I’ve recently taken on a project that has felt very overwhelming for me at times. For this month’s column I decided to research how to handle projects that are hard for us in some way, and share what I found.
So here are some ideas that can help us tackle tough projects:
- Clarify your Purpose
- Take some time to think through what the main purpose of the project is. Getting a clear picture of what your destination is helps to create a path to get there.
- Create Goals
- Keeping in mind what your main purpose is, see if you can identify specific end goals of the endeavor.
- Prioritize.
- Think about what the most important parts of your project are that will help you achieve the goals you identified. It may be helpful to number these priorities, if possible. If the priorities are equal in importance, it would be best to make an unnumbered list.
- Break the task down into a number of small steps.
- This is an excellent way to plan your journey toward your desired outcome. Having one huge heavy project with too many details weighing on you is what creates the feeling of being overwhelmed. Creating a list of steps toward your goal lights up the journey.
- Take one step at a time.
- When you begin the work your project involves, take just one step at a time. Thinking about all the steps you still have to go can create discouragement and weaken your energy. Smaller steps are easier to take. When you’re able to start and finish a part of a project, this is encouraging and helps you gain momentum.
- Create a schedule.
- Generally, the things we don’t purposely reserve time for don’t get done. It’s very easy to procrastinate working on a difficult project. Committing to using certain blocks of time for the task at hand can help to create space for the work to happen.
- Focus.
- As much as possible, keep your scheduled time free from distractions. If you’re working on a computer, resist the urge to keep checking email or social media.
- Celebrate small accomplishments.
- Giving yourself some sort of reward after finishing a step can help keep you motivated. Let yourself feel fulfilled by that finish rather than immediately rushing on to what is still undone.
- Keep Looking at the Big Picture
- When you feel tangled up in the details of the project, remind yourself what your purpose and goals are. It may be helpful to post these up somewhere near where you are working.
Whatever tough project you want to tackle (or need to tackle), this quote from Lao Tzu can help inspire you to begin your expedition:
The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.
Lao Tzu
