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Big projects, like Tesla, or Amazon.com, are nothing short of something that does not stop to amaze us. When you think about actually being the people who have worked and made them possible, you will most definitely be feeling a sense of overwhelming. It is normal, as these projects are that big, and you might not know where to start. I think that the people who have started these projects have been experiencing the same feeling. However, they did not let those feelings get in their way of execution and stopping them from putting in the real work.
It is likely that you might not be asked to build something that big from the early stages, but whenever you start something that seems relatively difficult, and you do not know where to start, here are a few steps that can help you.
1. Have a clear vision
This is probably one of the most important steps that you should take. You should have a big picture about the end result that you want to reach and know exactly how it looks like. It is helpful if you convert this big picture into words, or schema, and make sure that a stranger in the street would be able to understand once you are there.
If you want to develop a web application, write down all the functions that your application should be able to perform.
2. Reverse engineer it
Now that you know the exact end, you should think try and reverse engineer it into specific steps. That means, breaking it down into measurable steps, that can be planned and scheduled appropriately.
You should have a plan about the milestones that you need to reach to make it possible for you to reach your end goal.
In the example of building a web application, you should write an order of tasks that you will work on along the way.
3. Start small
Do not expect to be able to finish the whole project in one sitting. Really big projects tend to take a long time to finish, after going through a lot of periods of hard work and commitment.
This is when the true execution starts. You should start with something relatively small that once it’s done, it will give you momentum to move forward. Progress will give you an intrinsic feeling of motivation and will make you want to continue further with the other milestones.
If you are not still feeling motivated to start, then chances are that you have a really big task in front of you to work on. Try to break it down, into smaller, and seemingly simpler tasks that you are more likely to start working on.
4. Review
You should regularly take the time to do a general review about your progress, the direction that you are headed towards, and also whether you need to change your course of actions.
It is easy to make yourself feel good by crossing off the items from your to-do lists, and still not be able to reach the end goal, by only dealing with minor pieces of work, and forgetting the big picture altogether.
Reviewing your work is something crucial, that should be treated seriously.
Conclusion
From time to time, we might get trapped into circular patterns of thinking and expecting for things to get easier, without having the resolve to take responsibility and deal with our priorities. No matter how much you delay something, problems are not going to get solved without our engagement. Big projects are doable, but only after going through careful planning and utmost dedication. The only way out is the way through.
