Publisher's Synopsis
At the age of 33, Ivo Graham has found himself wondering whether he's cut out for self-employment. After yet another day where hour after hour disappears into the sinkhole of not getting stuff done, getting annoyed with himself for not getting stuff done, and more not getting stuff done, he doesn't leave the house til 7pm.
Like many of us, the thing that stands between Ivo and greatness (apart from an inexhaustible curiosity for looking up literally any old shit on the Internet), is battling with issues around sleep, memory, attention span, lateness, email response times, etc., so what better to focus his distractible brain than by writing a book about achieving his goals?
Aims:
1) Write this book
2) Organise triumphant MS Society fundraising gig
3) Organise a big MS Society fun run, including sub-3 hour marathon with Mum
4) Revise the films of Philip Seymour Hoffman and have no Hoffman passes on Celebrity Mastermind
5) Organise brilliant 5th birthday party for my daughter
6) Organise brilliant stag for Alex Kealy
7) Host huge DJ Battles night (MS Society fundraiser?) in London
8) Short London run of 2023 theatre show
9) Make some content, any content, with Frankie Boyle
10) Organise comedians parallel parking tournament
In Yardsticks for Failure, Ivo will attempt defy the dark (well, beige) forces of inertia with the pride of self-actualisation and fulfilment. It's a journey down the sink hole of Ivo's brilliant brain as he attempts to get his life together, achieve his goals, and somehow write a book about achieving his goals, all while battling the distractions of the modern world.
This is a book about those aspirations we all have - both big and small, that are slipping away as we battle the day-to-day literal and metaphorical inbox that's never getting to zero. It's about leaning into your dreams, and your to do list, and finding out a little bit more about yourself on the way.
