What’s Your Best Suggestion for Getting More than 24 Hours Out of the Day?
Most people work on a day that is 24 hours long. Not Project Managers. We’re expected to eke out an additional 1-2 hours per day in order to get everything done! Status reports need to be finished, plans need to be updated, meetings need to be planned, and the project team that comes in the morning needs their marching orders of what needs to be done.
Somehow we manage to fit it all in, which convinces me that our days must be longer than anyone else’s!
So, what are some of the timesaving tips and tricks you use that allow you to get your project management work done in less time? Saving Changes...
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Sonya CalefSenior Project Manager| Hennepin CountyMinneapolis, Mn, United States
Templates and re-use of certain documents. Not everything has to be hand-crafted from scratch. Every craftsman needs a complete toolbox.
Prioritize, prioritize, prioritze. Not every email has to have a response in the same hour in which it was sent. First things first.
Take breaks. Seriously. You can not sit in the same position for 8-10+ hours a day and not pay for it physically. If you don't take care of yourself, you can't take care of anything else. Get up, move around so your body doesn't think you died. Manage stress.
Realize that the PM does not have to do it all by yourself. You have a team for a reason. I've seen some PMs who literally try to do it all, and can not recognize how that's a recipe for failure. Saving Changes...
Planning and more planning! towards the end of each working day allow yourself at least 1 hour before home time to update the project plan [your team needs this!] update your status report, review the next days priorities etc. some project managers pile everything at the end of the week and manic kicks in trying to produce updated documents for distribution - my way is to update whilst it is fresh in my mind, it is an efficient way of working always on top of things. Saving Changes...
Two things I try to do;
Delegate - I agree with Sonya, there is no "I" in team so empower the team to take responsibility. You are the conductor of the orchestra.
Block out time - block out periods in your calendar so you have time to do the admin work. If you don't block out the time someone will take over your life with meeting invites!
Good luck Saving Changes...
Anonymous
In project management, you need to once in a while step back and reflect or think otherwise you lose creativity. Most times the demands are so many from different projects that we rarely pause to think. Saving Changes...
Focus on the top 3 not the top ten list of issues to resolve as PMs. It helps you to stay focused, engage the resources required and have a sense of accomplishment.
Take time to breath, think and get on with the issues at hand...daily. Saving Changes...
