If you are a freelance writer or other creative professional, do you ever find that your agenda is filled with small projects? I do, and I since I am in charge of bidding on projects and choosing what I work on, I often wondered whether I would ever have the courage to bid on a big project. Writing is enjoyable for me, and I have been able to find small projects that allow me to express myself creatively while earning decent money. For some reason, though, until recently I did not have the courage to bid on any larger projects.
I have heard that one good way to approach a big project is to plan to work on it a little bit every day. That makes sense, because it is easier to find a little bit of time every day than to wait until you can spend hours and hours working without interruption. It also makes sense because a big project can seem like an intimidating task, but breaking it down into smaller pieces can make the goal of completing it much more attainable.
Here is an example of what a big writing project might look like when it is broken down into a series of mini – goals. The first mini – goal could be to create a clear statement of what it is that you are writing about and why. What question will you answer for your readers? What experience will you portray? The next mini – goal is to take that general idea and turn it into a working title. After that, a thesis statement, and then a table of contents. Once the table of contents is complete, the “skeleton” of your piece will be in place. At this point, you can set mini – goals for filling in that framework with subject matter. Once all of those goals have been met, set mini – goals for editing, formatting, publishing, and overall completion.
When you break a big project like a book down into smaller steps it can feel doable instead of daunting. Now that you have a strategy for pursuing bigger projects, what kinds of bigger projects will you pursue? I recently started a big project, and I am really enjoying it. There is something satisfying about knowing that the project will be going on for a while, and I am enjoying working through it step by step.
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