Project Management

Do you fall asleep counting home improvement projects instead of sheep? If you do, you may have a million ideas but can't seem to make a lot of progress on any of them. Here are the key steps in knocking those projects off your dream list so you can start enjoying them during waking hours.

1. Start an idea list. If you are familiar with brainstorming this would be the list that captures all your ideas, uninhibited great and small. I use a spiral notebook reserved just for ideas. Don't spend a lot of time analyzing these ideas just get them jotted down in the book as they come to you whether you think you would ever have the money or really want it done. Maybe you just saw it at a friend's house and thought it would be cool.

2. Start a master plan. These are the ideas that all fit together to create the "Final" product. You thought about the really cool idea from your friend's house but realize it won't work in your house. However, it has the potential to spark a great idea you know would fit perfectly with the other plans you have. The master plan includes the ideas that you would do today if you had the money and the time to create your dream home today.
3. Top Six List: select the top six priorities from your master plan list and create your Top Six "To Do" List. However you select them, these are the projects you want to get done first.
4. Put your top six list in priority order and start a project file for each project on the list.
5. Complete a list of the resources needed including costs and time estimates  required for each step of the project; include costs for labor if you are not doing the work yourself. If you don't have the money to complete your top project then the first step is setting up a savings plan for that project. Decide whether you want to fully fund the number one project or split your resources to accomodate savings for more than one project or to complete less expensive projects first. Consider creative ways to fund your projects such as selling things you won't need when your master plan is complete.
6. In your project file, write the steps in the order necessary to complete the project and highlight the next steps for each one. Use a spreadsheet to capture the time line you hope to complete each phase of your top six projects.
7. When the resources are available, schedule and complete each step.

As you work down the Top Six list, you may get more ideas. Keep writing new ideas in your idea list notebook. After your Top Six projects are completed, review your idea list and update your master plan as needed. Then pick out the next Top Six projects and repeat the process.