Big Projects Made Easy:
How to Most Effectively Manage
Major Projects at Work and Home Big projects – the ones that make you want to either crawl under your bed covers and hide, or start laughing hysterically out of sheer panic – can take on many forms. Maybe you have three refrigerator boxes full of old photos that you need to organize into photo albums, or perhaps your manager had an epiphany that includes your having to do a major overhaul of your company’s employee manual by the end of the week. Projects like these can be daunting, but they do not have to be a big deal. In fact, big projects can be completed with deftness and ease if you follow these five project management tips. 1. Stop feeling overwhelmed. When you become overwhelmed, even the simplest tasks seem difficult. So trying to tackle a big project when you’re overwhelmed is like trying to run in quicksand: the faster you try to go, the longer everything takes. When you let go of feeling overwhelmed, you’ll be able to accomplish the same tasks without that feeling of dread overhead. How do you let go? With The Sedona Method, a technique that shows you how to uncover your natural ability to let go of any painful or unwanted feeling in the moment. “Anyone who’s feeling overwhelmed should focus on the feeling of overwhelm as a feeling and let it go the same way you would any other feeling,” says Hale Dwoskin, CEO and director of training of Sedona Training Associates. 2. Stay organized. Organization is a key cornerstone to getting things – including big projects – done. Keep track of what’s been completed, what still needs to be done, and what materials/resources you need to accomplish them (and be sure to keep your list up to date). Also note important deadlines and, for your own morale, accomplishments. 3. Don’t push yourself. When we have big projects looming over our heads, we tend to think about them constantly, and tell ourselves that we should be working on them. This, however, does nothing other than make you more stressed out, anxious and fearful about the project. What should you do to stop pushing yourself? Use The Sedona Method and let it go. “When you push yourself to get things done you create inner resistance, which only slows you down and causes overwhelm,” Dwoskin says. “But you can, and should, let go of the feeling of pushing yourself to get the project done.” 4. Break it down. When it came time to plan your wedding or your last vacation, you didn’t do it all in one fell swoop. You broke the project up into smaller pieces, first deciding when to do it, then deciding where, and so on. Same goes for all big projects. Bite off only small, manageable pieces at a time, and don’t worry about the rest. “We sometimes get overwhelmed because we are trying to do too many things at the same time. If you take one task at a time, and let go of any apprehensions you have about it, you will find yourself moving beyond overwhelm and simply getting things done,” Dwoskin says. Further, studies have found that when you focus on just one thing at a time, you focus better and get things done faster overall, meanwhile when you complete a piece of the project, you get to experience a sense of accomplishment and progress. 5. Delegate, delegate, delegate Whoever said that you have to do the whole project alone? Often, there are parts of a big project that can be delegated to someone else, and you should take advantage of these opportunities whenever you can. Keep these essential tips in mind the next time you’re chipping away at a big project, and you’ll be on your way to finishing it in no time – without all that undue stress.
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