Want to Get More Done and Feel Better About It? Break Projects Into Smaller Chunks

Have you ever faced a significant project that will take a lot of effort, coordination, and change to accomplish? Did that project seem overwhelming at the start? A big project can always look daunting when you are looking the place where something big will stand in the future and currently seeing nothing. If you think about the entirety of the project all at once it can feel almost impossible.One of my hobbies is building Lego models. It is a great way to relax and get away from the day to day hustle we all face. Building lets me tune out the world and just focus on creating something from scratch. I bounce back and forth between large sets and smaller sets. A recent set I built, the Disney Castle, was in the big set category. It contains almost 4,100 pieces. Imagine what that would look like spread across the floor. (Think of the minefield that would be to walk around!) 4,100 pieces would be completely overwhelming if all of those pieces were dumped in the box. Instead, Lego does something brilliant which makes this a much more manageable process. They separate the set into separate bags for each of the different steps of the project. The instruction manual is coordinated with the bags to make it easier to pace yourself and work through the project.After thinking about this as I have built several large Lego projects, I saw this as a strategy that can work beyond the realms of Lego building. There are lessons that can be applied to most things we do in life and business, especially when facing large, complex projects.Here are some of the key lessons I have learned from leading large projects (and building BIG Lego sets).

Break Big Things Into Little Things

This is just like the set breaking the process into 14 smaller bags of materials. Take a look at your project and see where there are some natural breaking points. It could be time frames, specific actions, or seasonal components. Just find the breakpoints to work on those specific areas. It will allow you to only communicate what you need during that time. Everyone will know what the big picture project is, but for now, they know that they need to work on these specific items.

See the Progress Along the Way

As you are working through your steps, you can see the progress you are making. Not only is the project coming together, but you can identify that you are crossing things off the list. In Lego terms, you are ‘finishing bags of bricks’. Communicate this to the team so everyone can see the progress they are making. If there are not physical things to see as you make progress, you may consider making a chart so the team can see the progress. Celebrate at the end of each stage. Let everyone catch their breath and enjoy the end point of each stage. Keep the enthusiasm high so everyone is excited to start the next step.

Use Progress as Motivation

There is almost nothing better than getting to a point where I could see I was almost complete. “Just a handful more bricks to go. I can get this knocked out.” That encouragement along the way as things felt as though they were bogging down really helped to push me to the finish line for that stage. This is especially powerful as you are closing into the end of the overall project. Suddenly, what was once empty space now almost ‘looks like the picture on the box.’

Celebrate the Completion

The last piece is added to the project. It is now complete. Celebrate! Pull the entire team together and show them what you built. Take time to enjoy your accomplishment. Share stories about the process you undertook. Look back at the fun moments and the challenging moments. Everything will seem much less heavy than it was during the project. This is an opportunity to recognize the team for their accomplishments. Reinforce the efforts and feeling that comes from working on and completing the project.This is a simple example using Lego, but it can be applied to most things we do. As we face projects in our daily lives the biggest ones can seem unbearable when you look at it holistically and not in the smaller chunks that can be used to get to the finished product. Break it down, see your progress along the way. Continue to push yourself and your team with what you have already accomplished and then celebrate the win at the end. Showing that something big can be accomplished with a series of smaller tasks will make future projects less scary at the start.How will breaking down larger projects into smaller segments help you lead your team to the finish line? Click here or on the comments button above to share your thoughts.