Over the years many senior leader professionals have tried and tested numerous productivity resources, tips, hacks and tools and a few will be shared below in this blog.
Pomodoro Technique
Many managerial position professionals have utilized the Pomodoro Technique. Moe often than not it can prove to be a game changer. It works in the following way… you have to set a times for 25 minutes and during this time one needs to work on a solitary task with intense focus. Once the timer rings, you can take a short break of 5 minutes.
Once you complete 4 such tasks with Pomodoro Technique, you can take a longer break of around 15-30 minutes. This particular techniques has proved to be very effective and keeps your mind constantly engaged on the task at hand, it also avoids burnout, while motivating effective use of time. It gives great result to counter those never ending to-do-tasks.
Tools in the Form of Apps
There are other tools in the form of apps, these apps can help to manage tasks on virtual boards. One has to prepare various lists for each and every phase of the project, then add deadlines or due dates to it, attach necessary files if required and even share and collaborate with your project team. Due to the visual nature of certain apps it can simplify to keep track of project progress and identify any challenges or bottlenecks coming around.
In the initial phase with the use of certain apps, one might get an impression to have a complex web of tasks which can make you feel bit nervous, and would feel there is lots of work to do and lots of tasks to feed in the app. However once you are done shifting everything on the app boards, you will feel a sigh of relief! There you are able to visualize the bigger picture and zoom in on specific tasks easily and / or effortlessly.
Sometimes even your daily habits of having tea / coffee, no of times a day, not taking sufficient sleep in a day can prove to be a hindrance in productivity or lack of resourcefulness for managing your project effectively. A working professionals should take sufficient sleep and not keeping on taking unnecessary stimulants like tea and coffee just to keep awake for doing the project work. Instead try and focus on one task at a time and at times multiple tasks and take short breaks after adequate focused work.
Less of Meetings, More of Work!
If you have worked your heart out on weekdays, make sure to chill out on weekends along with sufficient rest and sleep time that will help rejuvenate your body ready to work again for the new week to start. If one wants to be productive or even creative to be more productive, then eliminate all unnecessary meetings and stop wasting time in it, if it is really going to hamper your work. If at all a meeting is required keep it as brief and specific as possible and only with those team members which are required for it.
One cannot finish his or her work if always in meetings. At your desk you should switch from one tasks to another and try n intersperse calls with meetings with documentation development so that you remain fresh and focused at your tasks at hand and not get fatigued at doing one tasks for a very long time. Some professionals block their couple of hours of solid time to focus their attention on a single activity. This is particularly useful when you are in a writing mode.
Taking Short Breaks is Absolutely Essential
Taking breaks at regular intervals is very essential. It helps to rejuvenate and re-focus on your further tasks at hand. Some take small breaks to stretch and walk around your workplace. Long breaks to go and walk outside or for lunch. Breaks are useful to clear your mind.
After work one should engage his or her brain in other activities which we call it as extra-curricular activities. These activities should be non-work related, so part of your brain should rest and enjoy and take a time out from work thoughts. One should make sure he or she is getting enough exercise to do and not sit at desk for a long time tuck in front of a computer.
Some Tips from Experts for a Project Manager
First and foremost is prioritizing and delegating your tasks and activities at hand. As a project manager it’s absolutely critical to concentrate on the utmost important tasks and delegate the rest to your trusted team members. This will assist with freeing up your time as a project manager making you potentially super-efficient.
Communication is another important aspect of being efficient, slackness is a bomb which you should try and give away, have a direct chat, share files quickly and keep everyone in loop without sending an ocean of emails and then waiting on it for others to respond.
One gets tired and fatigued of doing repetitive tasks, so automation should be the way ahead. There are many automation tools which can be put to use for doing repetitive activities. This will give you more time focusing on the creative and more challenging aspects of the project.
Never stop learning and keep exploring newer and newer ways to become more and more efficient, attend online webinars, be a member of online communities, and complete Project Management and Product Development Certifications like PMP and Scrum Master etc. Productivity is all about what actually works best for yourself. So keep on experimenting different things and don’t get scared to do it. Mix and match things to do different tasks after a period of interval. Repetitive tasks are always monotonous and boring.
Following 10 points will mark the tips for effective project management.
- Plan effectively.
- Prioritizing Your Tasks Is Important.
- Delegating Activities and Tasks Wisely and Effectively.
- Maintain and Clear and Concise Communication with Team Members.
- Effective Time Management.
- Use of Automation Tools for Repetitive Tasks and Activities.
- Less Meetings with Focused Approach on Discussions.
- Continuous Learning and Upgrading Yourself.
- Identify and Analyze Risks – Try to Minimize Them.
- Retrospect and Improvise.