How many of us want to take on a big project? Something that sounds exciting and interesting, yet we just don’t seem to get it going? I hear it frequently from my clients, friends, and myself. What I’ve learned time and again is that people are either not sure how to do this big project, they get caught in thinking that the project has to be perfect, or they are overwhelmed with where and how to start it. They then give up on it and that big project remains an idea, versus something they want to accomplish.
When I was trying to finish my doctorate in psychology, the last big hoop I had to jump through was my dissertation. It was a big literature review that was so overwhelming to me. I was very motivated to graduate and start my therapy practice, but I was not excited about this very daunting task of writing the dissertation. Every day when I would think about it, I would feel the overwhelm and not start my dissertation.
Finally, as my opportunity to graduate within the year was dwindling, I knew I needed a new plan to get the dissertation done. So I broke it down into smaller and smaller pieces and put those small pieces on my calendar. I got granular in my details of how I would get it done from finding time to get to the library (Yes, in the old days we had to actually go to the library.) to the scheduling when I would read the articles that would be included in my literature review.
Once I laid out the specifics and dates of how I would get it done, I knew what and how I was going to tackle each task, each day and I got it done. The key was to break it down into the smallest details so that each time I completed those very small tasks, it started to feel like a win to me. It started to feel possible that I could complete this massive, somewhat unpleasant project.
The other thing that led me to finishing it was to focus on releasing the idea that my dissertation would be perfect. Rather, I set the goal as a really good dissertation. I refused to get caught in allowing the drive for great to ruin the good. By taking on the small details of the project and by releasing my own desire to make it perfect, I ended up writing a very decent dissertation. As expected, only a handful of people have ever read it so driving myself crazy with trying to make it perfect would have been a big waste of my time and energy.
So what projects do you keep putting off? Can you break that project into really small components so that you know exactly what you want to accomplish each day? Can you release the concept of perfection and instead seek to complete it in a way that is good? Sit down and spend some time planning out the details of your project. You just might find that you know exactly when and how you are going to complete it.
Love,
Lisa Kaplin Psy. D. PCC
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Do you need help finding your voice, developing confidence and solution-centered plans to unlock the next chapter of your life in fulfilling ways that bring happiness and increased self-esteem (so that you’re not as affected by the crazy making behavior of others?) If so, I can help. Click here to learn more or inquire about my leadership and empowerment individual coaching options.