Overwhelmed

It is too easy to get overwhelmed sometimes. When I do it is almost paralyzing. I’m absorbed in the process of just trying to figure out where to start. When this happens it is often necessary to break things down into smaller pieces.

When I started this site I did so with the goal in mind to reuse application components and processes. One of the first steps is to break larger projects or processes into smaller pieces. Attack the problem in small steps starting with the highest priority ones or the ones with the highest risk, complete it and then go on to the next.

In speaking with a number of business owners, coaches, and designers this week the conversations all came back to doing little things everyday to accomplish big goals. In my previous blog post on goal setting I showed how to set the big picture. Then in my post on mind mapping I briefly looked at how you can discover and map out challenges and goals. It is then good to break these goals down into smaller pieces. Here are some the conversations I had this week and how these individuals are breaking things down.

Tom an owner of a construction company is looking to break his remodeling projects down into phases for his clients and then post progress reports on his website for himself, his subcontractors, and the client. This way it doesn’t seem like an endless project. There is a clear goal and defined steps along the way.

One Section

Paul, my business coach took his program and divided it into ten week sections. Making reshaping your business from a scary tasks to a multi-step program where you are only looking at a small portion at a time. Another business coach, Ken, that does a lot of training on leadership and client relationships stated at a card exchange that he helps his clients categorize inventory and processes so that they can easy find what they need instead of wasting time figuring out where something is or where they are in a process.

Maria, a fitness trainer said she does 8 week group programs, but starts with a 3 day personal training session in order to help people see the big goals and get them into the right series of classes to accomplish those goals.

When I develop applications, I setup the steps I need to take to complete the project. I then set my goals for the week from this roadmap. Each day implementing an even smaller portion. Then at the end of the week I see how much closer I am to the overall goal. It is a satisfying process and very rewarding when you look up and see you have completed your goal.

Mission Accomplished

Photo credits: All photos are copyrighted under the creative commons by their respective owners from the top: David Reece, S.S. Cornelius, and CitrusFreak.