Trailblazers are inspired with many ideas, which is both a blessing and a curse. You’re always pushing the limits, paving new paths and obliterating all that’s ‘cookie-cutter’.
The downside to this is that while you’re busy innovating, a lot of things can fall by the wayside.
This can unfortunately create a domino effect – you get halfway through a project, and get worried that maybe it’s not going to create the result you want, or you have another “better” idea, so you end up starting a lot of trails and leave them unfinished.
What’s worse, you might even start losing confidence in yourself and your ideas.
But how do you maintain your momentum and take your awesome ideas to the finish line without compromising the rest of your business?
The answer is ‘habit’.
Simply put, these are practices that might start out feeling a bit like an inconvenience or a tedious task, but eventually become second nature.
At first, you find it hard to fit it into your schedule, or you simply can’t be bothered – but eventually, these habits start to happen automatically, come hell or high water.
That said, here are four project management habits every trailblazer hungry for success should work on developing:
1. The Idea Book
Get a little notepad. As the idea pops up, jot it down, sketch it out – just transfer it from your head into a physical record. Then review your idea book periodically to choose what you want to implement or create next. This can help you prevent the quintessential “shiny object syndrome” and make more intentional moves in your business.
2. Take Time-Outs to Work ON Your Business
It’s easy to get caught up in the day to day activities of your business. Take a time-out at least once a quarter to assess your goals, progress, and review the projects you’re working on to ensure you’re on track.
3. Prioritizing
As a trailblazer, priority number one should always be to maintain stability and create consistent cashflow in your business.
Once you have this mastered you can begin adding new exciting projects. Ultimately, you need to keep the big picture into perspective, while making informed and intelligent decisions about where you go next.
4. Breaking Projects Into Lists
The biggest productivity-blocker is overwhelm, which can be eliminated by mapping out what steps to take so you always know what comes next.
When the picture is too big, sometimes all you need is a little perspective. When mapping out a project, start with the big picture milestones that need to be completed, then break those down into individual steps. It takes about 15 minutes and will make ALL the difference when you begin to take action.
Being a trailblazer isn’t for the faint of heart; it’s not easy being awesome. Building great project management habits like these can help you to systematize your life and your business, so nothing gets lost in translation while you blaze new trails in search of success.
What are some of your own habits for getting your projects to the finish line?
