May days, the first week

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An update on May days, my monthlong series of projects …

After the first week, I’ve completed several proposals, written quite a bit and worked on some marketing. The new business always keeps me hopping with unexpected (or sometimes expected but not well organized) tasks.

For example, I went to a publication’s contest party Thursday night and wound up with some great networking contacts. That means I spent time on Friday following up on those contacts. I didn’t intend to go to the party with my consultant hat on, but I’m always ready when opportunity walks right up.

Estimating project time (and my energy) has always been a problem for me. If I think a project will take 4 hours, it might actually take 12 hours. That’s how bad I can be with estimates.

But I’ve done a good job of keeping my schedule clear of distraction. Almost all meetings, lunches and coffees have been pushed to June. I’ve made very few exceptions, and only for very close friends or pressing business.

It helps having the task cards, and picking out a few for the coming week. This week looks like finances, filing and office cleanup. I might slip a book in there, too.

Big thought: If this works, it may become an every-other-month cycle. I like the focus it brings to the major projects in my life.

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