Large projects can be daunting, overwhelming and we find ourselves putting them off. They can seem like they’re too big to ever finish, and it can be hard to know where to start. But breaking down a large project into smaller, more manageable tasks is a great way to make it seem less daunting and more achievable.
My task was to renovate my front room, I bought a fixer-upper house two years ago and knew this was going to be a task one day. Old 1960’s fire place, cracked ceiling, wallpapered walls, nasty boxing around pipe work, the room essentially needed stripping right back, add some insulation around the bay window and starting from scratch. For me, this was far too much for me to comprehend and hence why it was one of the last rooms on my list to tackle.
How to Break Down a Large Project
Here are some tips on how I broke down a large project into smaller tasks, plus I am a Project Manager by trade so know a few things:
- Start by defining the project’s goals. What do you want to achieve with this project? For me it was a room that I could be proud to show off. Once you know the goal, you can start to break down tasks into smaller, more specific tasks. I had get rid of carpet, strip flocked wall paper, pull off fire place, rebuild fireplace surround, remove radiator, pull of wooden boxing from pipework, make the wall straight and fill holes. Plaster ceiling, repaint whole room then put the room back together.
- Identify the major milestones for the project. These are the major deliverables that need to be completed in order to reach the project’s goals. Such as task one, lift and dispose of carpet, task two strip wallpaper and you build a list for milestones.
- Break each milestone down into smaller tasks. These tasks should be a little more details, task one list carpet. Component parts are remove carpet, put carpet in boot of car, lift underlay and place in boot of car, lift gripper rods (those suckers are sharp, so back track and add another part for find and wear gloves) place in boot of car, sweep up and finally make a trip to the tip and bin it. Task one complete!
- Estimate the time and resources needed for each task. This will help you to create a realistic timeline and budget for the project. Task one, half a day. Task 2 a week (have you ever tried to get rid of flocked wallpaper? This stuff should be banned!) and so on. For me costs came in decorating and a professional plasterer. Three bags of plaster, filler, plasterboard (for the fireplace), two big pots of paint (one trade one matt emulsion), insulation, new pipe covers. Then I’ve added new electric sockets as the old ones looked yellow.
- Assign tasks to team members. Make sure that each team member has the right skills and are set clear responsibilities and deadlines. If like me the family get bored of scrapping wall paper and you end up doing the baulk of it yourself. Book the plasterer early on so that it can be put in the diary.
- Track the progress of the project. This will help you to stay on track and make sure that the project is completed on time and within budget. This is perfect if you don’t suddenly think to change the electric sockets! But factor that in and add to the plan. A Plan is essential but is not set in stone. Plans are made to be amended and changed when things come up.
Benefits of Breaking Down a Large Project
- It makes the project seem less daunting and more achievable. Check the task not the entire job.
- It helps to identify and address potential problems early on. One task at a time, in the right order and get it done properly. This will prevent have to go over it again, tasks and plans can change.
- It makes it easier to track the progress of the project. Satisfaction of ticking a task off and seeing progress is inspiring.
- It makes it easier to delegate tasks to team members. Well if you want to bribe family with pizza, it works well up to a point of total boredom.
- It helps to ensure that the project is completed by planning and within a budget (both can be amended if you discover added benefits – like renewing electric sockets).
Breaking down a large project into smaller tasks is a great way to make it seem more achievable. It also helps to identify and address potential problems early on, and it makes it easier to track the progress of the project. If you’re facing a large project, don’t be afraid to break it down into smaller, more manageable tasks. Clear your head of overwhelm and just make a start on something small and it will help you to reach your goals.
Here are some additional tips for breaking down large projects:
- Use a project management tool to help you track tasks and deadlines. For me it was a small white board and my team got different coloured pens. It started colourful however after a week the board was full of blue pen (assigned to me)
- Set up regular check-ins with your team members to discuss progress. Music helps drown out the constant complaining, headphones would have been better, regular tea breaks and hugs often go down well.
- Be flexible and willing to adjust the project plan as needed. Getting your son out of bed before midday is difficult, put that effort into the task instead and things seem to happen quicker. Don’t be afraid to add tasks and stages if you find something you think will make it better.
- Celebrate milestones along the way to keep your team motivated (or convince them with pizza, if that fails switch off the Wi-Fi).
Sat here on a Monday morning, knowing the only things that is left is the flooring (being delivered at the end of the week as I did not want it ruined with paint or damaged as I could not store it properly), makes me happy. I keep wandering into the room to admire the clean, white, straight walls and fancy electric sockets.
Mental health can cause procrastination and block us from doing anything positive. The next time a challenge comes up and you know you can do it, but the sheer size of the task seems daunting, think about chunking it down. Good luck, make a plan and keep smiling.