Do you have an overwhelming list of projects that you’ve been procrastinating on? With our crazy busy lives, who doesn’t? Our typical week is already full with no time for anything else. But we still have that nagging list of projects hanging over our head and don’t know how to get it all done. So, we don’t even get started. The key is to plan and organize your special projects.
I get overwhelmed too when something out of the ordinary pops up in my plans. For me to get over the “overwhelm”, I have to take all those plans and “shoulds” out of my head and put them on paper. Seriously, this calms me down right away when I see an actual plan on paper. So, today, I’m going to share with you how I do this.
Write a list of Projects for the next 12 months.
Take all those project ideas floating around in your head and write them out. Some examples include house projects, personal projects, or work projects. These can be small and large projects.
Prioritize your projects.
Think about which ones are urgent and which ones can wait. Go through your list and assign a number to each one. Then, I like to quickly rewrite my list so I can actually see the most important ones at the top.
Assign each project to a specific season or month.
Ask yourself, when does this need to be done? How soon can I start? Be realistic. Decide which season or month would be the best for doing each specific project. Also, try to limit yourself to no more than 3 projects at a time and preferably not 3 large projects at a time. That would probably not be realistic. Maybe one month you could do one large project and two smaller projects. There’s no point in making plans that you can’t really get done.
Write your projects on your calendar or planner.
For each month in your calendar or planner, make a note, at the top of the page, of the projects you want to do that month.
Write action steps for each project.
For each project, write out a list of all the action steps it will take to accomplish the project. To prevent getting overwhelmed, I just do this one month at a time. It’s a lot simpler that way.
Write a timeline for your project.
Decide your start date and date you need to finish. Look at your action steps and make sure they’re in the order that they need to be done. Look at how much time you actually have to get the project done and spread out the tasks evenly from start date to finish date.
Put action steps into your schedule.
Decide what day of the week will be best to work on your project. Then take each action step and plug into your monthly calendar on the day you plan to do it. Commit that time to working on your projects. Don’t schedule anything else for that time.
How to organize and manage multiple projects.
If I have more than one big project going on at once, I use this system for keeping everything organized:
- Use a binder and add a divider and paper for each project.
- Use one section for each project.
- One the first page of each section, write out the action steps and timeline for each project. After the first page, you can use a page or two for more details and ideas for each of the action steps. For example, for a home decorating project, you could have a page for the project budget. On another page, list materials needed. On another page, have a list of contractors to call. Those are just a few ideas to get you started.
- In the front of the binder, I like to have a master list of all the projects I’m working on. This is a dated list in chronological order of all the action steps of all the projects combined. This simplifies everything and helps me plan my week. Each week, when I’m planning my schedule, I just pull out the binder and see what I need to get done that week and add it into my schedule. No more overwhelm!
I hope this gives you some ideas for planning and organizing special projects you’ve been putting off. Just remember to simplify and get it all out on paper. Then move step by step and you’ll soon be done!
If you need some project ideas, be sure to read:
How To Organize Household Paperwork
Home Organizing Plan For The Year
Saving Time With An Organized Wardrobe
Till next time, have a wonderful day!