Tackling Big Projects

By nature, I'm a procrastinator. Surprised? Most people are. I hide it well.

I first noticed the effects of my procrastination in high school when my mom held my boyfriend hostage until I got my college applications in. Really, she just grounded me from seeing him during the week. To a teenage girl, it's the same thing.

Once I got in college (thanks, Mom, it worked), I pulled my first all-nighter to finish a paper that I had put off to go to a Lionel Ritchie concert. I realized then that there had to be a better way to get big projects done that didn't feel like torture.

You see, I couldn't get past the thought of this HUGE paper looming before me. I didn't know how to start. I didn't want to start. And I didn't want to do all that work. I had to figure out a way to trick myself into thinking that the big project wasn't big. I developed a method of breaking any project into a series of small parts, which get the job done. Twenty plus years later, I am still using the same method to finish big projects (like updating my website) and other things that I don't want to do.

What project are you putting off? Whether it's personal (organizing photos, clearing out a closet) or business (sorting through last year's conference notes, updating your resume, organizing business contacts), here are strategies to get it done:

1. Decide to get started. Don't wait until you feel like it. That won't happen. Make a decision to do it.
2. Tell someone. Tell lots of people. It's good to have others ask how things are going. You'll get encouragement, feedback, and accountability. It also makes it real when you talk about it.
3. Think small. How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time. To complete a big project, make a list of all the smaller steps that need to be accomplished. For my website, I made a list of pages to revise. Some steps may need to be divided further. The key is to break it down into a series of small tasks. Small is doable.
4. Schedule the small tasks. It's much easier to schedule and complete one small task each day. I often tell myself, _______ is all I have to do today. I can do one small thing.
5. Find a deadline. I set goals with my web guy to send certain pieces by a given date. Most of the time I was late, but it did help to know that someone was waiting on the other end.
6. Do the easy stuff first. It helps to build momentum.
7. When the going gets tough, get help. To get my home and bio pages updated, I needed fresh eyes and the help of marketing experts (thanks Vanessa and Perry). Outside resources often see things you can't.
8. Recognize that done is better than perfect (Matt LeBlanc). For those of us who struggle with perfectionism, this is difficult. It won't be perfect; that's okay. The goal is to finish the project so you can move on to something else.

I am happy to report that my website (www.get-it-together-llc.com) is 90% complete. I still have one more page to add, but the majority of the work is done, and it no longer looms over my head.

So what big project have you been avoiding? What would you like to get off your mind? This month decide to get started and take a few concrete steps in that direction. Let someone know so they can encourage you. Better yet, click on my Facebook page so I can cheer you on.

This month tackle that big project. You'll be glad you did.

© Renee Ursem, 2010.

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