Two Questions You Have To Ask When Defining Outcomes

As I looked at my project list in “Why You Should Find Time To Think”, I realized that most of my projects did not have outcomes. How would I know when I could check them off?

But then I realized that it wasn’t enough just to know what circumstances in which a project was done…there were two questions to consider before even taking on a project.

Do I have enough money/time/resources to get it done?

Before adding a project to my list, I have to consider if I have enough money/time/resources to actually get it done. If I don’t, then the project should not become “active”.

Usually the project will crash on the time category. I seem to have perpetually more time in my mind than I do in reality. This has, in the past, led to a glut of projects, none of which actually get worked on.

How will it impact what I’ve got going on?

Sometimes I may have a project in mind that I feel I can take on, but perhaps concentrating on what I’ve got going will actually get it done quicker. In “Finishing Projects”, I looked at the experiment of finishing what I have on my plate before taking on new projects, and I find that I actually get more done when I have less going on. And it’s not a matter of lack of time. It’s a matter of being able to make more progress with larger chunks of time.

Photo by e-magic