Working on a project is really stressful and tough but the good side about it is your character will be revealed. You will be able to know if you are a quitter or not, you will be able to connect with the deeper version of you. You will be able to tap your stronger and serious side. Basically you will know who you really are. A lot of people will engage in a project but they will not finish it or make it successful. Some will be content with a mediocre or unfinished results. They will say they give their best but they only exert a weak effort that is why they produced weak results. There are some things you should remember when you are working on a project so you will achieve sky rocket success. There things are only basics but if you follow them you will produce results that are unbelievable, you will become successful and you will not rush in the end:
1. Know what you can do. What skills do you have at the moment? think of it and use that skills for the project. If you will do the project solo, make sure you can do it. Never accept a project that you have no skills for. If your specialization is about programming, you should never accept a project about web designing. I know you can learn the skills to do it but it will take some time and the deadline is not that long. Sometimes being realistic is better than being ambitious. Accept the project that you know you can do.
If you are working on a group project, find what is it that you can contribute and do it right away. Be a fire starter so your groupmates will be inspired to work too. If you are finished with your part then find a struggling groupmate and help him, never stop until you can't find something to do. There will always be some things where you can help, forget about over contributing, the goal is to finish the project and not to brag your group members because you are over working. Be helpful but still, be aware of someone is not doing his job well. Be ready to discipline someone who is lazy and not doing his job.
2. Give all you've got. Whether it is a group or solo project always give everything you've got. This is the only way to ensure success. You always can do better than yesterday so the key here is to beat your efforts yesterday. Make sure you will use all of your strengths, skills and knowledge so the outcome will be amazing and you will never have any regrets. Giving everything you've got will make you feel proud about the product that you produced. It will make you very confident that everyone will love your work. Give all you've got so you will not doubt yourself if your work is amazing or not.
3. Cut all the distractions. Anything that is making you slow... cut it. Put all your gadgets in a box, never use it while you are working on your project. Shot down all your social media accounts, avoid watching tv, playing video games and drinking with your friends. Make sure your focus is so strong so you will be able to finish your project before the deadline. The distractions is what makes the project difficult to finish and not the tasks for the project. If you are focused then you will make progress every second. If you are so focused on doing your project then you won't feel its difficulty.
4. Have some rest. Rest is very important, if you keep on pushing and pushing but you are very tired... chances are you will do something wrong. Rest if you feel like your brain and body is not functioning well anymore. Rest if you feel so very tired, don't worry about the time that will pass while you are resting. After you rest, you will have a fresh body and mind and you will be able to move faster. But make sure that you won't get addicted to rest because you might make it as an excuse to keep yourself from moving, you might get addicted with it and you will procrastinate a lot. Remember that you are here to finish and not to diminish.
5. Always think of the smallest thing that you can do when you get stuck. If the pressure is already high, you might get overwhelmed and stunned. Your mind will stop thinking about the right things and it will start to worry. So what you need to do is think of the smallest thing that can contribute to the project. It can be buying a folder or something, buy something that you really need, talk to your client to update him what is going on, type something that needs to be typed, prepare the materials that you are going to use. There is no way you can't find a small task needed for your project. Once you gather yourself and you established a momentum, you can go ahead and do the larger tasks. The key here is to keep on building momentum for the progress of the project.
6. Let the deadline scares you. Always think about the deadline so your mind will be alert. A lot of people that were doing a project thinks that there is a lot of time that is why they crumble in the end. Think about the deadline everyday and be serious about it so you will not be able to waste a lot of time. It is better to post the deadline date on your wall so you will be able to see it everyday, it will give you a sense of urgency. It will frightened you and it will force you to move.
7. Set up a reward once you finished the project. Of course there should be a reward for finishing a project. If you will earn some money after the project is finished... think of something to buy. You can also have a drink with your friends after the project was finished. This idea will motivate you to finish the project right away so you can treat yourself. It will give you an extra push and determination.
8. Work hard while you still have a lot of time. Most people will just work hard when the deadline is coming near. They always relax in the beginning. The result is... they will feel a lot of pressure in the end because they haven't even finished the fifty percent of the project. Work super hard while you still have a lot of time so you will never rush in the end. Work super hard in the beginning until the end so your work will be very good and will not look like something that was done in rush.
9. Be aware of the movement. Always check if the project is progressing, the key for a successful project is movement. Always stay busy and make a little progress everyday, never stop until the project is completed. Sometimes you are moving but you are not making progress so be aware with that kind of situation too. Be aware if the movement is useless or not. Especially in group projects, there are some members that are pretending that they are doing something but they are really not helping.
10. Always have fun. Be happy while working so it will be a smooth sailing project. Be happy but don't play, stay serious but always appreciate the moment, even the difficult ones. Even if you don't like the project at all, you can still have fun with it, it is your attitude towards the project that matters and not the project itself. Find the fun while doing the project so the pressure and anxiety will be lessen.
Any project is doable if you are focused and if you have the will to finish it. Always keep in mind that you are doing the project not only for yourself but also for the people around you. There are some people who were relying on you so you should be tough and you should have a killer instinct. Don't be like others who just do something just for the sake of having something to show. Always give your best and try to produce a masterpiece.
