Maintaining Consistent Progress in Creative Projects

Big projects can feel overwhelming. Whether it’s writing a book, launching an improvement initiative, or driving major change, it can feel hard. You start with excitement, but as reality sets in, it’s easy to get stuck. I recently spoke on a panel hosted by the South Asian Customer Success Alliance, where we discussed what it really takes to complete ambitious projects. Reflecting on my own experience writing two best-selling books while running a successful consulting business, here are a few strategies that made all the difference: 1. Find an Accountability Partner Having someone to keep you on track makes a huge difference. It can be a mentor, coach, or peer. For my book, a developmental editor helped me stay focused and hit my milestones. 2. Work Backwards from a Deadline Instead of hoping to “finish when it’s ready,” set a deadline and map out your key milestones in reverse. This ensures steady progress and avoids last-minute panic. For example, I wanted my book available to launch at Gainsight’s Pulse conference. 3. Embrace Structure to Make Progress Easier Don’t start from scratch every time. I created a repeatable structure for my chapters, which reduced decision fatigue and let me focus on writing instead of formatting. Apply best practices to make things repeatable. 4. Consistency Beats Perfection Big projects don’t happen in a day. I committed to writing regularly each Friday because momentum is built through consistent effort. I also felt like it didn’t need to be perfect the first time. You can always refine it later. 5. Don’t Be Afraid to Ask for Help No major project is completed alone. I actively sought feedback from peers, editors, and experts. External perspectives improved my work and kept me motivated. Even when the feedback was hard to hear, I knew that it came from a good place. 6. Celebrate Milestones Along the Way When tackling something big, it’s easy to focus on how far you still have to go. I made it a point to recognize small wins like finishing a chapter, telling an interesting story, or getting useful feedback. Acknowledging progress kept me motivated. 7. Publicly Commit and Get Others Involved One of the most powerful motivators is making your goal public. I shared my book-writing journey with others and engaged them in the process, and their encouragement kept me accountable. The support from my community made a huge difference in getting to the finish line. Thanks to Parul Bhandari for hosting and to the other author-panelists Jeff Mar, Atma Gunupudi, Jennifer Chiang. It was a great conversation. Whether you're tackling a book, launching a new initiative, or driving transformation in your business, these principles apply. What strategies have helped you take on and accomplish big goals? Would love to hear your insights! #Leadership #GoalSetting #Execution #CustomerSuccess #ProfessionalGrowth #REACH #TheCCOPlaybook #CCO

An author told me yesterday she was “stuck.” She hadn’t made any progress on her book for weeks and was really in a funk about it. The longer she talked about all the reasons she wasn't writing, the more I agreed with Heather Havrilesky's insight, "Some people get stuck because they're stuck telling a story about why they're stuck." Can you relate? Many of us have been told to "feel the feels," to talk about how we feel. That can help initially, but enough is enough. Focusing on how stuck we are perpetuates the problem; it doesn't solve it. I agree with Pearl Buck who said, “Moods? I don’t believe in moods. At some point, you’ve got to know you've got to get down to work.” Want good news? We can change our story, and our mood, any time we want. How? By switching our attention from doubts to determination.  By choosing to focus on the positive difference your project will make. By imagining how glad you'll be you finished this and got it out in the world What is one thing you can do to move your project forward... TODAY? Apply what author Bryce Courtenay (The Power of One) called, “BUM GLUE.” Promise to sit down and produce a certain number of pages in a certain amount of time. DO NOT RE-READ WHAT YOU'VE WRITTEN. If you re-read what you’ve written, you will re-work what you’ve written. At the end of the week (or month), you'll have the same pages, and they won’t necessarily be better, they will just be... different. What's worse is you will have lost confidence in your voice. Criticism kills creativity.  The second you start second-guessing what you say, your voice goes into hiding and won't come out to play. As Executive Director of the Maui Writers Conference for 17 years, our best selling authors didn't agree on much of anything. One would suggest you HAVE to work with an outline, another would say she NEVER works with an outline. One would say you have to write first thing every morning; another would admit he didn't get going until night. They all had their own style and rituals that worked for them. They only agreed on two things. One was "Ink it when you think it." The other was they'd STILL be working on their books if it wasn't for their publisher's deadline. Do you have a date for when you'll complete your project? One of the most important things I've learned after writing ten books is, "If it's not on the calendar, it's not getting done." Tell yourself a NEW story. Remind yourself: * A book in my head and on my laptop helps no one. * Stuck doesn’t serve. * I will pick a reasonable date to finish my project and put it on the calendar. * Then, whenever I sit down to write, I will draft, then craft. * I will get out of inertia, into action, and move my project FORWARD. * I will congratulate myself every time I produce pages and make PROGRESS Pablo Picasso said, "The purpose of life is to find your gifts; the meaning is to give them away." Writing is a way to give your gifts. Get to work!

As a creative who specializes in photography filmmaking, I usually receive emails and messages from creatives seeking advice. Over the years, I’ve written down and reminded myself of certain key points with each project. I thought it would be beneficial to share some of these ideas here on LinkedIn. 1. Debrief: After each project, taking the time to debrief is essential. Reflect on what you did to achieve the goals, identify the challenges faced, and consider how you and your team can learn from the experience. Evaluate whether your ideas were too ambitious or if the brand or client didn’t fully connect with your vision. Gathering all this information helps you refine your approach and apply these lessons to your next project, guaranteeing continuous growth and improvement. 2. Clear Communication: Establishing open and transparent communication from the start ensures that everyone is on the same page, from the production team to the client. This helps manage expectations and keeps the project moving smoothly. 3. Collaboration: Successful projects are built on collaboration. Engaging with your team, valuing their input, and working together towards a shared vision is key to creating something special. 4. Adaptability: Flexibility is crucial in creative work. Whether it’s adjusting to last-minute changes or finding creative solutions on the fly, being adaptable keeps the project on track. Remember to be Nimble! 5. Storytelling: At the core of every project is a story. Whether it’s a photo shoot or a film, the ability to tell a compelling story that resonates with the audience is what sets the work apart. Story is everything. 6. Attention to Detail: The little things matter. Paying close attention to every element—from lighting and composition to styling and post-production—elevates the final outcome. It's all in the details. 7. Client Relationships: Building and maintaining strong relationships with clients is just as important as the creative work itself. Understanding their needs, keeping them involved, and delivering on promises fosters trust and long-term partnerships. Remember no client is the same. 8. Passion and Purpose: Bringing your passion and sense of purpose to every project keeps the work authentic and impactful. It’s not just about the final product, but the process and the message behind it. This is your personal stamp and DNA don't forget it. 9. Professionalism: From meeting deadlines to maintaining a positive attitude, professionalism sets the tone for the entire project and ensures a smooth experience for everyone involved.

This is the 4-step framework I use to pull my design team out of creative blocks each time: After nearly 2 decades of leading design teams, I've noticed that creative blocks often stem from the same root causes. Here's the exact framework I share when a team member feels stuck: 1/ First, face the avoidance. We often know exactly what's holding us back, but we dance around it. The solution? Move directly toward what makes you uncomfortable. That challenging client presentation? Start there. 2/ Second, simplify the overwhelming. Big goals can paralyze us. Break down that complete home redesign into something you can begin today - even if it's just creating a mood board for one room. 3/ Third, focus on daily wins. Each morning, identify three actions that will move your projects forward. It might be finalizing that color palette, calling that vendor, or sketching that initial concept. Small progress compounds quickly. 4/ Finally, examine your habits. Are you starting each day checking emails instead of doing creative work? Are you scheduling your most challenging tasks when your energy is lowest? Your daily routines either serve your goals or sabotage them. This helps me and my team build a momentum that prevents future creative blocks in the first place. I've watched people change their approach by being intentional about doing their best work ever. Creatives and designers are no different in this case. What's your strategy for breaking through creative blocks? #interiordesign #team #leadership #productivity

I’m a firm believer that regular check-ins are the key to project success. Are you checking in enough? Ever been part of a project that suddenly veered off track without warning? You’re not alone. The truth is, projects rarely fail because of one big mistake; they fail because of small issues that go unnoticed until it's too late. That’s where regular check-ins come in. When I was managing projects with multiple suppliers, we established a game-changing routine: monthly supplier progress review meetings. Each supplier would submit reports highlighting all open items, supported by a three-month rolling KPI for each. This simple process was a game changer for four key reasons: 1️⃣ Proactive Problem-Solving: Instead of scrambling to fix issues at the last minute, we could see which items were stalling and tackle them head-on before they became bigger problems. It wasn’t just about reacting; it was about staying ahead. 2️⃣ Accountability & Transparency: Regular check-ins meant everyone knew their performance was being monitored. Suppliers had a clear platform to raise concerns, and we could address them collaboratively. It drove accountability and created a culture of transparency. 3️⃣ Stronger Partnerships: Communication isn’t just about managing; it’s about connecting. These monthly sessions allowed us to build trust and work together as true partners, not just client and supplier. Problems were solved faster, and relationships grew stronger. 4️⃣ Continuous Improvement: With regular data and feedback, we could spot patterns and make adjustments. We weren’t just tracking progress; we were optimizing it. Over time, this approach led to significant improvements and fewer roadblocks. Consistent communication, like these check-ins, can be the lifeline of any project. It keeps everyone aligned, proactive, and focused on solutions. So, whether you’re managing suppliers, a team, or an entire organization, don’t underestimate the power of regular, open dialogue. How do you keep projects on track? Drop your thoughts below, and follow me for more insights on leadership, contract management, and strategic collaboration. #Leadership #ProjectManagement #TeamCollaboration #SupplierManagement #ContinuousImprovement #CommunicationMatters

Real progress is a journey, not a sprint. I get it; we all want to see results ASAP. But, sustainable progress takes time and consistent effort. However, there are some steps to make the journey smoother and enjoyable (not just bearable): ✔ 𝐒𝐞𝐭 𝐁𝐢𝐭𝐞-𝐒𝐢𝐳𝐞𝐝 𝐆𝐨𝐚𝐥𝐬: Instead of aiming for the big win right away, break down your goals into smaller, manageable tasks. ✔ 𝐊𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐢𝐥𝐲 𝐥𝐨𝐠 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐰𝐢𝐧𝐬: It could be solving a problem, completing a task, or learning something new. Reflecting on these builds a sense of accomplishment. ✔ 𝐃𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐮𝐥𝐚𝐫 𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐜𝐤-𝐢𝐧𝐬: Compare to where you started to stay on track and adjust your strategies if needed. ✔ 𝐂𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐞: Share your goals, collaborate with others, and keep communication channels open. Support and diverse perspectives can fuel progress. ✔ 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐲 𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐤𝐞𝐞𝐩 𝐥𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠: The road to progress is lined with new lessons. Embrace it. Remember, the key is consistency and a commitment to improvement over time. Progress may not happen overnight. But each day is an opportunity to move a step closer to our goals!

Want to scale your creative output? Start with systems. My first move in every leadership role has been putting operational frameworks in place. Everything else flows from there. Here's my toolkit for building scalable systems that empower creative teams to do their best work: ☑️ Project management is non-negotiable. Use a project management tool like Asana, Trello or Smartsheet. This gives everyone visibility into projects, deadlines and dependencies. It also captures communication that would otherwise get lost in separate side conversations or emails. ☑️ Timelines should live somewhere accessible to all, whether native in your PM tool or in a linked Google Sheet. They're your project's backbone. ☑️ Use weekly team check-ins to coordinate, troubleshoot and recalibrate as needed. Get everyone on the same page. ☑️ Templated scopes of work save countless hours. Customize them for each client, but don't reinvent the wheel every time. ☑️ Deliverable templates provide a framework without stifling creativity. Think templates for pitch decks, content audits or web projects. Templates can establish consistency, serve as a jumping-off point and speed up production. I learned these process principles as a journalist. When you're publishing daily, clear editorial processes keep the wheels turning. Working at Leo Burnett refined this further, where processes were so thorough they earned ISO certification. And when I first stepped into roles at other agencies and in-house tech firms, the first order of business was always putting these systems in place, which allowed for quality creative work at scale. If you’ve been following along, I’m giving away my playbook. These "constraining" systems and processes are exactly what give creative teams their freedom. Build the system first. You’ll be pleased with the creative work it enables.

I work a highly demanding full-time job that requires high-performance throughput, but I can still pursue side projects. How do I do that? 1) Passion for the craft. I work nights and weekends coding and designing, but I have no end agenda—just a passion for learning and creating. 2) Effectiveness. A chill week at work is 40 hours, although there are stressful times when it could reach 50 or 60. I sleep 8 hours a night. Let’s assume 5 hours per day for family time and other activities. I still have 3 hours per day to do something creative every day. 3) One meaningful activity every day. Progress is not linear. There are days when I make no progress in my side projects, but I still try to do something that gives me a sense of forward momentum. Sometimes, that’s just writing ideas, and other times, it's just creating new tasks. 4) Delegation. It took me many years to learn to delegate, but I have found reliable people who can execute tasks and ideas that help my side projects move forward. It’s incredible how much you can progress when you let others help you. 5) No expectations. Some might think I’m trying to build a business, but that's not what I do. Building a business is just a side effect of exploring my curiosity and learning new things that excite me. I don't put any expectations on my side projects. I do the work and step back. There’s no worse-case scenario. If a side project becomes unsustainable, I move on and explore other things. That's it. There's no secret sauce here—just passion for creating and learning. If you can adopt this mindset, you'll quickly realize that you can achieve a lot without sacrificing stability. The key is finding joy in the process and not fixating on outcomes.

I wanted to share three principles that have consistently guided how I approach projects: - Embrace the power of iteration over revolution. I've learned that sustainable success rarely comes from "moonshots." Instead, I focus on consistent, incremental improvements - "roofshots." Each iteration builds on the last, creating a compound effect that's both reliable and powerful. It's about making measurable progress every single day, rather than waiting for that one breakthrough moment. Even with bold ideas, I push for quick demos to validate the approach before scaling. Learning fast beats guessing big. - Impact before exploration. Every project serves one of two goals: delivering impact or opening doors for future innovation. But impact comes first. High-impact work earns the space and resources to explore new frontiers, ensuring we solve today’s problems while preparing for tomorrow’s. - Plan thoroughly, execute adaptively. Strategy and roadmaps are critical, but reality rarely unfolds as planned. The key? Invest in planning, but stay flexible enough to pivot when new data demands it. Isn't it about “move fast and break things?” Maybe in some cases. But I’ve found that consistent, thoughtful progress—paired with strategic exploration and adaptive planning—has led to more sustainable and meaningful outcomes for my team and me. And the most important thing? Get started and keep going.

There is something magical about starting a new year. You get to imagine a new reality. “We are going to launch this amazing new content strategy.” “I don't see any reason we can't grow marketing sourced pipeline 5x this year, we are just getting started” “We are finally going to launch that new social strategy” For the first few weeks of the year, the energy is palpable. Teams are organized, meetings are productive, and execution is on point. It feels like everything is falling into place. But then, February rolls in, and the grind sets in. Deadlines get missed. A few unexpected fires pop up. That exciting new campaign gets bogged down in revisions. And before you know it, all that January momentum starts to fizzle. You know the feeling: that burst of energy at the start of something new, followed by the slow realization that the real work isn’t as glamorous as the planning phase. But the true test of a marketing team’s is in their ability to execute the plan not in their ability to create it. The gritty, monotonous day-to-day grind is where the real change happens. The truth is most marketing teams fail at execution and that's one of the biggest reasons for lack of growth at companies. So how do you keep the excitement going past all your initial planning. Here are 3 ways: 1) Work in shorter cycles – 2-week sprints: Breaking down your projects into 2-week sprints can make tasks feel more manageable and keep momentum high. It’s a lot easier to stay focused and motivated when you’re constantly hitting small milestones and seeing progress. 2)Break down goals into monthly or weekly goals: Large goals can be overwhelming. By breaking them down into monthly or weekly targets, you create a series of attainable steps that guide your progress and keep you on track. This approach provides a clear path forward and helps maintain focus. 3)Celebrate small wins: Don’t wait until the end of a project to celebrate. Acknowledge and reward the small victories along the way. This can boost morale, keep the team motivated, and reinforce the value of consistent effort. So, next time you find yourself enamored with the planning phase, remember at the end of the day, it’s not the plan that matters – it’s the execution. If you need help executing this year - don’t hesitate to reach out.