Master Your Projects
CAPTURE AND MANAGE YOUR PROJECTS USING THIS SIMPLE FRAMEWORK
The challenge of starting a project
- Due to all the elements that are part of the most project (action steps, people, reference content, etc.), they can initially seem overwhelming
- Overwhelm can lead to procrastination
Use this simple framework to avoid overwhelm and master your projects:
- Create a document – Paper or digital
- Name and date it – Start by giving the project a name and specifying its overall date of completion
- Break it down – Break the project down into these sections: Actions, Reference, and Processes
- Actions are things that become to-dos – Create as many as possible initially (don’t strive for perfection), but always have at least the next one ready to go
- Remember to include action words, details specifics, and deadline
- Reference contains information to help get the job done – Names of people, ideas/brainstorms, links to relevant online tools, articles, or videos, as well as strategies, pictures, etc
- Processes are the step-by-step systems you use to get elements of projects completed – For example, if the project involves writing a book, you may have a specific step-by-step process for writing chapters, editing, etc.
- Capture each process in a step-by-step that you can reuse later.
- Actions are things that become to-dos – Create as many as possible initially (don’t strive for perfection), but always have at least the next one ready to go
Yes, this will take time
- Creating this document may take 20-30 minutes of your time – it’s worth it
Keep things updated
- This is a ‘living’ document, meaning it will constantly be updated and refined as time goes by
CHALLENGE/NEXT ACTIONS
- Take a project you’re currently working on a structure it using this framework
