I’ve not talked about Project Octopus before but it’s something you’re going to hear a lot about in the coming months. It became a thing a few weeks ago and as a result there was a discussion as to when it should launch. Lots of different factors went into making the decision and it ended up that October was decided, 10 weeks away.
For it to happen, just like any project, other things needed to happen first (including announcing it) and fitting those into 10 weeks was tight, damn tight. In one of those ‘fight or flight’ moments, I’m pleased that I went into fight mode, determined to get everything done and not cut personal corners.

We all wonder how we will act in a crisis, whether we’ll step up when needed, or just sit in a corner and cry, and whilst I’m sure every situation is different, in this situation I grabbed the bull by the horns.
And so, whilst panicking, I became quite cool and slightly over-assertive. I got shit done, never truly being able to take a step back and assess the enormity of the task ahead of me. Even now, I’m not sure whether it was actually possible or not.
I’m lucky that I’m working with A-class people, not just in terms of talent and years of experience. They saw I was struggling and getting a little manic and solved it all by pushing launch back until January. I cannot begin to tell you what a relief it was.
And here’s the thing. I spent the weekend playing Guild Wars 2 and relaxing but still moving things forward. I’ve still got a mountain of stuff to do but those couple of extra months mean I can get everything done without losing my sanity. I also get to enjoy the process rather than having my head down, trying to make the next mini-deadline.
Did I say the people I’m working with on this are the best?