How can you effectively manage your time for a solo Thought Leadership project?

Just as you define your goal, the goal defines your perspective and your unique point of view. For instance if one is writing about climate change, one can take a scientific or a spiritual perspective. A clear perspective makes it easy for your to write more coherently and for your readers to follow your words more consistently and easily. One can be a thought leader by promoting just one big idea such as 'Ikigai' or 'Blue Ocean Strategy'. In my case that one big idea has been 'Globalizing Indian Thought'. I have written on this one theme for 30 long years! This can save your readers' and your precious time and attentional energy.

Start small. Big goals tend to be overwhelming and scary. It is important to have many small wins to have the confidence to tackle bigger goals.

Set goals that relate to the high priorities in your life. Without this type of focus, you can end up with far too many goals, leaving you too little time to devote to each one. Goal achievement requires commitment, so to maximize the likelihood of success, you need to feel a sense of urgency and have an "I must do this" attitude. From MindTools.

Em projetos, observo frequentemente o trade-off entre a clareza do escopo e a capacidade de adapta??o/mudan?a. A maneira como lidamos com o "tempo" se torna um elemento crítico para o conhecimento e, por consequência, para o êxito das entregas. Nesse sentido, na inicia??o é necessário calibrar o dispêndio de tempo para compreens?o das necessidades e a identifica??o dos possíveis impactos. Uma prática que adoto é a cria??o de mapas mentais com o objetivo de fornecer suporte na organiza??o do conhecimento. Esta estratégia é simples e acessível a qualquer profissional, economizando tempo, energia e reduzindo as probabilidades de fracasso.

Make sure you’re writing about a topic that matters - that you are addressing a pressing need from a specific audience. Don’t just count on your intuition here. These days it’s very easy to ask ChatGPT (repeatedly) for a Top 5 most pressing needs list for your audience. That will give you an evergreen perspective. Then look to Google Trends, not for what is hot today, but where you see a sharp increase in search volume recently. Often the phrases are in the form of a question. Answering one of these questions makes for a great thought leadership piece that clearly matters today.

Do whatever works for you! I wasted one week to create an outline for my book. None of them worked. In the end I just started writing the first chapters. Don’t feel obligated to follow a project approach instead figure out how you will be most productive.

Iteratively break it down. First start with key messages, then chapters, then sections, then paragraphs then bullets and finally full sentences. This way if your planning juices of flowing, you can get a lot of content down on paper whilst knowing you can refine later.

Perfection is a myth. Planning does not necessarily lead you to desired success but no planning would definitely lead to a failure. Therefore my experience says, not to brood too much over flawless planning but bank on your own experience to navigate through, with the time / constantly changing situations. To wrap it up, start with the end in the mind and let the Mother of all the teachers-"Experience" do the rest.

In real life, most of the projects don’t go as planned. There are nuances that come from different directions. It is always good to have a clear understanding of what is expected and create a broad outline of approach. But concentrate on the current steps and let the data define the next steps. Being flexible with the plan with a clear expected outcome always help in tackling roadblocks and manage projects efficiently.

The point is missed entirely. Thought leadership isn’t mechanical as this article suggests: it comes from seeing white spaces and finding patterns. Anyone with any discipline can author a piece; few cultivate a voice that has something to say.

Sundays are my strategy days. I “braindump” all my tasks. Then I put the —-the name of the best person for the job— next to it. I assign myself only the “big rocks”

A friend named Richard gave me excellent advice about prioritizing tasks. He said, "If a goal is important enough to you, don't try fitting the goal into your schedule. Try as hard as you can to fit your schedule around the goal." Obviously, that's not always possible. But when you're able to, it works wonders.

No good having a task list if it is not prioritised. Some tasks might have to come before other tasks can proceed. Some tasks will be more integral to a project and requure greater resourcing. I find even basic traffic light prioritisation help in project management.

1. Define Project Milestones:Identify key milestones for your thought leadership project, such as research, content creation, editing, and promotion. 2. Categorize Tasks: Break down each milestone into specific tasks. Categorize tasks into groups like research, writing, editing, design, and promotion. 3. Evaluate Task Importance:Assess the importance of each task in relation to the overall project goals. Focus on high-impact tasks that contribute significantly to your thought leadership. 4. Set Deadlines:Assign realistic deadlines to each task. Be specific about when you want to complete each task, considering the overall project timeline.

First things first is always very important. You need to prioritise and act upon so as to achieve the best possible and effective results. Also it's critical to know which you should work on and what needs to be delegated. Tasks needs to be split and delegated wherever possible so that you can focus on the critical elements.

It aptly stresses goal definition, task breakdown, prioritization, and setting boundaries. However, it lacks emphasis on leveraging digital tools for efficiency, like using AI for content creation or analytics for tracking engagement. The importance of mental health and work-life balance in solo projects is also understated; incorporating mindfulness or stress management techniques can be pivotal. Additionally, the value of networking and community engagement for feedback and motivation is not highlighted here.

Routines are great. It might sound silly, but most of my thinking work is done at night during sleep. I ask questions before I go to sleep and wake up with the answers. My mornings are for writing them down, making something tangible out of it, and progressing. Afternoons are often more boring. Or I go swimming... :-)

Integrating a time blocking strategy to my daily worksheet dramatically increased my productivity. I dedicate time in the morning and afternoon to respond to emails and make/return calls. This leaves dedicated uninterrupted time blocks for writing and developing content. Rather than multi-tasking, I have created space for thoughts and creativity to flow.

I think it is so important to prioritize your physical, emotional, and mental well-being while working on a thought leadership project solo. Get enough sleep, exercise, and relax to ensure you maintain your productivity. You should also continually reflect on how the project is going, how are you progressing, and where do adjustments need to be made. Be flexible and always be open to adjusting your plan based on your assessments, experiences, and feedback.

Imagine your time as a valuable resource to be carefully managed. Set clear boundaries to protect your work hours. Establish routines that signal the start and end of your thought leadership sessions. This creates a structured environment conducive to productivity.

Use an iterative production process. Seek feedback early on instead of spending excessive amounts of time “perfecting” an idea or draft that will no doubt benefit from input from others (peers, mentors, team members) no matter how much time and effort is spent on it. The earlier feedback is solicited, the better the outcome.

1 Early Input on Ideas:Share your initial thoughts and ideas with trusted colleagues or mentors early in the project. This can help you refine your direction before investing too much time 2 Set Review Points:Establish specific points in your timeline for getting feedback. This ensures that you don't go too far down a certain path without course correction if needed 3 Engage a Peer Network:Join or create a peer network related to your thought leadership area. Regular discussions with peers can provide valuable insights and different perspectives 4 Utilize Beta Readers:If your project involves written content, consider having beta readers review drafts. Their feedback can help you identify areas for improvement and refine your messaging

I've been a solo entrepreneur for almost 30 years. The most productive approach to incorporating feedback and support as I begin new projects is to join or create a leadership community where others are working toward similar goals. It provides accountability, co-creating approaches, and wonderful fresh perspectives on our progress and our hiccups. Without this type of community connection, I would often get into a spin-cycle of doubt and undermine my own efforts. The pandemic actually opened a new door of opportunity to go online and create these connections with a global reach. With a leadership collaborative, your authenticity also grows as you share what you know and your lessons learned. And having cheerleaders is a definite plus!

Asking others for feedback is an invaluable strategy for gaining insight into our performance and uncovering blind spots we might not be aware of. It's like having a mirror held up to our actions and behaviors. Others often offer perspectives and observations that we might have missed or areas where our understanding might be limited. This feedback loop isn't just about improving; it's about growth and self-awareness. Embracing input from others allows us to refine our approach, correct mistakes, and continuously evolve, ensuring a more comprehensive understanding of ourselves and our actions.

Your tribe is your most important support when working alone on a project. They are your cheer squad! Even the best individual players have some sort of support crew scaffolding them to maintain excellence. Asking for help & advice is important and brave. It is also a smart way to develop your thoughts. Most people should want you to succeed. Especially those you respect & trust. Remember our communities can now be global so use technology to seek the best (brightest) feedback and advice you can. The more specialist the field the more relevance this modality can play. Remember to repay any kindness shown to you to others as you can. Play the long term game - and be better to all.

The best plays often started out ‘off Broadway’ where the wrinkles are worked out and the script and performances are polished. It is a good idea to ‘publish’ a thought leadership project to your critical friends. Seek real, constructive feedback. Actively listen and explore gentle suggestions to reveal substantial improvements. Watch your ideas grow build on those embraced and abandon the ugly babies.

???#1 Ship it! ????If you want to be effective in managing your time in a thought leadership project, don't shoot for perfection. Focus on shipping the content. As Garrett Moon says, 90% done is ready to ship. ????A Delay Can Cost You Don't delay your publication by working on the last 10%. Get it out the door and iterate later. A delay could allow someone else to publish a similar idea before yours and grab the audience your project was designed to influence. ??Ship it! Keep the content fresh by sharing scheduled updates for new insights. Updates are smaller...but they allow you to grow your audience by pointing them back to the larger cornerstone piece.

A mentor once told me that, “if you’re no longer learning you’re no longer great. Constructive feedback isn’t easy, but necessary for growth. My ego gets bruised and humbled when my ideas or results are not accepted. I then have to go through an intentional process of separating my emotions from reality. It’s much easier to accept the feedback from people that I trust. Here I will know it’s coming from a place of love and genuine care. I’m grateful for each experience, good or bad, and I sift through it all to understand the object lessons. I have faith that God gives me direction and wisdom to understand what I can’t change and open myself up to what he has next for me. As a thought leader, I’m continuously looking for ways to improve.

To evolve in thought leadership, view reflection as a catalyst for growth. Regularly dissect successes and failures, mining insights for refinement. Embrace feedback—gems lie in diverse perspectives. Innovate persistently, infusing fresh angles into content. Stay abreast of industry shifts, nurturing adaptability. Lastly, engrain learning in your ethos, sowing seeds of perpetual improvement.

The review is probably the most important stage of producing thought leadership. Often, this is where you uncover the gaps in the overarching structure, or when trusted feedback reveals inconsistencies, or when you identify personal best practices for your next project. Dedicate time to this. Yes, it can be immediately rewarding to synthezise information or data in the writing process, but trust that your unique contribution only becomes clear in the assessment of your impact - and this is what your client or audience needs (and expects) from you. There are various ways in which your clients may wish to do monitoring and evaluation, which can be outlined clearly up front or you can maintain your own track and trace.

Impact of an idea comes when you move the molecules in your readers' mind. Think of what moves your reader the most at the end of your story. Is it a call to action? Or, is your story tugging at the emotional chords? Or is is the sharp and fierece reasoning behind what you have to say that is setting your story on fire? Do not, however, dogmatise your point of view. In short, do not sell too much. Respect your reader's intelligence and discernment while your present your own perspective.

Thought leadership is about sharing your unique perspective on a topic or area where you have expertise. Do not underrate the value of your knowledge. Whilst as a thought leader you continuously seek to improve your knowledge, your focus should be on how what you have experience about can help others. When you share what you know, the flow is easier and you can engage bette with people who read or listen to your content. Don’t forget thought leadership is a two way street. And interacting with your audience builds trust is a great way for them to feel confident about sharing your output which interns make your views and ideas influential helping to create positive change.

My personal journey with solo Thought Leadership projects has always been a blend of strategic planning, disciplined execution, and consistent self-evaluation. It's a journey shaped by three core elements: my own experiences and what I've learned along the way, the specific insights I aim to share and who I hope to impact, and the way I embrace feedback, whether it's positive or not. Each aspect brings its own challenges, but they all converge to define my approach and success in these endeavors.

Know your work style and where/when you can generate the mental energy for the best ideas. This includes time of day and location of where you work!

Using a mind map is a great visual for planning and staying on track with your goals. By putting tasks in sections it will also feel less overwhelming.