Projects That Matter

“How do you eat an elephant?”

I thought I’d give you some tips about how to implement projects that matter. Even though you know they’re important it can feel like you’re digesting an elephant, so you find yourself procrastinating because it’s hard to work out where to start. Just like eating an elephant, digesting important projects is best done one bite at a time.

Because you’re time-poor, when deciding on what elephant you’re going to eat (i.e. what important project/s you’re going to implement), you need to choose one (or more) that will give you the biggest bang for your buck. In other words, something that is going to transform your business and, in turn, your life.

I think the top three most important projects are:

1. Implementing the PBS
2. Implementing or improving your workflow management program
3. Implementing value pricing

None of these are small projects but they are all very important because once completed, you will:

1. Be able to scale your business with great bookkeepers and get off the tools.
2. Be able to get your life back because you’re not micro-managing or worried that something will fall through the cracks.
3. Have a profitable business, being paid what you’re worth, have clients who love you (and your staff) and accountants who respect you.
4. Your business is independent of you and therefore has real value to someone interested in buying a system-driven business.

Even though you already know that you need to spend time working on important projects, it’s hard to resist the urgent, but not important demands that steal your valuable time from you like a thief in the night. But there’s a reason for that. In Peter Cook’s book The New Rules of Management, he said “Generally, investing time, money and resources into projects that matter will initially increase expenses for no immediate increase in turnover. Of course, in two years or five years or ten years, we will see the return.” Pete also says that investing time working ON your business – implementing projects that matter – is perhaps “the most important thing we do – and it’s difficult because we are just not wired for long-term projects.” However he says the good news is that “implementation is a skill that can be learnt, a muscle that can be developed.”