How to Finish a Big Project

My new book from McGraw Hill entitled “Operational Empowerment” has just launched. (Grab a copy here). The coming launch had me thinking back to the time when I was starting the first draft of the book. Little did I know at the time, but writing the book made me more productive.

With clients and various projects, you might be wondering how adding another hefty project to the list of to-dos could help productivity levels.

There is a way to finish a big project easily, with a method I like to call “burst productivity”. This is where you’re highly productive for short periods of time

For example, how can you write a book that contains 70,000 words? Easy – one thousand at a time. Seeing that an average article is approximately 1000 words, you would only have to do that 70 times in order to get an entire book written.

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Looking at the scale of the project in its entirety can make the task seem daunting. Breaking it down into small bursts changes it into a manageable project that you can insert into your schedule.

Here are 3 ways you can hone your burst productivity:

1. Prepare

At the end of the day, prepare for the next day, including writing down a to-do list of everything you must complete. When I was writing this book, I prepared ahead by breaking it down into chapters, sub-chapters, etc.

2. Leave margin

Are you guilty of over-scheduling yourself? This happens when you don’t leave enough space in between tasks. This space allows you to handle unforeseen obstacles throughout your day, without getting behind.

3. Eliminate distractions

Don’t check your email, don’t check your phone, and don’t go on social media. Now is the time to concentrate. The less background noise, the faster you’ll be able to get the work done. Every time you have an interruption you have to readjust to gain your focus back. This can cut off a lot of time from your day.

Next time you have a big project that you want to add into your schedule, remember the principle of burst productivity and apply these 3 tips.

© Shawn Casemore 2015. All rights reserved.