The project planning success secret: It's all in the sticky note

Est. reading time: 6 min 3 sec

Remember last week when I talked about my grass? Yes, I’m bringing up the grass thing again. If you missed it, you can read it here. I realized one of the reasons it didn’t go as planned is because I didn’t actually have a plan. I researched (loosely) about fertilizer, grass seed, top soil, the whole 9 yards, and what I ended up with was a hodgepodge of stuff without an actual plan of how it all went together.

Instead of reading everything and laying out all of the pieces as one big project, I created a list of what I thought was right - make sure I till the soil, check the date of the final frost, purchase some grass seed, yep - I’ve got a lawn mower, purchase some DIY lawn care products, etc.

I basically thought I had a plan with everything figured out.

But I didn’t have a plan — I had a giant to-do list of disjointed tasks, which is basically a bunch of things I could pick and choose what to do when I felt like it (which is exactly the problem with to-do lists). Had I created a project plan, it would have all gone more smoothly — and I bet I would have saved money. I missed steps (like making sure I put down a pre-emergent in the fall 🤦🏽‍♀️), and I had to go to Lowe’s more times than necessary because I forgot something.

But the thought of creating a project plan for my lawn care never dawned on me.

Until now.

What I didn’t realize at the time was that projects don’t always have to be work/business related or something obvious (like a kitchen remodel), you can create a project plan for anything.

And I suggest you do.

Creating a project plan is going to help you see the big picture and save you more time overall, not to mention it leads to waaay less overwhelm.

Project planning as a whole can seem overwhelming just thinking about it. So, how do you create a project plan and decide which tasks to tackle first?

Milestones?

Gantt charts?

Dependencies?

Scrums (what the hell are they anyway)?

Sometimes even thinking about putting things into “project” terms sounds daunting. Heck, you might have to look up some of the words before you even get started!

So I’ll walk you through an easy, no-nonsense way of planning your projects so you can do it with anything from creating a cleaning schedule for everyone in the family, to birthday parties, to creating a product launch plan.

Let’s get it.

The 6-Step Project Planning Process

You might read what’s next and think you want to skip right to the spreadsheet or task manager part, but there’s a reason I tell you to do it this way first. Starting by hand is faster, easier, and you’ll find that your brain falls into this flow-like state which leads to retaining more information. So I always advocate writing things by hand, and then once all is said and done, you can transfer to digital.

Step 1: Grab a stack of sticky notes.

Write down everything that you can think of that it will take to complete the project. Write anything that comes to mind — a new sticky note for each task. At this point, the order doesn’t matter. When you’re done, you might have a huge mess of notes… and that’s perfect.

Step 2: Put the sticky notes in order.

What needs to happen first, then next, and so on. Not only will this create your dependencies (things that can’t get done without doing something else first), doing this process may bring up more steps that you hadn’t thought of before. Perfectly fine. Just put them on new notes and slot them in line.

Step 3: Assign a time to each task.

Make a time estimate (either based on previous experience or your best judgement) on how long each task will take and add it right on the sticky note.

Be realistic, some tasks might take 5 minutes while others take a few days. Don’t try to cram everything into unrealistic goals. Leave time for breaks and flow.

Step 4: Assign due dates.

Based on your deadline, start backwards from the last sticky note and assign due dates (or start/end dates) to each task. I like using start/end dates because you set a date range instead of just a final due date. Writing an article might take more than 1 day, so your dates on that note might be a range of 4 days. This will come in handy when you input this into your project management app.

Step 5: Assign responsibility.

This one’s easy if it’s just you — you can probably skip this step. Otherwise, think about who is responsible for each step and add them to that sticky note.

Step 6: Transfer your information.

If you won’t be using a digital planner, you can skip this step. Keep all of the notes on the wall or somewhere you can actively monitor your progress. Otherwise, transfer (or have your assistant do this) all of the tasks into a project management app (like Asana or ClickUp), so you can share it with your team, or if nothing else, have the tech help you keep your due dates on target.

I promise if you haven’t done this before, you’ll find it kind of fun. And if not, at the very least, you’ll find something in this process that will enhance the way you look at your project planning system. There’s something about planning on sticky notes that takes a lot of the pressure out of the “project”.

What’s your go to way to break down your project plan? Hit reply and let me know!

☕️ Simmer on this tip

When you’re knee-deep in project planning, to-do listing, etc. Don’t forget to take the time to actually plan… take breaks… make sure what you are doing has a purpose, and see if how you’re doing something can be done better or more efficient. In other words, don’t get so deep into cutting the trees that you forget to take time to sharpen the saw!

Sharpen the saw is habit #7 of Steven Covey's The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People.

❤️‍🔥 Hot finds this week

1. 1-Page Productivity Sheet from Brendon Burchard (Growth Day). Learn how to use 4 priority areas, 6 habits, 10 mindset prompts - all on one sheet for you to focus on what matters each day. Stop losing your days to distraction and a bad mindset. Use this 1-sheet to set yourself up for ultra success.

2. 7 Science-Backed Actionable Tips to Improve Your Focus (And Get More Done). If you find yourself having a hard time staying focused, this article from the Sunsama blog breaks down a few reasons why.

3. Free Training: How to Build Your Business without Social Media. For new(ish) coaches who need help building their business without having to be on social media all the time. Sound good to you (yeah me too!)? Wednesday, September 20, 11am PT / 2pm ET.

🪴 Can you relate?

Calling on my indoor plant peeps out there! I’ve got an Alocasia Regal Shield here that just keeps outgrowing her pot (I’ve repotted twice). The last time I did this, she gave me about 30+ corms — iykyk— and now her leaves are dropping faster than she can grow them. Any tips? I don’t want to re-pot too often, but how big should I go with her pot? Any and all plant mom (or dad) tips appreciated! 🌱

🎙️ Weekend listening on the pod

If you want to go deeper into task and project planning, listen to episode 14: Surprise! You Might Already Be Using The GTD Method For Productivity for tips on how to use the GTD Method as your daily task management system.

Until next time,

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