with this year’s situation. It didn’t have much face-to-face contact with my key interlocutors anyway, but that casual social contact is missing.
ReplyDeleteNundanket,
DeleteAfter so many months during which social interaction has been either banned or severely limited, it’s no great surprise that we are finding it difficult to motivate ourselves. I’m luck in that I have been able to fight a wargame online with Gary Sheffield and to take part in VCOW ... but I still miss not being able to just sit and talk about wargaming with other wargamers over a drink or something to eat.
Keep safe bd keep well,
Bob
The usual focus of my activity is planned convention games. With those seeming to be out until at least the summer of 2021, I've made the focus painting down the "lead pile", and limiting purchases of new figures.
ReplyDeleteGonsalvo,
DeleteI have made some inroads into my lead mountain, but if I could motivate myself just a bit more, I’d be able to reduce considerably. I can but hope ...
All the best,
Bob
It looks like a major project is required?? I'm sure it won't be long before you regain your aim.
ReplyDeleteDelta Coy,
DeleteI suspect that you might well be right ... and I have an idea what it will be.
All the best,
Bob
Hi Bob -
ReplyDeleteI'm kinda wondering if perhaps you are directing your gaze in the wrong direction. I have far too many projects on hand to do justice to any of them, and sometimes that Bothers Me. But then I think to myself: 'Am I having fun?' 'Do I enjoy what I am doing?' Am I still interested?' Suppose that is where your focus lies. That might lead you in the several direction it leads me.
I didn't take long after I first began war gaming, 46 years ago, that my projects began to spread out. My eye was easily caught by something new. My main weakness probably was a considerable dislike of painting, for all that I knew to need for it.
The downside of all the projects is the sheer amount of kit and caboodle I have lying about the house. Organising and accommodating it all has become a real problem. The upside is, that if interest in one direction wanes, it will be (re)kindled in another. It is quite hard to get bored!
Cheers,
Ion
Archduke Piccolo (Ion),
DeleteFor a number of reasons that I won’t go into here, my mind has not been able to settle on anything recently, and I have had a rather scattergun approach to wargaming as a result. I am hoping that matters are going to resolve themselves soon, and that I can begin to concentrate or direct my efforts into fewer projects.
There are very few of us who can resist the lure of ‘that looks interesting, I’ll just ...’. As a result, my wargame/toy room (and part of a garden store) is full of stuff, a lot of which will not be used in the foreseeable future. One idea shaping in my mind is to prune these ‘extras’ over the next few months, both to free up space and to help finance future projects.
All the best,
Bob