Have you ever had one of these days or weeks when you didn’t know where to start because there was so much work ahead of you? I had one of these weeks and it went super smooth. Even I was surprised by it – hahah! So how did I do it?
Know your goals
Start with the end in mind. Stephen Covery was on to something when he coined this phrase. When you know what your goal is, you can break the project down into smaller bits, just like you eat an elephant one bit at a time. It makes it so much easier and you see little achievements. This gives you the motivation to keep going.
Set your deadlines
With your project defined, set yourself deadlines. If you’ve broken down your project, look at the day it needs to be completed. You then work backwards. How long will it take me to complete the last task? Let’s say 3 days. You deduct 3 days from your deadline and would have to start by then. If you have multiple mini projects, you can follow this backtracking method for each activity to determine your start date.
Build in some time to review your work before you submit it. It gives you an opportunity to complete the part, take a break and review it with a fresh set of eyes.
Knowing when I needed to have project part completed helped me tremendously. I could channel my focus towards these deadlines and could cross out an activity. Setting that little tick on my weekly calendar was fantastic!
Schedule breaks
If you work according to the Promodoro Technique (25 minutes of focused work followed by a 5-minute-long break), you know how important breaks are. They don’t need to be long. You may just get up, make yourself a tea or get some water to stay hydrated. Your eyes are getting a break from the computer screen while your brain gets to use different cells.
Give yourself a longer break after 3-4 hours of work. You may want to make that your breakfast, lunch or dinner break. Read a newspaper or a book, mediate, sing a long to some music. If you have some flexibility, use the time for a workout or go for a longer walk. Moving your body gives you new energy and focus when you return. Don’t spend this break doing personal work in front of your screen – remember that your eyes will need that break, too!
I used my lunch breaks for a quick walk to the supermarket, buying some groceries and getting my steps in.
Learn to stop
Depending on your personal energy level and/or your flow, you may work past your normal hours. For me, it’s okay to work longer or not follow your normal pattern, as long as it doesn’t impact other areas. If you’ve already worked 12 hours on the project, are you still alert and really able to continue without making mistakes which you need to fix when you start again? By staying late on this activity, will you get less sleep which will make you less relaxed, grumpy and also less focused the next day?
You may recall that I’m not the early bird and have certainly become used to a slower start into the day. I often work on my projects in the evening and have noticed that I don’t have enough down time before going to bed. Falling asleep and not getting quality sleep are the consequences for me. On late nights, I have to remind that tomorrow is still another day when, with fresh energy, I can continue.
It’s been a fabulous week with rewarding early mornings and a great feeling of getting it all done in time and without stress prior to the deadline. My Barry’s tea is waiting for me and so is my couch. We’re all ready to just relaxed tonight!
Until next time,
Agni