All too often I see people attack their projects at the start of a job with a frenzied fury. After the initial adrenaline rush wears off, their excitement for the project wanes. This is when the problems arise.

First impressions set a tone between you and your client, make sure you’ve set a pace you can keep up with.

I just finished a 100 mile bike ride this weekend. It took a lot of prep work and planning for me to reach my goal of 100 miles. One of the biggest factors in achieving this goal was pacing. I deliberately paced myself at the start of the race. Near the end I had what felt like extra energy and I was able to finish strong. That feeling of finishing strong shouldn’t be underestimated.

I see people with an abundance of enthusiasm at the start of a project but they can’t carry that level through to the end of the project.

I’ve been guilty of doing this in the past. What I’ve found is if I set a pace on the job and maintain it I find all parties are feeling good about the project at the end.

Think about what a good pace will get you:

• Client involvement – If your pace is not strong and consistent the client’s interest may go elsewhere or worse they may lose confidence in you. In my experience that’s hard to overcome later down the road.
• Client referrals – Ending with a consistent effort on a job is a surefire way to leave the project with a happy client. And a happy client will be more likely to refer you new work.
• Consistent billing – Steady work on a project will keep the billing consistent. This is key for any small business or freelance worker. It allows you to plan and have a steady income.

Setting a pace to work at can be tricky and take a little time to figure out. But I think it’s a critical part of being successful in the design world.
Let’s talk more about this on Twitter.

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Everyone wants to achieve their goals but sometimes you get a little sidetracked and the goals can slip away. But this tip may help you to succeed in achieving your goals.

A goal is simply a well defined project with many next action steps. The key is understanding the two types of next actions you can do to help achieve your goal. 

I just achieved and other of my written goals the other day. This goal was written down back in January. It took me surprise to be honest. I wasn’t actively working on that goal for a couple of weeks so I wasn’t expecting to achieve it. But I did! It made me think about the two types of next action steps one can take in order to achieve a goal.

The two types of next action steps:

Direct Product Action– Simple put if you do this step you will move the needle towards your goal. These actions have a straight forward cause and effect relationship.

By Product Action– This is more about a mind shift a different type of thinking. This won’t have an immediate effect on you achieving your goals but it will certainly aid in achieving your goals.

Let’s look at an example goal and see how this plays out: 

“I want to lose weight this year.” This might be the top goal of all time. Unfortunately it’s not a SMART goal. But it is a written goal.

Examples of Direct Product Actions: (remember do these and you will move the needle)

• Start to track the calories you take in with an app like this one My Fitness Pal.
• Start an exercise program and track with this Run Keeper.

Examples of By Product Actions: (these are shifts in your thinking)

• Don’t buy the cookies at the store. It’s much harder to eat them if they aren’t in your house.
• Find people that share a similar goal. Remember we are changing a mindset here and surrounding yourself with people that love to eat McDonalds isn’t going to help you.

Sometimes we have to work our butt off to achieve a goal. It requires hours and hours of direct product next action steps. But sometimes we need to make a mind shift and the goals will almost achieve themselves.

Let’s talk more about this on Twitter.