When you're the only one working on a project, it's possible to get away with a minimum of planning.

You don't have to communicate with or consult anyone else, so decisions and midstream changes are easy to make.

That's also the reason that it's easy to get lost and quit in frustration. The project manager (you) is disorganized and making things difficult for the person who's just trying to get the work done and go home (also you).

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My father is incredibly good at taking care of things.

He maintains his home, clothing, musical instruments, vehicles, and personal effects to like-new condition. He never lets the lawn get out of control, and he repaints the house on a regular schedule.

I wish I had my father’s thoughtful fastidiousness and mise en place, but it is not my natural state. Whereas he has a daily routine of thorough vaccuuming and lovingly polishing the range with Bar Keepers Friend, my usual cycle is to spend days making giant messes and then hours cleaning them up.

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You know those beautiful blown-out photographs of some well-groomed person sitting at an attractive desk with attractive lighting in an attractive home or office?

And then there are those inviting flat-lay shots of work surfaces that always seem to include some kind of vegetation, a beverage, and very feminine office supplies.

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A colleague is struggling with what to call his new business.

Really, he doesn’t have a business yet. All he has is an idea.

I used to get stuck there, too. I used to fret about names and logos and office space. I worried about finding the perfect photo and headline for a website, the right software to manage the project. I didn’t want to mess up my thing by doing it wrong.

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One of my favorite restaurants is a fluorescent-lit paradise called Little Bangkok, in Atlanta.

The restaurant doesn’t have enough parking, so people double-park and you can’t leave until the guy behind you comes out and moves his car. Their color scheme is soft pink and baby blue — with bright red booths. The decor is kitschy. They don’t take AMEX. The neighborhood is not that great. What’s more, their website is generic.

And yet, I go to Little Bangkok every chance I get. I love the food, the people, and the experience. I don’t need them to have a fancy website.

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