Project management skills don’t just apply to project management.
In my last blog, I talked about how it’s possible to take on a variety of projects while still maintaining a schedule that you love and leads to an awesome balance in your days. A big part of what allows me to manage the workload efficiently is the skills I learned related to project and program management.
If you think about it, our to-do list is often a microcosm of a portfolio of projects. If we apply principles of project management to our own personal workloads, we can become much more efficient for ourselves and we can create a better customer experience for our clients.
In this blog, we’re going to talk about some basic project management principles that you can apply to your own life to help take back your schedule.
Plan Ahead
Don’t make everything urgent. When you plan ahead, your schedule becomes much more manageable. Yes, you’ll have the same amount of work, but you’ll be able to spread it out more.
By planning ahead, you’re less likely to have days where you have so much work to do that you’re overwhelmed, exhausted, or can’t deliver. Can these days still happen? Sure. But we’re trying to limit the frequency.
Planning ahead can come to life in a variety of ways. The most obvious way to plan ahead is to look at your existing to-do list and start to prioritize what needs to be done and when it needs to be done.
You can also plan ahead by looking further into the future. I look at deliverables that may not be due for weeks, but that I may be able to get a start on to alleviate some of the pressure for when those deliverables draw near.
Another way that I like to plan ahead is to be as proactive as possible. Anticipate your clients’ needs instead of waiting for them to ask for something. This is a win-win because it helps you to provide better service while also avoiding a last-minute fire drill.
Some of you may be thinking, “Yeah, this planning ahead sounds great in theory, but I only work well under pressure.” Turns out, I work best under pressure as well, but constantly having to work under pressure can lead to burnout. I create the pressure for myself. I look ahead to events or a higher workload I have in the future, and I impose my own deadlines to get my work done by that time. For example, if I have a vacation coming up, I want to get all the work due around that time done ahead of time so that it can be reviewed and wrapped up before I’m gone.
Set Deadlines and Work Backwards
A key to planning ahead and avoiding bottlenecks close to deadlines is to set your deadlines and work backwards. If you try to guess how long a project or task is going to take without backing into it, you’re going to end up in a world of hurt. What do I mean by this?
I mean that I’m going to run into a problem if I simply decide when I’m going to start the project rather than starting with the end in mind. For example, let’s say I’ve got a lot on my plate until October 15th, so I decide that I’ll start Project A on October 15th. October 15th comes, I look at the project and realize it will probably take me a month to complete even though it’s due November 1st. Now, we’re in a pickle.
Instead, when it’s determined that Project A needs to be completed by November 1st, I’ll want to estimate how long it will take me to complete Project A and start working backwards from November 1st so I know when I need to start it. Then I can manage my workload appropriately and not have everything end up being urgent.
Break Down Tasks
A key to working backwards from a deadline is breaking a project down into smaller tasks. If I can break a project or deliverable down into different milestones, I can then use those to work backwards. What’s the last milestone before completion? Work backwards from the deadline to when that last milestone needs to be completed. Then work backwards to the milestone before that and so on until you get to the beginning of the project.
Even if you don’t have huge projects you’re working on, this is a great psychological trick for any deliverable. Projects and tasks can feel bigger than they really are if we only think of them in their entirety. When we break them down, they feel more manageable, and it’s easier to stay on track.
Instead of having a to-do list item of completing a whole book chapter, I have sub-tasks. I listen to the recording and outline the chapter. I write the chapter (or parts of it, depending on how long it is). I edit the chapter. Even those can have sub-tasks as well.
Creating milestones and sub-tasks makes it easier to see how long something will actually take when you see those tasks spread out over days and weeks. This is the key to working backwards from a deadline, planning ahead, and staying organized.
If you want help taking control of your schedule as an entrepreneur, I’m happy to help! Feel free to schedule a chat using the button below to see if partnering with me to set up systems that work for you may be beneficial.
Disclaimer: This blog should not be construed as providing, or intending to provide professional financial, legal, psychological, or other professional advice. It is simply meant to share my experiences with those who may find them relatable and helpful.