Project planning and the use of a calendar takes the shape of two extremes among gifted thinkers: micro-managing and none at all. Each kind is inspired by perfectionism.
In one case, the person feels the need to control all aspects of the process to every detail. This has value because research can be full of details and documenting those pieces of information can insure nothing gets lost. However, this does not work in the researcher's favor if so much time is devoted to making and checking dates that the real work of questions-and-answers is relegated to a back burner.
In the other case, perfectionism can lead a person to procrastination where nothing gets done until the last minute.
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This can look like two things: 1) because only the perfect answer will do, and criticism is dreaded, the gifted thinker becomes frozen until the deadline is so close there is no choice but to do something, often far less than what could have been done and/or 2) because past experience proved that waiting until the last possible moment to complete a project worked out fine, why bother until it's due? Either way, the missing link with waiting is that the time it takes to pull together facts and authentic data to justify research gets lost. Each day, something needs to be done or the project becomes grains of sand, slipping away.
Micro-managers or procrastinators: time can be on your side, or work against you. Project planning is a choice. Set the dates, and work toward them.
For the project, make use of either a digital or paper calendar.
Mark the
Deadlines (final dates with no negotiation)
and the
Target Dates (negotiable, self-appointed dates for completing parts of a project; they can be moved as situations arise).
Work backward from a deadline and guesstimate how long things will take to get done...then make target dates, allowing for 3 extras days to whatever time you think will be enough. This allows a cushion.
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