Lost momentum? You might have hit a project plateau
Let’s keep the ball moving!
Ever feel like your mind races with a million new ideas? Then things get pushed back or lost and never get done? It’s called the Project Plateau. We all experience it to some extent, whether it be with business ideas or in your day-to-day life. Let’s try and understand why we experience the project plateau and ways to combat it.
What is the Project Plateau?
The project plateau is the never-ending process of execution without actually finishing anything. We get excited by the energy of a new idea, and in turn put off finishing the old idea, and so this goes on and on until you have a bunch of great new ideas but nothing finished. Sound familiar?
The reason for this is, in the human mind we create more ideas either to make it seem like we are achieving something or we strive to feel that ‘progressive’ feeling for that initial idea. It’s us wanting to get closer to our goals. But really, it’s all just procrastination. Execution of an idea stems from self-discipline and taking action to move the idea forward.
Here we outline 5 tips to get you out of the project plateau and closer to achieving your goals:
TIP 1 - Stop procrastination in its tracks
Procrastination stems from a fear of judgement or rejection, which inevitably impacts the final product of our work. It’s our human desire to seek approval or assurance before completing a task. To stop procrastination in its tracks, you need to create smaller and more achievable steps under your big overarching goal. Taking these smaller steps every day will bring you that bit closer rather than avoiding the big goal altogether.
TIP 2 - Embrace the fear of failing
Let’s be honest, no one likes failing. But if you can take those failings and turn them into learnings, you will be able to reach your goal much faster. Failing fast and failing often means you are taking the steps towards achieving your goals. You can either procrastinate and not get any closer to your goal, or you can take small steps forward (making some mistakes along the way) and inch closer to your goal. It’s your choice. Don’t let the fear of failure stop you.
TIP 3 - Streamline decision making
When you have too many people involved in the decision making process, it makes it harder for progress to be made - if at all. Progress is often slowed by going back and forth too frequently in the decisions making process, and with a lack of responsibility for moving the idea forward, progress is delayed or never achieved. Cut down the amount of people involved, otherwise you end up with ‘too many cooks in the kitchen’ as the saying goes.
TIP 4 - Cull flawed ideas early
Don’t be fooled by the energy of a new idea - they’re not all created equal! It’s easy to get stuck and continue with an idea even though it’s not serving you or your team. Take a minute to question an idea and expose it’s flaws before it wastes your time. Doing this early in the process ensures you and your team remain productive.
TIP 5 - Make your meetings actionable
How often do you meet simply because it’s a Monday? So often our meetings fail to connect actions with the next steps we need to take towards our goal. Keep your meetings focused on the end goal, always. At the end of your meetings, go around and ask each team member to voice the actions they’re going to take. This really helps us hold ourselves and each other accountable.