Do It In Pieces
We have sometimes have a tendency to jump into things without a detailed plan, and try to do everything all at once. To round out our series on time management, we’re going to talk about resisting this urge. Let’s talk about doing things in pieces.
Manageable Pieces
There’s nothing wrong with the passion that drives you to dive into your project head first. It does, however, need a little direction and forethought. Most worthwhile pursuits require that you first take a step back and lay out the various pieces that, once completed, will add up into a whole that completes your objective.
The first thing you need to do is identify the different pieces that need to be completed. Make clear distinctions between your pieces, but don’t stress over what will be completed when. We’ll get to that. For now, just focus on getting everything that needs to happen down on paper/your screen and separating everything out to its own group. For best results, do this visually on a large white board or drawing tool.
Next you check your associations. Are related tasks that lead to completing their piece of the whole grouped together and laid out in order? Are the whole pieces laid out in the right order of completion so that they build on each other?
Lastly, look at your timeline. Are your deadlines reasonable? Are you planning extra time for mistakes, failures, and repeats? Your timeline needs to be aggressive enough to keep you engaged, but reasonable enough to not burn you out. Only you know your limits, so take the time to map this out thoroughly and carefully.
Fitting The Pieces Together
Once you’ve laid out the different pieces and their subordinate tasks within your timeline, it’s time to get to work. Pay attention to your stress levels and resources as you work through the initial tasks on your first piece. Now is the best time to adjust anything, before you are in too deep.
As you work, be careful to strike the balance between focusing on the task at hand and not losing sight of the overall goal. Both are important, both to the project itself and to your mental state. Consistently update your timeline with completed tasks, milestones reached, set-backs, and anything else that impacts it. Maintaining visibility of how the pieces fit together, impact each other, and effect the whole project is crucial.
Take a moment to be proud and rest when you finish a major piece, then get back to work. Early celebration is one of the easiest ways to get yourself behind. Keep yourself honest and on task, and don’t let yourself get complacent just because the end is in sight. You can rest and celebrate big when you’re across the finish line.
What Are Your Pieces?
As always, I want to hear from all of you. Tell us about projects you’ve tackled, and how you’ve broken them down for best success.