Planning...Part 2

The thing that naturally comes next is that plan.

Who you are, and what the project is, will determine the kind of plan that you are going to end up with.

Mary Poppins said "Well begun is half done", and in laying out a road map, or an outline, or a set of goals and tasks, you are certainly going to be well begun.

A few questions to get you started might be:

Do I have a deadline?
A hard and fast date on the calendar, such as a date when the house will be listed for sale, a date when renovations will start, or a date that you assign for another reason, will create an end to the project, so that you can divide up the tasks within the time frame.
If you don't have a solid deadline, try to set a pace that will provide consistent progress, so that you don't lose momentum. You might even consider setting a date for an event that will mark the end and serve as a reward at the same time. Maybe Thanksgiving at your house, with guests using that spare room, or a Superbowl party in that newly organized basement. Perhaps you can promise yourself that the car will live in the garage with the coming of winter, and set the first day of the season as the deadline.

Am I going to have help?
How you break down your tasks and the time that you will devote to the project kind of depends on whether or not you are the only person working on it, or whether you are going to have help. If someone is helping, then you will need to work when it's convenient for them, and you will need to schedule time together. Two people can work more quickly, but you may not need to have your helper present for all of the tasks. Talk to the person or people that are offering to help and ask them what works for them. See if you can schedule a weekly or bi-weekly time to work together for several hours, and plan the heavier and more complex tasks for those days. Give yourself "homework" in between. Sorting papers, taking bags or boxes for donation, sorting and purging the random articles that you put into the "do later" bins as you work. These are the tasks that you should try to plan to devote daily attention to.  Add them into the breakdown.


Ask yourself "What is the least amount of time that I will spend everyday?"
 Yes, everyday. You have to commit to doing SOMETHING everyday, so if you can only be sure of 15 minutes, then make that your "at least" amount of time. Don't pressure yourself to set aside an hour a day in the planning phase. You may well build up a head of steam and work for an hour or two when the opportunity presents itself, but you want to set a "chewable" period of time aside for everyday.
As you plan, make this time "non-negotiable". Schedule it into each day with the same priority as brushing your teeth or working out.

How do I think? What do I respond to?
When you are ready to put the plan into words think about the way that you think. That means using a format and a medium that you will respond to, that pulls you in.
Are you a paper person? Do you love taking notes, doodling, using outlines or drawing detailed "Mind-maps"? If you use a method and means that you enjoy and that speaks to you, you will remember it better. The image will stick in your mind. The plan will make sense and you will be able to go from task to task in a methodical manner.
I like outlining everything.
I love using an outline when I write, and I find that using the "5 paragraph essay" format for my projects helps me to "see" the purpose, the steps toward the goal, and the way that it will look and work when I am finished.
Perhaps you are an artist and you need color and context to bring a plan to life.
Drawing, doodling and creating a "work" out of your plan may make it much more engaging.
You might want to find a pretty notebook, or start a digital one, that you keep with you to jot down thoughts as you do your inventory and brainstorming with a friend.
Then organize those thoughts into priorities and goals.
It just depends on what works best for you.
Outlining brings me mental clarity, mindmapping makes me twitch.

So this is the step where you organize your steps!
Find your method, find your friend, and lay out the roadmap.

Some more on planning next time.