Tasks Versus Projects…
By: Lisa Manyon www.WriteOnCreative.com
I’m a BIG fan of to-do lists. Planning is in my blood. It’s how I stay on track and get things done. What about you?
One of the topics that Ali Brown touched on at her live SHINE ~ Discover Your True Wealth event is the difference between tasks and projects. This isn’t a new concept — in fact, members of Ali’s MPC group?participated in a project flow chart exercise at one of our retreats. None the less, I found this differentiation interesting because many people mistakenly add a task to their to-do list when the task is really a project.
A good example: If you need to revamp your website, this is not a task. It’s definitely project.
A task is generally a single step or action. A project consists of “multiple layers and players” as I like to say. There are phases, team members and more.
You see before I went to SHINE, my team and I embarked on a project to revamp my web presence. It may
seem like a simple task but let me tell you — once I mapped out all the steps it was going to take to complete my vision, it was clear that it was one BIG project. (check out the snapshot of my flowchart of the project and check out the site revamp at www.WriteOnCreative.com).
I’m happy to say the project was complete just in time for Shine thanks to my fabulous team ( I LOVE you guys). I’m especially happy that my site was ready to roll because Ali Brown featured my website and business model as an example of a successful One-To-One business. I was beyond excited (and a little nervous speaking in front of over 500 people). I’m absolutely giddy from the experience and I share it with you to illustrate that when you work diligently towards your dreams they can and will come true and you will be recognized for your efforts.
You see, if I hadn’t clearly mapped out the steps to complete my project, I wouldn’t have been prepared and I wouldn’t have fully realized how much work the project was going to take (about 5 team members including me and it took about a month).
It’s the same thing in your business. If you don’t clearly map out your projects and plans, you’re not going to make as much progress as you could.
The exposure I received at SHINE has certainly boosted my business. I’ve had many inquires about my copywriting packages and press releases system. You see, because I completed my web project, my site is was ready for the inquiries and orders and I was able to showcase my offerings.
If I hadn’t have been prepared, I would have missed out on great opportunities and sales. That’s why it’s vital to have a plan and to carve out time for planning.
This brings me to another important topic. In addition to planning your projects, you must plan your marketing and virtually every campaign is a project in and of itself.
What are your BIG projects?
Do you have enough support to get them done?
Do you have a content strategy planned for 2010?
[tags] Ali Brown, Shine, Planning, Projects, Tasks, Goals, 2010 Plan, Press Releases, copywriting, copy writer, Lisa Manyon, www.writeoncreative.com [/tags]
