4 Steps to Organizing BIG Projects for Productivity - Part 3

For the April podcast episodes, I want to talk to you about how to plan a big project or work towards a big goal. Full disclosure, I generally record podcasts 6-8 weeks in advance. I recorded these in February and March, and I used the examples I was planning at the time. Today, the world looks very different, and many of my examples are not things we can do right now. I know many of these kinds of big projects, celebrations, and plans are all up in the air right now. We are all missing out on direct physical connection to keep our communities safe.

I made the decision to air these episodes anyway, because how you plan a big project did not change. How we are living right now has changed dramatically. But, the principles of organizing never change. You can still learn the skill of organizing. It takes learning and skill to develop organization and productivity.

I am sharing my system for completing big projects. I break it down into smaller steps, and I am going to teach you these skills so you can follow along, and maybe even plan a project of your own. I am trying to provide as much encouragement, motivation, perspective, and love as possible during this time of uncertainty. We are in this together!

After you have been doing your Sunday Basket® for 6-8 weeks, you will find you have 2.0 slash pockets with projects that still need your attention. Today on the podcast, I want to share with you how to move beyond your Sunday Basket® to dos and weekly focus to actually completing big projects. I want to show you how I create bigger goals and accomplish bigger projects. I do this by using a consistent system for approaching my big projects and I want to teach you how to apply these same skills.

For this podcast series, I am talking about three different example projects: a large party or celebration, summer planning for kids, and moving to a new home. This system is for a project that requires more than a single weekend to complete. Much of the time, you will collect ideas and papers for your project in a 2.0 slash pocket. When you are committed to taking action and completing the project, you will follow the steps in the podcasts.

Listen to Step 1 here.

Listen to Step 2 here.

Step 3 - Plan - Be on Target, on Time, & on Budget

The biggest gift you can give your brain is time. The more time you have, the better you will capture all of your ideas, refine them, and prioritize. Allow yourself to work on this project in several chunks over several weeks.

Use your slash pockets to help you decide what to do. Time block and add to do items to your calendar. As you decide on your plan, work on the most important or time sensitive items first. Keep asking the question:

What is the one thing you could do - that makes everything else easier or unnecessary?

As you develop your plan, set your goal, and adjust as necessary. Consider your:

• Budget
• Time Available
• Scope (maybe you will paint, but not build a deck)
• Outside expertise or help available
• Energy

Having your plan laid out and working on your project over time is typically much more effective than trying to get these big projects done in one major chunk of work time. Building your slash pockets and plan over days to weeks gives your brain time to evaluate your choices and helps you be better, stronger, and more efficient.

Click here to download these printables! :)