Writers are familiar with killing their darlings. Entrepreneurs are, too, although they might use a different terminology. Regardless, everyone has to learn how to kill a project.
Not all projects are good ones. While they may not be “bad,” either, they are not the important ones. They might be urgent or simply ones better addressed by another. Because of that, they need to be killed, and killed fast.
One of the best methodologies I’ve seen for the “killing” is Matt Perman’s acronym “DEAD.” It’s helped me to think about my work and how to be more productive, so I’ll share it here. It could be beneficial to other entrepreneurs and creative professionals.
D – the first “d” means to defer. The project is important, and it’s one I need to do, but I can’t accomplish it yet. An example is the coloring book I recently published. It was a project I had to defer at the outset, explaining why it took two years to complete.
E – the “e” is for eliminate. I like this word, probably because it reminds me of Richard Hugo. He says to “cross out rapidly and violently, never with slow consideration if you can help it.” That’s precisely the approach to take when killing projects or darlings. Kill them, and move on. Don’t look back.
A – “a” is for automate. If a project or task can be automated, I do it. It gives me back additional time to focus on projects and relationships. It also means I get to do more of the work I love. Work will always have its burdens, but if I can remove some of them through automation, I will enjoy the work more.
D – the final “d” is for delegate. I’m a one-woman show at the moment, but I know when to delegate certain tasks. I suppose an example is with my finances. I use a self-employment program that tracks business expenditures and takes care of the taxes. It’s delegation and automation rolled into one. I also don’t take on projects for which I’m ill equipped. I may have the necessary knowledge, but I want to give my clients the best work possible, so I delegate the assignment to a web development or graphic design partner.
That’s how I kill projects dead. At least, it’s how I consciously kill them now. I didn’t have the acronym previously, but it’s one I plan to keep around the Write Right premises.
Image: Henry Soderlund (Creative Commons)