Microproject Joy

by Eddie Pipkin

My to-do list is long, as, I am sure, is yours. There are things that must be done; there are things that need to be done, but . . . later; there are things we’d really like to do, but . . . when?  Lists can be comforting.  Lists can be overwhelming.  Remember: the list works for you.  You don’t work for the list.  But even so, even though summer is theoretically a slower season when there is more time to tackle our put-off projects and our dream projects, it can be overwhelming.  If you’re stuck, try a microproject.

Our aspirational lists can be overwhelming.  Whether it’s 100 great books we want to read or 1 office we want to get fully cleaned out and organized, the weighted dread of anticipation can hang over our heads like a dark, discouraging cloud.

It should be a good thing to have lists and aspirational projects, but when we keep putting off big things that desperately need doing, we carry the burden of not only the undone thing (and the consequences thereof), but the guilt from our failure to get around to it.  That doesn’t help anybody.

There are lots of techniques for finding organizational and optimizational momentum, but we’ll save that for another blog (perhaps written by another author!).  For the moment, let’s take a different approach.  Let’s worry less about checking off those imposing task-monsters and lighten the mood with a focus on the joy of microprojects.

A microproject is any small but quantifiable task that can be accomplished in a brief block of time.  How much time do you have?  Twenty minutes or two hours?  Pick a small project, put on a playlist, and knock it out.  It’s refreshing how fruitful that short, focused span of time can feel.  A goal was visualized, addressed, and accomplished!  At the end of a long, messy day of meetings, conversations, and unfinished megaprojects, it’s satisfying to look back on “at least one thing” realized in full.  (For the record, that’s one of the reasons I’m in the “make your bed every day” club, but that, too, is another blog.)

It is a psychological boost to complete any microproject.  It’s also a multiplier effect.  One successful surge of effort inspires another, and the accomplishments of completed small tasks can be stacked together like LEGO bricks to result in something much, much bigger over days, weeks, or months.

The guru of simple living and design, Laura Fenton, writes about this effect in a recent Substack post.  Unable to tackle a months-long goal of redoing her whole bedroom (a big project), she pivoted to microprojects within that space, finding satisfaction in small time-achievable changes that eventually took the form of a whole-room makeover.  After listing changes made in room art, side furniture, and linens, each its own microproject, she reflected on the overall impact:

None of this added up to anything that would make for an impressive “before and after,” but that’s not the point. These are tiny but satisfying projects—not ones that inspire decision fatigue. Nor do they require hours of your precious time. Most often, they can be done entirely with what is on hand without buying a thing.

Note that she mentions decision fatigue.  Many times, it is not the physical work of a project that exhausts us, so much as the mental tax of all the decisions involved.  Microprojects seriously reduce that load.

They can also be a boon for charting our path forward when we’re not entirely sure what that path ought to be.  Although we’re trained as ministry leaders to think in bold, sweeping, inspirational terms when we’re trying to find a way forward, the focused work of a microproject can help us define what should come next.  Fenton works in the home design space (a process that is intimidating for many of us), but the tactic works equally well for ministry:

I believe exercising your taste on a small scale can also help you discover your big-picture vision for your home.

Of course, even when we have some big picture project in mind, many organizational experts recommend breaking the large goal into manageable microprojects.  Whether imagining our beloved personal spaces or designing and caring for ministry spaces, many worthy missions can be mastered by moving forward with microprojects.  Fenton writes,

Small improvement is also a sustainable and cost-saving approach to home design. Feeling ‘meh’ about your house might make you think you need to buy something new, but often you can get the same rush from improving what you’ve already got. Making modest updates helps you get to know your home better, which can help you avoid costly or wasteful mistakes. It also smooths the way for you to tackle big decisions with a clear head. For example, with our bedroom truly in order, I feel a little less paralyzed about choosing window treatments.

Tackling one microproject at a time can carry us forward meaningfully while leaving space for adjustments and course corrections.

There are two different exercises you can engage in after reading this blog.  First, start making a list of microprojects that you can jump in and tackle.  You can note beside each one how much time you think you should budget for it – this is an estimation skill that you will get better at over time, allowing, of course, for the truth that sometimes something that seems simple will turn out to breed an unexpected complication.  In my case, for instance, when tackling household maintenance projects, I inevitably find I’m missing a critical tool (or breaking a critical tool), but don’t get bogged down in the details.  Just smile and move on to something else – which is why an available list of microprojects is a great idea!  Then later, heading to the hardware store (also while holding a list of things needed form the hardware store) becomes its own microproject / errand.

Resist the urge to rank your microproject list (unless organizing priorities in such a way brings you immediate joy – otherwise, this is just one more form of oppressive decision fatigue).  Don’t get bogged down in which microproject is the most important.  Just pick one based on your mood, location, and the time available.  They all chip away at your master to-do list over time.

The other exercise is to take a VBP (a Very Big Project) and break it down into a list of microprojects.  This is a great group exercise.  When considering this strategy as a group, all sorts of things will be revealed that will help define the scope of a project and who should be involved in its various phases.  One of the greatest gifts an organization can give itself when considering a VBP is to realize that different teams can tackle different microprojects within the scope of the VBP.  This frees people to focus on their areas of expertise, and it spreads the work out in ways that can help prevent burnout.

Groups, small and large, as teams tackling tasks, are always a healthy idea.

Sure, there are fulfilling microprojects that you can do all on your lonesome, but having a friend, partner, or coworker to pitch in adds relational dimensions to the time thus spent.  You can even trade help on microprojects!  It is a way to be more efficient, gain insights into the task at hand, and build valuable bonds.  Teams can work on microprojects together!  Ministry groups can work on microprojects together!  Or ministry groups and leadership teams can cross-pollinate by helping one another with a given task.  There are, in most ministry buildings, closets that need to be cleaned out, reorganized, and restocked; kitchens that need a makeover; curriculum that needs to be sorted; address lists that need to be purged!  Now, imagine all the ways that these chores can be sorted into microprojects and all the combinations of people who might combine for a fun time of catching up while getting them done.  Fun can be a vital component.  Get creative: have a Microproject Monday!  Or a Mid-Month Microproject!  You know what will work for you and your people.

What will work for you and your people?  What has worked before?  Share all your thoughts on microprojects in the comments section.  We’d love to hear from you.