I am a firm believer in creating projects just for you! Everyone is different, and everyone needs to grow in different ways at different times, so there is no one way to do a personal project!
Most people, I find, have a hard time deciding what to do for a personal project. They look at others and think, “well I can’t do that”, or “I should’ve done something like that!”
So…how does one come up with a good personal project? I can’t tell you exactly how to do it for you, but I have done numerous personal projects in my lifetime, so here are a few things I have learned over the years:
Know your why!
This is perhaps the most important thing when choosing a personal project! Why do you want to do a personal project? Do you want to improve in a certain area? Are you looking for a creative boost? Do you want to create something meaningful to cherish years from now? Are there people you want to do more things with? Write down some of your why’s, think about some goals you have and figure out how to merge the two. Once you know your why, you can then decide on the what and how!
Find something you’re excited about!
This one is a no brainer, but there is no way you can accomplish a personal project if you’re not excited about it! So decide what excites you right now! I love the quote by Rumi that says, “Respond to every call that excites your spirit.” So make sure your project is something that you’re excited about!
Not sure what you’re excited about? This one is a little more challenging, but spending some time writing down a list of things that make you happy is a great way to start! Once you have a list, circle one or two that you think you can make into a project. After that, start jotting down some ideas of what you can do!
Set a timeline!
Setting a timeline of when you want to accomplish your goal is not a must, but it helps you get it done! Do what works best for you! Some projects work best on a yearly scale, some on a monthly, weekly or daily schedule. You can also make arbitrary timelines, like doing one specific thing twice a month, or 4 times a year.
Whatever you decide works best for you, WRITE IT DOWN! I can’t emphasize this enough! When you write down the why, the how and the timeline, you’re committing it to yourself! If you don’t write it down, it has a 99% chance of failing! According to my own experiences, anyway! 😉 Usually when I make a personal project, I post the first on Instagram and say what I’m going to to be doing. In October, I decided I wanted to make at least two just for fun stop motion films every month, so when I posted my first one, I said that’s what I was going to do.
Make it attainable!
With your list of a few possibilities, decide which ones you can really do. Something may sound fun and exciting, but if it’s going to be on the harder side, don’t do it. I’ve set some personal project goals that were a bit lofty before–and when I did, I usually didn’t make it to June, let alone March. Remember that a personal project is NOT the same thing as life goals. They should be fun and DOABLE! If you set the bar too high, you may find yourself hating your project before you really get a chance to do it. I set my personal project bar pretty low, especially if I have multiple projects in multiple areas that I’m wanting to do.
I have a friend who did an amazing weekly project this year and in February I thought to myself that I want to copy and do it next year, but as I’ve thought about it through this year…I know I will never be able to really hold to it because of where I’m at in life right now. It’s just not feasible with kids at home, so I’ll file it away for years down the road when I’m an empty nester. 🙂
Which brings me to another point of making attainable projects…don’t do too many at once! If you have multiple things you want to do, set a shorter time for each one, or set smaller goals inside of a bigger one. For example, one year I wanted to work on doing more creative things in my photography, and that was my overall project. Then I had one specific goal for each month–a focus on one way to be more creative. For me, one month was long enough to grasp the concept of it, but not so long I got bored of it!
Don’t be afraid to change it up!
If you find you’ve set your bar too high, or that the project isn’t what you thought it would be, or it stops making you happy…then stop or change something about it! Don’t think of this as failure, but rather an affirmation to how you don’t want to do it! Mistakes are the best way to learn and grow, so move on to making it work better for you!
Sometimes you may find you just need to change the timeline. Instead of doing something every week, try for every other week, or just twice a month whenever you can get to it!
Give yourself some grace!
I have accomplished three Project 365’s (where you take at least one picture everyday), but since that time, oh 4 years ago, I have failed every year. I get to March or April, then totally burn out and decide I don’t care, or somehow forget. But I don’t beat myself up over it–I decided the first time I failed that I will just try to take as many pictures and videos as I can, then compile into a monthly montage. Did I fail at my 365? Technically yes, but I have way more pictures and memories captured than I would, had I not decided to do it in the first place. And that is waaaaay better than nothing! Give yourself some grace when you “fail” and move on!
Get some accountability!
The best way to stick to a project is to hold yourself accountable. Whether it’s with a friend, a child, a spouse or on your blog or social media feed–find someone/somewhere to hold you accountable, and stick to it! Maybe you have a friend with a similar personal project, and you want to do a tandem project for the year, or you check in with each other every week.
Personally, I feel I do best when I say what I’m doing online and make sure I post it when applicable. For some reason, I’ve found that holds me accountable more than anything else. I also like telling a friend, just to hold myself more accountable. They usually never have to say anything, but just the act of telling them makes me hold myself accountable! If you don’t know what works for you, try a few different ways for a few projects, then see how motivated you are to get them done!
Don’t be afraid to quit!
If you get to the point that you don’t like your project anymore, and you’re not sure how to make it better or change it up, it’s okay to quit! There’s no reason to keep going with something that makes you unhappy or doesn’t bring you joy. This is not the end of your life, and you don’t have to do it. If you need permission from someone to quit when it’s just not right for you anymore, you have my full and complete permission to do so! 😉 Then find something else that makes you happy and excited and turn that into your new personal project!
I hope these tips have helped you as you prepare for some upcoming personal projects! Let’s do our 2021 selves proud and become a little better in one way we are excited about!
