by Donna Toothaker
It’s a NEW YEAR, and you are very excited! For the past month you’ve been planning, and the ideas for new projects and collaborations were flowing. You have several pages with notes about a new product, program or service you want to launch.
It’s the first week back to ‘work’, and your desk is covered with notes, messages, and things that need doing…NOW! Just how do you keep this big new project of yours off the back-burner, and NOT be overwhelmed?
Here are a few ideas:
1. Harness your momentum. You’re excited about this new idea NOW. Take an hour to write down your goals for the project. Post them in the most visible spot in your workspace to give the project priority status.
2. Tell your team, your family, and colleagues about your project to signal your commitment to the project and make it “real.” Once people know about your plans, they exist somewhere outside of your own head – the first step toward making it happen!
3. Create opportunities for “quick wins.” Think about your project as a series of easily achieved goals that lead to your desired end result. Take your big goal, and divide it into manageable action steps to complete each day/week/month, then address them one at a time.
4. Get a new perspective. Sometimes it is helpful to start with your end result and plan backward. This new view can help you see the big picture, while shedding light on details you may otherwise overlook.
5. Enlist help. Get your team on board! Determine what their responsibilities will be, create an action plan for each, and schedule regular meetings to stay on track and address any issues that happen along the way.
6. Use technology to stay on track. It’s easy to use a web-based project management and collaboration tool, such as Basecamp. It allows you to upload and share files, track to-do lists and milestones, and communicate effectively throughout the course of a project.
7. Make it fun. It’s easy to be excited about a project when you’re just starting out. Over time, you are bound to hit snags and stressors here and there. Rally your team with incentives, social outings and rewards for meeting goals throughout the course of the project – not just when it’s completed. And once it is complete, reward yourselves again for a job well done!
Donna Toothaker is CEO, founder and coach of Step It Up VA Coaching, and the creator of the 6 Steps to 6-Figure VA Success System. These highly sought-after VA coaching programs have been created for established, successful VAs who wish to create the 6-figure business of their dreams. Visithttp://www.stepitupva.com to receive the free report, Top 3 Mistakes to Avoid in Creating a 6-Figure VA Business.
