All of us have projects to be finished and many people do not continue their projects for different reasons. In this post I will talk about a routine usually I do follow to help me finishing my projects, I hope you find it useful.
I call this routine The Cook Model. this routine is simple yet effective, Just like any meal you want to prepare, you have to follow 3 phases in sequence to have an enjoyable meal.
1. Prepare:
This is the initial phase and the most important one I think. In this phase you are hungry and start preparing for the meal by buying the grocery, Reading preparing instructions and so on.
So does in projects, you got to have the reason why you want to start this project, why it’s important for you and what is the expected result.
Your strategy must be clear and defined, Please be honest with yourself and take in consideration all the hurdles you may face and what power or tools can help you.
Take as much time as you want in this phase to do your research, setting plan, buying tools/books, talking to people, looking for alternatives and so on.
By finishing this phase you will have an agenda to follow with specific tasks and time frame.
2. Cook:
Cook your meal! Follow your agenda in phase 1 step by step. You can’t change your mind now in the middle of the cook by taking out the chicken of the grill and try to Fry it! You will ruin the whole meal.
This is the action time, you have to follow your agenda step by step and believe in the work you have done in phase 1.
You have to be patient and be persuasive, it’s a one way route and you can’t rethink about the plan or try to take a detour. This is where most people fail because they keep questioning their goal/plan and try to start all over again, and by that they start juggling around in hope to find a better settlement.
I can sum this phase in one word: “commitment”.
Result:
Now that you have done your job it’s time to taste the meal, is it salty? Need more time? Or just delicious ?
In this phase it’s not important if you success or fail, be proud of the effort you have done because you did reach the final destination. Some people do stuck in the previous phases and can’t reach this final phase so it will be an unfinished project for them and they can’t enjoy the result or evaluate the fail.
If you success then be happy and enjoy your achievement. If not then there is lessons to be learned from this experience and you can start all over again by modifying phase 1 and continue your project.
Fin:
You only need one person approval and this person is you. Take responsibility of your project and quit caring about other people opinions/experiences.
Most people do fail because they get stuck in infinite loop between phase 1 and 2 due to different reasons ( people opinions / self doubt / circumstances / etc ).
This is a one way route and you have to keep moving forward, don’t hesitate or settle for less.