3 essential steps to start any project
All too often we envisage the start of a new year as an ideal time to start a new project. But that’s not always the best idea.
For starters, if you have school-aged children, you most likely will be on some form of school holiday break.
And you could also be in a process of recalibration. As the old year ends, and a new one begins there is often a lot of time for reflection and assessment. Yes, this can be a good time to formulate ideas — but not always to put them into action.
I find that a couple of months into the new year I have renewed focus and energy.
There’s a popular Chinese proverb that says:
‘The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The second best time is now.’
After all, what are we waiting for? When will the conditions ever be right? Isn’t some progress better than none at all? If you want to take that important step, here are 3 essential steps to start any project.
1. Get clear on the end goal
The most important step is the first one — getting clarity on what you actually want to achieve. If you are not clear at the start, you will easily end up losing your way, and focus. Take the time to envisage it in your mind. What will it look like? How will you feel? Write this down and refer to it regularly — ideally, daily in the early stages of your project.
2. Create a project plan
Write out the key steps in your project. Often I start with a journal and pencil and do a brain dump of all my ideas, what I hope to achieve, why this is important to me, and how I am going to achieve it. When it comes to fleshing out the project, I go to an online project management tool such as Asana, and create a project plan. It’s great for when you have a team and assign different tasks to different people.
3. Set deadlines
One of the best ways to get any of the results you want in your life is to set deadlines. Otherwise, your project can go on indefinitely. Once you commit to starting, you want to make sure you carve out time every day in your diary to meet your goals. If it’s not in the diary, most likely it won’t happen.
Every project has to start somewhere. Just remember, the best time to start is now!
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