One of the best ways that I’ve found to get the important things done is to make it a project.

The act of labeling a task and creating a plan on how, what and when I will get it finished makes all the difference.

This doesn’t mean that every task becomes it’s own separate project.

I can see my head turning in circles and smoke coming out my ears at the mere thought of it, but every task can be categorized, and each category can become a project.

YOU JUST NEED TO NAME IT

An example could be a group of tasks that are routine but need to be done – dealing with email, filing, planning and clearing your desk.

Of course you wouldn’t want to block an entire project for these tasks individually unless they are large.

If your email has 8,000 emails in it or you haven’t filed your paperwork for 6 months – you might want to make it a project.

But to avoid that situation, rolling these tasks into one project time block worked on daily, using a checklist and a timer – will see them finished instead of waiting until you have time here and there – or not – throughout the day.

The willy nilly approach can break flow, throw off your schedule and may mean that some of these tasks don’t get finished at all.

Resulting in 8,000 emails and an overflowing ‘to file’ folder.

Not that I know about that. I just pulled 8,000 out of a hat ;0)

HOW TO MAKE IT A PROJECT

• create a list of all the things you need to do in your business.
• put them into project categories.
• decide which of them you will focus on first and which will be ongoing. You may find yourself putting a few to the side. A positive effect of using this method is that it becomes obvious right away when you are over extending yourself.
• create a mind map, or a checklist – either in your project notebook – if you don’t have one and like pen and paper you should get one or three – or digitally, planning what you need to do and breaking down the steps it will take to do it.
• create a time line for each step.
• decide who is going to do each task.
• set up your schedule to include the time you will be working directly on your schedule and when you will be working with your assistants.
• organize your project materials – files and/or project baskets, notebooks – what ever you will be using throughout – keep it in one place for easy access and portability.

It may seem like a lot of hooey and too much trouble, but if you try it, you will find yourself making progress right away on projects that you have been meaning to get to and having much greater success at maintaining tasks that are easily forgotten but can rear their ugly heads when left undone.

And you will find yourself spending less time on items that really don’t need to be done at all – like mindlessly surfing the internet and chatting to China at 2am.

You can try it with one project first to see how it goes, then add more as it becomes a habit.

The keys to remember are prioritizing, being consistent and creating momentum.

So, what’s your first project going to be?

One Response to “Getting It Done – Make It a Project”