Avoiding 'project purgatory'

By Rob Hurtgen

Moses had a great project given to him by God. He was to build a Tabernacle. A place for the people to meet with God. It was to be constructed in the desert by skilled craftsmen and artisans from the most luxurious materials. When the work was finally done, one of the most precious phrases for anyone involved in any project was made: "So Moses finished the work."

You may be in the middle of a project that seems to dangle in an uncompleted stage. Reflecting on this verse from Exodus, there are three ways you can move your projects from "undone" to "finished."

First, get crystal clear on the ideal outcome. One of the reasons ideas get stuck in project purgatory is because the outcome has not been clearly defined. When Moses was directed to build the tabernacle, the purpose of its construction was clear. Both the ability to state the purpose of a project and keep that aim before you will help move the job from undone to finished.

Second, value the process as much as the outcome. Most of us have been in the place where we know what we want accomplish, but we stall in the process. What we thought would work, didn't. The resource that was supposed to be there wasn't. Where we are and where we want to be are clear, but the path to get there is covered by a dense fog.

To move from undone to finished, we need to value each step of the process as part of the whole project. You may need to take a job you don't want, but it prepares you for the career you do. The ability to look at the seemingly immovable challenge as a part of the process enables you to endure more than you thought you could.

Finally, make and evaluate your plans regularly. Planning is the preparation work you do before beginning the project. Not every aspect of your plan planning will be carried out. But without planning and regularly reviewing your plan, you are not prepared to do the work. The hour or two you spend scheduling your week can be the difference between conquering your week or your week conquering you.

Project purgatory is awful. Knowing what you want to get done, having started but feeling as if you are making no progress will drain you. But when you get clear on the outcome, value the process, and regularly evaluate your plans you can get closer to saying one of the most comforting words there is: "finished."