Get It Done! How To Keep Momentum in Your Work-At-Home Project

Sparkplugging is starting a new tradition called ‘Spark an Idea Thursday’. Each week we’ll be sharing some great ideas for a topic of interest to our readers. We invite you to grab our image and carry the tradition through to your own blog! If you do, please link back to this post so we know where you were inspired!

This week we’re Sparking an Idea Finish Something You’ve Started

Hi. I’m Leslie and I’m organizationally challenged. As a result, starting and finishing projects is a challenge. I really do feel like my life as a WAHM involves plate spinning. I’ve got a plate for home,  kids, my online business, contract work, and my book. I even have plates that are spinning off other plates that are related but still a new activity.  The risk of my being overwhelmed is very high, so I’ve had to develop some tricks to keep me on task.

1) Know the outcome. Will your project make money? Expand your expertise? Increase your celebrity?  One way to keep you on task in a project is to remind yourself what the result will be when its completed.

2) Break it down. Projects can be very overwhelming. What do you start with first? What comes next. Can you do B or do you need to get A done first? Breaking the project down creates bite sizes pieces that are easier to manage.

3) Keep a schedule. Even with a list of mini-tasks, they won’t get done if they don’t end up on your to-do list. Further you need pacing. Many projects take days, weeks, even months to complete. You need to organize the tasks in a manageable way that gets them done without losing momentum, but also without overwhelming yourself. I like to keep a weekly list on which I have a goal for the week and each activity toward that goal is scheduled.

4) Check it off. I love to see little check marks next to my to-dos. They’re like little pats on the back that say, “You got it done. Good for you!” Some computer to-do programs will remove  an item when you check it. While having a list get shorter, can be a motivator, I like being able to see all that I got done. You can deleted the completed to-do’s at the end of day to start with a clean slate, but try to keep them on list so you can see how much you got done.