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164 End Procrastination Now!

(PERT). This is the planning structure that the U.S. Navy devel-
oped and used to produce the Polaris submarine.
You may not require a framework as elaborate as PERT to carry
through with a physical exercise plan, to prepare to win a sales
award, or to complete separate home maintenance projects. How-
ever, you can apply key steps to achieve your target goals. Here is
the gist of the PERT plan:

1. Identify specific tasks and milestones (start dates and
completion dates for each phase).
2. Determine the ordering of the activities, including which
tasks can be done in parallel and which depend on the
completion of other tasks first.
3. Estimate the amount of time required for each activity
(expected time, most optimistic outcome, and most pessi-
mistic outcome for meeting deadlines).
4. Determine the total time required (add up the times for
each segment to estimate the total time).
5. Update PERT as the project progresses (modifying the
process as actual times replace estimated times and adjust-
ments are made on resources and their allocation).

PERT plans are useful for addressing timing and pacing is-
sues. The model applies to maintaining a productive momentum
to avoid last-minute time crunches, simplifying the activities in
complex long-term projects, and positioning yourself to control
the process by controlling the schedule.

Organize for Action. As any useful framework for planning might
do, PERT provides psychological coat hangers on which to hang
information about goals, objectives, and resources. You supply
the judgment on when and how to apply them through actions
such as setting schedules, identifying outside groups to support
the process, and determining when those groups will be brought