Everything is a Project

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been slowly working my way through Scott Belsky’s Making Ideas Happen. Belsky and his team has done a great deal of research with individuals and teams that are both creative and yet also prolific, and has presented it in an easily digested format. So far, the book has been very practical and engaging.

One of the most helpful tidbits that I’ve run into is on page 34, where Belsky states:

“The Action Method begins with a simple premise: everything is a project.” [emphasis mine]

It’s a simple but powerful statement. Ideas are projects. Reading a book is a project. Making a video is a project. Belsky covers this idea in his explanation of the “Action Method,” which is his methodology for project management and execution, but the premise holds for anyone.

If you treat everything like a project, it brings creative ideas into the world of action, instead of leaving them on a notebook with other great ideas that will never get executed. The idea of “blogging about ninja hipster culture” gets broken down into tasks like finding a host, installing WordPress, and researching and writing articles about the latest trends among young, hip ninja assassins.

This has been extremely helpful to me when I incorporate the GTD methodology to identify next actions and stay on top of all my tasks, projects, plans, and goals through weekly reviews.

One Caution

There is an obvious caveat. One danger I see in the “everything is a project” mentality is that we would treat people as projects. That can never be the case. There may be tasks associated with people. “Call Bob.” “Follow up with Sarah.” But we can never approach people as just a set of tasks that must be accomplished.

What about you? What idea or ideas have you had rolling around in your head that has stagnated because you could not or did not identify an associated project?

Published by Eddy Barnes

Eddy Barnes a husband, father, and the youth pastor at Grace Covenant Church.

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2 Comments

  1. Sounds like a worthwhile read. GTD helped me in that. The one thing I’ve kept from GTD is the “under 2 minute” rule. My inbox is clear at work, and I know people are surprised by how quickly I respond to them.

    You’re right with your caveat. It always becomes difficult when we develop goals and action plans (to-do lists) with people. Goal: 2 years from now, have deeper relationship with my wife. Next action: Play board game with her tonight. Tomorrow: Action completed. Success! Deeper relationship! (Just never let her find this list) 🙂

    1. That’s definitely true. It’s funny, because my wife definitely wants me to use whatever plan or process it takes to take initiative. But she doesn’t want to feel like a project I’m completing. No one does. So being organized is important. But organization must serve my devotion for my wife. Not the other way around.

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