The JH Specialty team consists of Program Managers and Project Managers who are responsible for keeping numerous projects and client needs running smoothly. To say these individuals make everyone else's jobs easier would be an understatement. When looking for tips on how to be more productive, who better to ask than these ultra-efficient machines team members.
For me to stay organized and on track to staying productive, I lean on my weekly planner. At the beginning of every day, I write my to-do list so I know what I need to do for that day. However, let’s be real, not every day do I actually get to cross every single thing off my list. Either way though, physically crossing projects off of my list gives me so much satisfaction. Also, having a plan for the day helps prevent me from getting scattered brain and focusing on too many things at once. Lastly, a must is background music. Without music, I’ll get nothing done.
Being a PM we need to be on our toes and be ready for what is thrown at us. In order to do this and stay productive, I use ClickUp and also sticky notes at times. These both allow for me to stay on top of what’s due and what’s next on my list.
Wake up early every day. Yes, even weekends. By training your body to wake and sleep on a consistent schedule, you eliminate those Monday Morning blues and can start off your week with a smile. Plus, with all of those extra hours you can finally join a gym, meditate, pack a lunch, or add in another healthy activity!
For me, utilizing a project status document (Microsoft OneNote) is key. Instead of having to search through emails or handwritten notes to see what the last action item was with a client, I can go to one location and see a rundown of recent status updates. I use it to document what I need to do, what other internal team members need to do, and also if I’m waiting on information from the client. It’s a great way to keep it all together and be efficient with my time.
Time blocking. Group like tasks together to complete them more quickly. If you stay in the same mindset you can cut back on the time you are spending. Also choose your blocks during a time of day that works best for you. If I need to do a lot of writing, first thing in the morning is best for me. By the afternoon, I'm looking for easy to complete tasks like testing, organizing files or following up on stalled projects. Grouping my work with the time of day I'm most focused on that type of work helps me to get the most accomplished throughout the day.
- Maintaining a clean and organized workspace is key. It’s time efficient knowing that everything has its place. I feel less stress and can focus more on the tasks at hand.
- Prioritize Tasks – at the end of each day I write a to do list of tasks that need attention the following day. I hold myself accountable to finishing those tasks, or at least get to a productive stopping point before I begin with today’s work.
- Remembering to take breaks throughout the day to reboot my brain. Whether that be getting a glass of water, conversing with other coworkers or just a simple stretch. Anything to feel refreshed and reenergized.
- Start each morning with a Monster Paradise (this may be the most important one!)
There are a couple strategies I try to employ when possible. First is queuing up tasks that may need input at the onset or after completion but require little interaction in the middle. With this I can get those tasks going while I direct my attention at other items then circle back when they are complete. Another is slightly related and that is batching similar tasks together. For example, if working with data sets trying to accomplish all those tasks at the same time. This helps eliminate or reduce the bouncing back and forth between other applications and helps keep me in the appropriate mindset for the tasks at hand.
Using a combination of techniques have proven to be the most effective for me: bulking my tasks by type categories, blocking on my calendar in order of priority the day before, and utilizing the Pomodoro Technique by breaking work into 25 min intervals with 5 min “breaks”.
We hope you've found at least one idea to give a try and make your work life (or maybe your personal life) a little more streamlined and productive.
