completing projects

Skilled Tradespeople Are NOT Project Managers

On the solar installation project,
there was no on site, active
project manager.

They relied on their teams
to manage their parts
of the project.

The solar panel installation
was outsourced.

The team that arrived
was headed
by one of the founders
of the business.

He was skilled at project management
as he actively managed his own business.

That part of the project
went very well.

The electrical part
of the project
was given to
two electricians.

Those electricians were skilled
at being electricians.
They knew f*ck all
about the project management.

That part of the project
was a complete mess.

They had to run
to the store
to buy parts every couple hours.

They installed
random, not-at-all thought out parts.

They did work
out of logical order
and then had to redo it.

The project WAS
eventually complete
but it cost a lot more
and it took a lot longer.

Project management
is a separate skillset.

Don’t assume someone skilled
in other areas
is able to manage a project.

Reacting Emotionally

A subcontractor responded
extremely rudely
and over-the-top emotionally
to one of my questions.

My first reaction,
based purely on emotion,
was to tell him
to f*ck off.
I’d work
with someone else
to finish the job.

Except that
might have placed the project
in jeopardy.

It would have definitely
delayed the project’s completion.

So I sucked back
my anger
and I am continuing to work
with him.

For this project.

For future projects,
I’ll work with other people.

And he definitely won’t
be receiving any referrals
from me.

Don’t make decisions
or shift relationships
based on emotion.

Think before you react.

Staying Informed In A Time Of Horrors

A loved one is extremely sensitive
to images of people suffering.

Images of people suffering
are blasted all over social media
right now.
They dominate news coverage.

This loved one wants to avoid
all that
yet he still wants to
be informed
about the things happening
in the world.

So I give him that update.
I spend time on social media
promoting my books
(selling products)
and I see it
(whether I want to or not).

He asks me
what is going on
(when that works for him).
I give him the highlights.
He then returns to working
on his project.

Figure out a way
of staying informed
that works for you
emotionally.

YOU are in control
of how you consume the news.

If They Don’t Ask Me Directly…

A writer posted a question
about my specific niche.

I thought about answering it
but then I realized
if they had explored the niche
at all,
they know I write in it.

It would have been
super easy
for them
to ask me that question.

They didn’t.
Which likely meant
they didn’t want my input.

So I saved myself
some time and frustration
and went back to work
on my projects.

If you’re not asked
a question
directly,
think hard
about whether or not
you want to expend energy
answering that question.
Especially on social media.

Your time is precious.
Protect it.

Take Time To Rest

I had a hard deadline
on the 30th
and I pushed it,
working long hours,
to make it.

This week,
I’m rewarding myself
by resting,
by catching up
on that sleep
I missed
last week.

I’m working.
I can’t shut down
my business
entirely for a week
and not suffer
a drop in sales.

But I’m doing
the bare minimum.

Next week,
I’ll be back
to working full hours
and I’ll have more energy
to accomplish all those tasks.

Take time to rest
after pushing yourself.
Ensure you stay
as healthy as possible.

Know The Size Of Commitment

It takes, on average,
about 10 books released
in one of my niches
to start seeing
adequate sales.
Before that point,
sales likely won’t cover costs.

I shared that guideline
with a niche-hopping friend.
She decided to release in my niche anyway.
She produced 3 books,
got bored,
and declared the niche a failure.
Then she moved to the next niche.

The writing and release
of those 3 books
was the equivalent
of finishing 30% of a project.
Of course, it wasn’t a success.
The project hadn’t been completed.

Seth Godin
shares

“The same time/money math
applies to doing a good job
on any social network.
It only takes a few minutes
to sign up for an account,
but most users put in
just enough time
to be wasteful
and not nearly enough time
to generate anything of value
as a result.”

Know the size of the commitment
before building a business
or taking on a task.

Also know your own nature
and ability to handle
that size of a commitment.

Half completing a task
is a waste
of everyone’s time and precious resources.