Are you finished before you start?
Are you finished before you start? If the answer is yes, then you have probably been given a very important task. Maybe it was put on your job description, maybe it's just a task that has always been there. Whatever it is, if the answer is yes to this question, then this blog post isn't for you. However, if your answer is anything else other than no- I suggest that you read on!
The article will provide a number of steps in which one should take when completing something before starting another project and the effect each step can have on your productivity. It will also share some tips for taking care of yourself so as to avoid getting sick or distracted when working for long hours on multiple projects at once.
In summary, the article will give you a good blueprint to follow when juggling multiple projects at once. If you're someone who likes to stay focused on their project for long periods of time, and is super productive when working in this fashion, then I hope that this article helps you. If not, that's ok. I know other articles have helped me before (like this one ) and given me some good tips along the way!
With that being said- let's get started ;)
Ready? Set? Go!
1st Step: Decide Which Projects You'll Start First
Many people jump into the present project they're working on and start banging away at it before they have time to do everything first. Sometimes this is because they're eager to get it done, and other times it's simply a lack of foresight. Either way, starting an action item before you've had the time to properly set up shop can lead to many problems down the line.
For example, let's assume that you're working on your presentation and somehow manage to come up with a nifty idea for your next project: building a website for your non-profit! It's a great idea- and yet you immediately start working on building it without pulling any preliminary information about what kind of website design or functionality you'd like. In doing so, your build might resemble the following:
You'll probably notice that things look rather messy at this point. It's a lot of work to organize all the files and folders so that they reflect your project properly. Not to mention that creating this mess has taken you some time to do so!
Now, let's assume everything goes well with the project and you eventually get around to building it. If we fast forward a month later, things have gone really great for you- and your website design is finally looking awesome! However, when you press publish, you realize that one of the functionalities doesn't work for mobile users. You've never built a website with mobile users in mind. You could have built this functionality before you started building the page… or at least enough to ensure that it would work on mobile devices. If this is the case, then you might not be able to publish at all.
Now, we could get really detailed here and say that if your website isn't optimized for mobile devices then you're missing out on a huge chunk of traffic. However, let's keep it simple and focus on the task at hand. I'm just trying to get you to realize how starting a task before you're ready can cause problems down the line because of something you overlooked or didn't take care of beforehand.
By taking care of these things before you start a project, you're ensuring that your workflow will go smoother. It'll give you more time and energy to focus on the task at hand, so that your project will be successful.
2nd Step: Create a Plan
So what's the best way to get all of this preliminary info? It's through writing it down in a document! Please note that I'm not talking about writing down the tasks you need to do (after all, the first step was writing those down!), I mean having a good blueprint of your project that you can refer back to later or share with others.
This blueprint should have different sections depending on what kind of project you're working on. For example, a quick resume of the major components of your project will fit in the "Summary" section. An overview of how all these different components will work together will fit into "Outline". This way you'll have everything that you need handy when you're ready to start.
Ideally, your plan should be so exhaustive that even if someone asks you to deliver something from scratch- it should be possible without having to rely on any other information like existing templates or third party software. If this is the case, then congrats on being a very motivated person! You should be able to build anything with that level of motivation.
3rd Step: Get Real
This step is probably the most important out of all of them. It revolves around keeping your motivation at a high level so that you can continue to deliver great work.
Before getting started, you want to make sure that you're feeling good mentally and physically. By reading this and acknowledging how important it is to take care of yourself, I'm hoping that you'll think twice before ignoring your body's needs or otherwise being in denial about the things that affect your mental health.
If this doesn't apply to you, then I suggest looking into some books on dealing with stress and practicing relaxation techniques (they've helped me out when I was feeling stressed).
Committing to setting aside time to take care of yourself will help you to focus on your project, which in turn will help you build better and more organized projects.
Conclusion
In conclusion, I hope that this article helped you. If it did, then please let me know in the comments! I love reading your feedback! If not, then hopefully I've given you some tips that can help you down the road. The last thing I want is for someone to get injured by starting a project without taking time for themselves.
Conclusion
This guide is intended to help you create a workflow that will make your day to day tasks easier and less frustrating. I had a lot of problems with starting projects that didn't follow things properly, so this guide was written in hopes to save others from the same problems.
I also have some creative works posted on my Deviantart page , so if you're looking for inspiration try checking out that page too! However, I hope that you take something useful away from this article and don't think THIS is the only way to do stuff! There are always new ways to be efficient and organized ;).
All the Best!
-ZacharyTaylor (Aka Zach)
P.S.