Plan your projects backwards!

This is a very simple and effective way to make sure you meet deadlines (real or self-imposed!).  Whenever I share this in workshops, I love to see people’s ‘aha’ moments around the room as they realise there is an easy way to keep their many projects under control. 

If you’ve ever found that looming deadlines force you to work through the night or that (horror of horrors!) you’ve failed to deliver a project on time, then you need to plan your projects from now on.

I tend to combine a couple of methods to make sure nothing is forgotten.

First I Mind Map the entire project.  If you aren’t familiar with mind maps,The Mind Map Book (Mind Set) by Tony & Barry Buzan provides a good introduction.  Basically you start with your subject name in the centre of a piece of paper and use it as the hub for all related ideas and topics to radiate out from, a bit like spokes on a wheel.  The reason I use a Mind Map rather than just writing a list is because I tend to come up with more ideas that way.

Then, once you think you have captured all the tasks related to your project, take a fresh sheet of paper and, starting with your deadline at the top, plan the project tasks back from that date.  You should end up with a list of what needs doing each month, each week, each day – right back to what you need to do right now!

If you follow this process for each of your projects, you’ll find it much easier to keep track of what needs doing and by when.  Deadlines will no longer come as a surprise and your stress levels will be reduced too!