Articles

When is it over?

Jana M. Kemp

When a project or task is complete, celebrate it and move on. Too often activities stay on to-do lists even after the activities are no longer needed. And too many committees stay alive longer than they are needed. Two things kick in when individuals and teams fail to determine an answer to the question “when is it over.”

First, emotionally we get drained because of the lack of completion in our lives. We each have a longer to-do list than we’ll likely get done this year. So rather than feeling overwhelmed, review the list to determine what needs to come off of the list because you’ve done it or because it is no longer important to do. Also, review the list for things that are done well-enough and drop them from your list.

If you have to-do items and projects that still need to be completed, then by all means keep going. Take a look at whether you’ve done all you can do and then determine who needs to see the activity to completion. Also, determine whether you are the only one who can finish the task. If it is all up to you, plan now for how you’ll get it done this year.

The second thing that kicks in is that feeling of “sitting and spinning” where everyone senses that nothing is getting done at all. Once this attitude sets in, yet again emotional drains begin and now time is lost at the same time as productivity falls. When teams and committees get stuck in “sit and spin” mode, it is time to ask “are we done yet!”

If the group can’t even answer this question, try asking “What needs to happen to show us that we are done?” This question should move the team toward a definition or description that indicates what a finished project looks like. With that picture in mind, the team can work to finish the project and move on.

Celebrating accomplishment is as important as putting an action item onto a to-do list. With the multi-tasking demands of today’s workplace, having a sense of completion is critical to being productive and creative. Spend the next two weeks reviewing and revising your year’s to-do list.

Action Item: Review your project to-do lists. If something is done, celebrate it, check it off your list, and move on. If something is undone, first ask “does it still need to be done.” Then, if the task still needs doing, get it done.
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Reprint Permission: The author is willing to grant reprint permissions. Please contact Jana Kemp: jana@janakemp.com or call 208-367-1701.