How to Power Through a Project Funk
Stuck in the mucky middle of a giant project?
Maybe you're writing a book or creating a new ecourse, and you're hoping for a second wind to carry you to the finish line. Or maybe you're going through a self-paced certification course and feel like you're losing steam.
It's easy to get into a funk when you're working on a huge project. It's overwhelming, because you feel like you've worked on it for forever and you're still not done. It might not be coming together the way you want it to or nearly as quickly as you hoped.
This happens to pretty much every business owner at least a few times in their career. It's certainly happened to me!
I've learned a few tricks to keep my energy going through a big project, but I still have to remind myself of these tips sometimes.
Here's how to power through a project funk:
Get organized
One of the biggest reasons big projects can feel so overwhelming is because there are so many parts and pieces that we often feel unorganized. It's like trying to eat a giant sandwich when you aren't sure how to even fit the thing in your mouth to take a bite. We're just dancing around the thing trying to figure out how to approach.
Or you might be chipping away at it and feeling like you're getting nowhere because you haven't quite figured out where to focus your energy yet.
This is a place where outside help really comes in handy. A project manager or even just another set of eyeballs on your work can help you spot patterns and logical workflow you might not have noticed before. It's worth having someone else take a look! At the very least, plug everything into a project management system so you can measure and actually see where you are at a glance.
One of the biggest reasons big projects can feel so overwhelming is because there are so many parts and pieces that we often feel unorganized. Click To TweetBreak it into little pieces
You know that old saying that you can't eat an elephant in one bite? As gross and weird as that thought is, it does illustrate a good point.
You can't accomplish big things in one fell swoop. Your big, awesome project needs to be tackled into little bits. Baby steps. Tiny, doable, approachable bites.
Try setting mini deadlines for yourself and planning a reward when you reach them. For example, maybe you want to finish a chapter this week, and buy yourself a new book or a fancy latte when you do. Little milestones like that can do wonders for our motivation!
Plan breaks
You might have made a plan for accomplishing your big project, but it's a lot easier to plan on paper than it is in real life.
It's a long journey, and you're going to need to make stops along the way to recharge.
Make sure to schedule breaks in your long workdays, days off on the weekends, and set a rule for your daily quittin' time that you hold to so that you don't burn yourself out.
Surround yourself with support
Running a business and working on a huge project can be lonely, so make sure to reach out to your business buddies during this time.
If you don't have business buddies, go find some! You need someone to talk through snags with, bounce ideas off of, and to cheer you on when you doubt yourself. This support can look like a mastermind group for a course you've taken, an entrepreneur meetup, or even just a Facebook group.
Your support can also come from a team or an OBM. A manager comes with the added bonus of being able to help you organize and get your shit together so you can tackle that project even more efficiently!
Big projects are a lot of fun, but they can be exhausting and throw you into a funk sometimes. But you don't have to do it alone! I'd love to help you power through your big projects, take a lot of the work off your hands and free you up to focus on what matters most!