Working on individual projects is one of the hardest, yet most rewarding things that you can do. If done correctly you learn many valuable traits such as time management and self-regulation. However, I will not pretend that it is something that is easy and everyone can do right off the bat. It isn’t because sometimes you don’t have enough time because of other activities, such as school or work. Nowadays it is relatively easy to lose track of time or get distracted which is especially easy to do if you do not know what you are doing or how to do it. Here are several steps that will help solve this dilemma:
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Set Goals and Know Your Objectives
This is probably the most important part of your project as without it you have no project. The first step is to choose a topic which you are passionate about. I have to stress this because if you chose a project topic which you hate or bores you to death you will still probably finish the project, but it will be the academic equivalent of torture. Then for your goals the two most important rules: don’t go too BIG or too SMALL. With either your project will look sloppy because you did not have enough time to finish or incomplete because you have too little information. The best advice for this is to choose a goal that is attainable. Then the one nice thing about individual projects is that only you set your objectives, therefore you have an almost limitless amount of options. Use your imagination, be creative and chose something which you like.
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Set a Schedule
Ever since we were little our parents, teachers, etc. have been telling us about the importance of time management and it is projects like these in which you need to apply this skill. It is imperative to create a schedule that fits into your lifestyle and that is fairly balanced. A schedule is designed to help you live your life more efficiently, not to dictate it. Without a schedule it is hard too over or under estimate how much work you have and you can easily lose track of time. A schedule eliminates that feeling of the unknown when doing a project because with one you will know exactly what you are doing and limit the chance of you getting any last minute surprises.
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DO NOT Procrastinate
We’ve all done it time and time again with homework or chores; however, procrastination on an individual project might screw up your entire project. The problem with major individual projects is that there is no one to supervise you most of the time and the only pressure you have is when the deadline approaches. Hence it is important to follow the schedule you created and to tailor it to your own working style. Some people like doing all of their work at once and others like to break it down into more manageable time slots. You have to identify what kind of style you prefer. There’s no point of working 8 hours straight if you can only retain focus for 1. Most importantly: DO NOT LEAVE YOUR PROJECT UNTILL THE LAST MINUTE!!! We all know and hate these words, but they are true; if you start skipping on your schedule you will find yourself behind and able to achieve either the quality or quantity of your goals. There are times when you have no option, but to skip a scheduled work session. That is okay, life happens, but it is important to make up for that session ASAP. If you do not then you fall behind. In summary just remember to pace yourself, after all you do not need to finish your project in record time, but on time.
I hope these tips helped and I hope you’ll read my next blog.