Stop Waiting for 8 Hours. How to Actually Finish Big Projects
Stop Waiting for 8 Hours. How to Actually Finish Big Projects
How many times have you caught yourself saying or thinking: “If I could just carve out four hours, I’d finally get this project done.” Maybe it is eight hours you are dreaming of. A whole day, blissfully free from interruptions, emails, and last minute fires.
We all know the truth. The truth is, that magical day rarely comes. In our fast paced, distraction heavy world, uninterrupted half days or full days are nearly impossible to find. If they happen to show up on our calendar, that time is usually hijacked by something “urgent.”
There is good news! You do not need four or eight hours to move your big projects forward.
Reduce It to the Ridiculous
One of the most effective strategies for tackling large projects is what we like to call “reduce it to the ridiculous.”
Here is how it works:
Start by outlining your project from start to finish.
Break it into the smallest possible steps. Steps that seem almost ridiculously simple and too easy to complete.
Focus on tackling one step at a time. When you complete task one fully move to task two and so on.
This way instead of needing a massive block of time, you are able to make progress in short, manageable bursts. A twenty minute task here. An hour long task there. Before you know it, momentum builds, and the project starts coming together little by little task by task.
For example: instead of blocking “Write new training manual,” reduce it to:
Open and title a blank document.
Create a title page.
List the sections that need to be included.
List the subsections that need to be included.
Draft the first section.
Add examples to section one…etc.
Each of these small wins creates progress and keeps you building your project one task at a time helping to maintain motivation.
Why Smaller Steps Work
When you reduce big projects to tiny tasks, you bypass the overwhelm. Instead of staring at a mountain, you are looking at the next step to complete. Our brains love completion, and every time you check something off, you get a small dopamine hit. That chemical boost makes it easier to want to keep going.
You can work with the time you have, instead of wishing for the time that will not likely “show up.”
What If You Really Do Want to Dedicate 4–8 Hours?
Sometimes reducing a project into small tasks just is not enough. There are projects that require deep concentration, sustained focus, and extended time to truly get into flow. Writing a book. Building a financial model. Finishing your taxes.
If you have ever tried to do one of these “deep work” projects in stolen 15 to 30 minute increments, you know it can be frustrating. Your brain barely gets into gear before you are changing tasks.
That is where our program Focused Work Days comes in.
What Is a Focused Work Day?
A Focused Work Day is a dedicated block of time designed to give you the space and structure you have been craving. It is an intentional day that is prescheduled and a guided experience.
Here is what makes Focused Work Days so powerful:
Clear structure. Before the day begins, you will have a prioritized task list to clearly know what you will be working on and in what order.
Accountability. We are there to keep you on track, by helping you prioritize your tasks, running the timer for the chosen productivity technique, and to update your progress. All participants are also working, utilizing the body doubling technique. People work more focused when they know others are working too.
Protected time. No distractions, no interruptions, no excuses. This is dedicated time that has been carved out to finally get your project moving.
Momentum built in. By the end of the day, you will have tangible progress and a repeatable system for continuing that progress afterward.
If you have been craving those four or eight uninterrupted hours, a Focused Work Day gives you exactly that without waiting for your calendar and those around you to magically cooperate.
Choose Your Approach
When it comes to big projects, you can:
Reduce it to the ridiculous. Break it down into tiny, manageable steps, and fit them into the time you already have.
Join Us for Focused Work Days. Give yourself the rare gift of deep, uninterrupted time with built in accountability, structure, and BREAKS!
Both approaches work. The one you choose will likely depend on your project, your priority, and how quickly you want to have it completed.
Remember waiting around for eight free hours to appear is not a strategy, it is procrastination dressed up as hope. Take control of your projects today. Start reducing them into small steps and when you are ready for that big push, join us for one or two Focused Work Days and watch what you can accomplish.
Want to schedule Focused Work Days with us? Click to see the upcoming dates and sign up!
