Big projects can be exciting, because they usually mean a big change in the way you do business. But they can also easily be overwhelming because they seem like so much work and you're never really sure where to begin.
The best way to deal with a big project, as you've probably heard before, is to break it down into a bunch of small projects. Think about the very first thing you'll need to do to get a project off the ground, and do that one small thing, as soon as possible.
Sometimes it's pretty obvious where you need to start. If you're planning to launch a new website, for instance, you might start with brainstorming domain names (or, even earlier in the process, do some writing about what you want the site to focus on, who's the target market, what issues they face and what you plan to offer there).
Other times you might not have a clue where you need to go. In that case, just start at the end.
Think about the end result that you are going for. What's the very last thing you would have done before the project was finished? And what came before that? And before that? Keep thinking backwards until you get to the starting point, where you are now.
Then all you have to do is work forward, step by step until you get to the end result you want. This kind of backward planning makes it a lot easier to see where you're going because you know every step you need to take along the way to get to your end result.
You're sure to finish even big projects more quickly and efficiently this way, because you have a clear path and won't waste time with things you think you need to do that aren't really that important. Also, when you see that there are really small things you can do to keep moving forward, you'll be motivated to work on the project a little each day until it is completed.
Doing one small thing every day -- even if it's just working 10 minutes a day toward your goal -- is a great way to get and keep momentum on a long-term project. And in the end it won't have seemed like a big overwhelming project at all, just a series of small projects that got you to a big result.
So think about something you'd like to get done and write down all the steps you can think of that you'll need to take to get there. Then start putting those projects into your daily schedule and you'll find yourself getting to that goal in no time. |
