(2023-10-10) Schroeder Struggling With Cooperation

Alex Schroeder: Struggling with cooperation. I’m a bad reviewer, an opinionated editor, I don’t work well with people because I have very specific ideas and I’m stubborn and easily distracted

And yet, I’d be happy to help.

I know that I thirst for that feeling of mutual enthusiasm. Sadly, it is extremely rare. Probably my niche is too narrow and full of people with very specific aesthetic preferences. What can I tell them that doesn’t act like a cold blanket, extinguishing their enthusiasm?

I suspect the kind of people that like working with me are the kind of people that work on something else: a sales manager, a project manager, an artist – these people can enjoy what I do and I don’t meddle in their spheres and they don’t meddle in mine, and yet we talk about the goals and where we’re at and what we need to do and we’re enthusiastic about the thing we’re doing and I love that

Perhaps collaboration needs a different format. Like, we set up a date and time and meet over Jitsi or something like that? Send me a PDF and I’ll give it half an hour and then we talk about whatever comes to mind?

I don’t have this problem at the office because I do it for the money and I’m a senior. I can push my way of working with people and I can get results

Another thing that seems to work for me is sending emails back and forth.

Perhaps the commonality is that it’s a back and forth that works in small chunks. I don’t want to read 250 pages and turn in a big document with suggested edits. That kills all the joy. I do like talking with people about the thing they love, though. (cf parallel writing)