You’ve seen this, right?  The sign outside the new restaurant says “Opening, Spring 2010.” And by the time the restaurant opens, it’s fall.  Or you hire a contractor and no matter the project, the completion date slides.

If you’ve ever had trouble keeping a project on schedule you are obviously not alone.  The typical outcome for large-scale projects is for them to come in late and over budget.  You can name plenty in your own organization, municipality or State.  And maybe a few of your own.  I know I can! 

But help is on the way.

There are common explanations.  The unexpected really does always happen.  (So why is it unexpected?)   And if a lot of people must coordinate efforts in order to move things along, the possiblity—even the likelihood—of gaps in continuity infinitely increases.

But have you also noticed the same tendency for deadlines to slide when you are the only one involved?  Why?  They leave out a step that can make all the difference in the world.

Now you may guess that if you miss deadlines it’s because you forget to include a step.  Sometimes that’s true.  But people who estimate accurately still routinely fail to finish on schedule.

Let’s say you have estimated carefully how long it will take for you to paint your bedroom and bathroom.  (It is important to estimate accurately.) And you decide that by the end of day one, you have to be finished with priming.  And let’s say your estimate is reasonable and doable and you have included time for spackling and sanding.

So far so good.  But here is the killer-app step.  Before starting the actual work itself, always visualize precisely what you must accomplish during that segment to be on schedule and visualize yourself doing it.

Let’s say it’s the morning of Day One.  Before getting the paint ladder, sit down for a minute and visualize what you must complete by noon.  See the room, how it will look—picture yourself moving the ladder, getting into a good rhythm and pacing yourself while looking at your watch from time to time.  Picture yourself finishing about 15 minutes early and having time to touch up anything still needing attention.

Do that same visualization exercise before each work segment.  Always see the finished product and see you doing the things needed to be exactly where you decide to be.  The same applies to writing a thousand words a day on your screenplay.  See the finish and the steps before you start.

This method is so simple yet powerful that it’s often underestimated and ignored.  Do not make that mistake.  For this method to work, you can’t just know about it.  You have to do it and do it precisely as I described.