How I Juggle Multiple Projects

By Yosef Solomon on Mar 3, 2010

The biggest challenge for me over the past few months has been juggling multiple projects at a time. Whether it’s just an idea or an actual investment, I find myself struggling with balancing my time and dedication. Most of these projects are small, but sophisticated and have the potential to really take off. However, in order for me to allow these projects to grow and flourish, I feel like I should be more strict with my time and money.

I remember back in school, waiting until the last minute to finish most of the projects assigned throughout the year. Although this wasn’t the ideal way for me to accomplish the task, I learned that deadlines are important when starting any project. When one is given a deadline, it is their responsibility to execute and produce a product within a certain time span. No matter what happens, on that specific deadline, a product/project must be complete. It might not be the final version, but having a completed the first assignment is vital to progressing the project as a whole.

One of the best resources I’ve come across, while working on side projects, is Outsourcing. Being able to connect with freelancers around the world, who are capable of assisting you in your projects is a great help. Websites like Craigslist, Freelancer, ODesk and Elance offer you experts in almost every field. This may be a hard adjustment for those used to working side by side with their employees, but a site like Odesk or various visual communication clients (Skype, iChat etc…) makes this almost possible. If you have a few bucks to spend and are looking for quality work, I would definitely recommend any of the aforementioned sites.

I’ve talked about deadlines and outsourcing, but how do we go about staying passionate about projects. One obstacle I and many others face from time to time is getting bored with ideas quickly. Have you ever thought about an idea one day and said to yourself “this could be the big one,” but then days later, you’re on to the next one? I’m not sure if its our short attention span or lack of better ideas, but I’m always conflicted with starting and stopping projects. I don’t have the answer for everyone, but what has worked best for me is executing the idea efficiently. I try to do as much as I possibly can to engage in the project and if at the end if I’m no longer interested, I chalk it up as a great experience. Also, a great look for my resume or grad school application.

As I continue to create and work on more independent projects, I’m sure I’ll pick up new and effective tactics along the way. If all else fails, at least we’ve learned something along the way and can apply to our future endeavors. Through trial and error, I found that the only way to really understand what we’re doing is by making mistakes. It’s those same mistakes that will guide us towards progression as we continue our career.