How To Create Less Stress In Your Project

“You see this goblet?” asks Achaan Chaa, the Thai meditation master. “For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it; I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on the shelf and the wind knocks it over or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, ‘Of course.’ When I understand that the glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious.”  – Mark Epstein (Thoughts Without a Thinker)

What depth of thought goes into multi-million dollar projects?

After months of planning, one may typically have the expectation that all things will go according to a set plan. After all, many great minds spent countless hours planning and slaving over details too minute for most to comprehend.

Our business moved this past weekend, opening for our first day of business today under a new roof . Almost 30 years of history were made in our previous building, and I was fortunate enough to be part of that.

But with an expansive project team working towards a common goal, minding the details was certainly a tall task. Multiple project managers at various levels in several organizations mapped and remapped timelines to ensure an on-time and on-budget delivery. However, the stress which results from attempting to ensure each milestone is met and culminates into one finished product in the final cutover weekend can certainly manifest itself even in the most low-key individual.

So how did I handle the stress?

Simple, plan for things to go wrong. It wasn’t fun when they did, but in taking the outlook that the glass was already broken I ensured I could quickly step to the next problem-solve rather than stressing over what had already happened. It is a great way to ensure peace of mind, even in the most stressful situations.

Sure it was frustrating when the power was possibly engineered wrong or the phone vendor and cabling vendor thought the other was supposed patch a particular wiring panel. But each and every team seemed to find the will to simply shrug it off and keep on stepping towards that final goal of a completed project.

Some take-aways:

1. Your team brings you home; Ensure you have the right team!
2. Accept the reality of your situation and be honest with yourself. This helps bring clarity of perception.
3. Expect it to be broken so you can be prepared when it is and pleasantly surprised when it’s not.

Image courtesy of muha…

Ken Stewart’s website, ChangeForge, focuses on the collision between the constantly changing worlds of business and technology in an information-centric world. Ken is also the founder of Seeking the Son. He is always interested in connecting; To discover the many ways you may connect with him, visit him at DandyID.