Solutions or buckets of water

Have you tried working on a project or a problem that doesn’t ever seem to get closer to finishing? If the project is yours and yours alone, I would suggest you did not understand the magnitude of the issue. My second suggestion would be to see what minor tasks can be done – so at least you can get closure on something.

If the problem is a joint one and the other party is dragging their feet, I would suggest calling a meeting to find out why. If you have asked someone to do something, chances are going to be – they won’t see your problem as a priority. Most people are the same – unless something is going to directly affect them, they won’t much care if something gets finished or not.

But there are times when the passion is no longer there. What seemed like a good idea at the time is now the albatross around your neck. So it is time to be honest with yourself.

· Is it time to call the project quits, because there will never be a finished outcome?
· Should you delegate the project to someone else? Someone who is better equipped to manage the problem and the process better than you? Don’t be ashamed to admit you are not “super person”. I gave up trying to do everything myself a little while back. Quite simply I knew what I wanted doing – but I didn’t have the skills or the ability to get the job done, And to be honest I didn’t have the time to devote to learning the skills I would need. So I brought in some outside help. The job cost me less in the long run because it was completed in less time by someone who knew what they were doing and could see solutions where I could only see problems.
· Take the problem and sit down with a pen and piece of paper. I find computers are no good for this kind of problem solving, but whiteboards may work for you if you have one. Now instead of looking at the problem, look for 20 solutions. Look for more than 20 solutions – because there will be more than 20 solutions to your problem. Look online if you have to, call in the big guns and ask for opinions and suggestions. Take every suggestion and solution you can think of and work out which one will work for you and your situation.

But don’t do what most people do – find the biggest bucket of water and throw it over yourself, or worse still the person who offered the solution to your problem.

If you think nothing can be done, then nothing will be. Conversely, the opposite is also true.

But if you’ve honestly tried all of the above and things still haven’t changed. Then it really is time to call it quits and move on to something that can be achieved. Who knows, after a period of time – the solution may present itself to you after all.