When last we left you... My friend Angela had suggested a topic: "How about how to keep it (paper, stuff to do, etc.) from getting completely out of control so that you are faced with a giant project and don't know where to start and it just keeps getting worse?"
We discussed giving your stuff a home and had closed with the needlepoint-ready maxim: Your stuff exists to serve you; you do not exist to serve it.
This leads us into the second part: "...you are faced with a giant project and don't know where to start and it just keeps getting worse." One of the side effects of not having a home for all your papers is that they're out there in their piles, basically in your face 24/7, and it's almost like they're harassing you about the project or work they represent.
The best thing you can do in such a situation is to step back and get more of a bird's eye view. Think about your project not in terms of what you feel you have to do, but in terms of what you want to accomplish and, most importantly, why. The "why" can carry you through the rough times of a project much better than "I have to" ever could.
"Why" can be tricky when it's not a project of your own inception. If it's a project your boss assigned you and you can't see any real point in it, the best possible thing you can do for your own motivation is to find some way that someone, somewhere could benefit from this project, even if it's in an unforeseeable future. "This will make Customer X's life easier" will give you some traction; "Boss says I have to" will only bog you down.
Once you've got a clear handle on what your end objective is, and why it matters, then you can do the nuts and bolts of planning your project. Break it down into steps and determine what you'll need in terms of time and resources to do each step.
Also list the resources you have, especially the human resources. Don't be afraid to delegate some steps to others, or to ask for help or advice on any of your steps. Often, getting people you respect and trust involved increases your momentum and helps make that "why" stronger.
From there, you can start on your project, going step by step, and giving yourself some kind of reward at each step.
This makes a rather nice lead-in to the series I'll be starting on Thursday. I call it "Getting It All Done," and it will cover the ways we can handle the to-do list that seems insurmountable. If you have any questions, concerns or requests, please let me know in the comments!
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