It’s about time I posted this…
A fair number of projects are behind schedule at the moment they’re launched. The reason is because even experienced project managers are prone to procrastinate when the new project involves a lot of work. One way to overcome the delay is to take small steps leading to full-blown activity.
Writing for Harvard Business Publishing, Steven DeMaio in The Art of Starting a Project on Time recommends:
“I find that the art of starting on time boils down to one basic technique: creating an environment in which the project feels like it’s already underway before you sit down (or stand up) to begin it formally. There are many ways to achieve this, but the best ones involve making small preparations for the new project while you’re doing something else.”
For example, start a project folder and set it where it’s always visible, he suggests. Begin putting pertinent things into the folder as you run across them. “A file with data already populating it is much more likely to focus you than a blank one is,” says DeMaio.