*Winner of my giveaway announced at the end of this post** :)
When you have an idea for something, make that a BIG idea, how do you go about making sure that you accomplish it? More or less, I'm talking about creative ideas but honestly, it could pertain to anything you'd like to achieve.
I know for me, I often sit and percolate over my initial musing and decide the pros and cons of doing something in my head before I take action. The head-game can be slightly dangerous though because you can talk yourself out of doing something as much as you can get excited about the idea. The longer you stay in your head can also mean the less likely you actually put the plan into action.
For the last couple of years, I have been releasing one to two new online classes a year (plus a few mini lessons one friend's collaborative workshops) and that number is actually lower than I set out to do when I first started working for myself. In my head, I thought surely I can do 4-6 a year, no problem.
Ha.
I know I probably go overboard in my workshops, I often do a lot more than I need to for it to be a successful class which is why it takes me so long to produce a class. Knowing what I know, I have learned that I can't really commit to a class unless I have a full 8 weeks or more to work on it with very little commitments other than the class to distract me.
Easier said than done!
That brings me to my main point: to do big things, you need white space to work in. By white space, I mean time, openness of your schedule, and very little elsepulling you in other directions.
I've worked in a 'sparkly colorful' space for far too many big projects. Often, it leads to burnout and even physical revolts from my body.
This time around, during my Zen Houses class I did have a lot of white space cleared out so ideally, the production should have gone smoothly but what I didn't account for is the many things that pop up at the last minute that I 'had' to take on, you know the ones that seem like a good idea at the time and not take too long but end up taking 10x as long as you imagine to do and not such a great idea overall. I also didn't really account for personal commitments that pop up that have got to be taken care of no matter what because that's what life is about being a Mom, friend, co-worker.
Long story short, I did have to delay the launch by 2 weeks so I could fit in those things that 'popped' up that had I not delayed the class, it would have pretty much killed me to open it on time.
I'm so glad my pre-registered students understood and were so very gracious and patient.
If you want to do big things, hear are some lessons and strategies I've put into place or learned over the years that I'd thought I'd share with you today. If you have processes in place that have worked for you, I'd love to hear those too!
1. Be cautious on saying 'yes' to every project or request that comes your way. Have a 'mission' statement in place and if the request doesn't support your mission, or doesn't fit into a time space you've allotted for impromptu opportunities, the answer should be no. To quote Derek Sivers, "If it's not a 'hell-yeah, it's a hell no."
2. OVER Estimate how long projects will take. Even if you know you can finish your task(s) in a shorter amount of time, it's better to over deliver and under promise rather than the opposite. Leaving a cushion in your timeline for unexpected delays as things will pop up when you least expect them to. (ahhh--hhmmmm.--lesson learned once again for me!)
3. Put stretch goals in place but be realistic in what you can achieve. You want to challenge yourself but not set yourself up for failure by being unrealistic about what is truly possible. Truthfully, most anything you strive to do is possible, but it may not be achievable in a particular time frame if a plan isn't well thought out or executed upon properly.
4. Plan out your project and do check ins periodically. Know what you want to achieve and when you want to achieve it by. I have found that deadlines and due dates (even if they are self-imposed) are so important to keep myself accountable and on track. I like to start with an outline and fill in bullet points under each category for a particular project. This helps me visualize the entire process from start to finish and the key milestones along the way.
5. Delegate-delegate. If you are striving to do something big, it doesn't mean you have to do it all yourself. This may mean you will have to enlist help for things that you normally do at home or at work that are important but not critical for you to do. This is one of the hardest things for me to do honestly, but I've learned along the way that it's critical to do so that you can make that 'white' space available for the truly big things you want to accomplish.
So what is that big idea next on your list? How are you going to make sure you reach your goal and shine for the rest of the world to see??
Until Next Time,
Jodi
*******************************
Drum Roll please-----We have a winner for my 10 x 10 original painting featured in my last blog post:
Tamara Decoito said...
Hi Jodi
I live in La Mesa, CA and my home is a creative place where my grandchildren can explore with color and many different mediums. Thank-you for your inspiration I am excited for the start of Zen Houses.
Congratulations Tamara!!!
