I feel like successful people always get asked how they get everything done. There is always too much going on for most non-successful to fathom.
The successful are running multiple businesses, managing teams of people and spending time at conferences, meetings, masterminds and other time consuming events. The non-successful barely have enough time to run their businesses into the ground.
Been there. Both sides actually.
Over the past few months of working with highly successful entrepreneurs and small business owners, there have been a few key secrets and strategies that I have begun applying in my own business that are helping me to manage my own projects and product launches. They have proven to be very important to me.
In the last 2 months I have been beyond productive. And it goes back to these principles.
Brian Tracy, one of the leaders that I look up to in this space of project management, said that there are 4 main problems in project management. With his permission I am listing them below:
1. Not Allowing Enough Time
The first is not allowing enough time to complete a multi-task job. This is the primary reason why projects fail and people’s careers get sidetracked or torpedoed. They hope for the best, trust to luck and don’t allow a sufficient cushion of time to complete every step of the project. As a result, the project fails.
2. Assuming the Best
The second problem is assuming that everything will work out all right. As Alex McKenzie said, “Errant assumptions lie at the root of every failure.” Never assume that everything will work out all right. Assume that you are going to have problems. Allow yourself sufficient time and resources to solve those problems and keep the project on schedule.
3. Rushing at the End
The third problem in project management is when the project team ends up rushing at the end. When you rush to complete a project, because you have run out of time or money, you almost invariably make mistakes and do poor quality work that you have to go back and correct later. It actually takes less time to finish a project correctly if you work at it slowly and steadily and do it properly in the first place.
4. Trying to Do Several Things at Once
The fourth problem in project management is trying to do several things at once, and you ending up doing nothing well. You either take on too much at a time, including too many responsibilities yourself, or you assign too many responsibilities to other people. In either case, various parts of the project fall through the cracks and sometimes all the effort is lost. Do things one at a time, and do each thing well before moving to the next task.
Brian is gearing up to release a new book called Full Engagement!: Inspire, Motivate, and Bring Out the Best in Your People, and I was contacted by their publishing company to share some of his insights like the 4 tips above. The book is a great tool for managers and leaders looking to better development their project management skills and I encourage you to check it out on Amazon.com
If you want to win a copy of Full Engagement!: Inspire, Motivate, and Bring Out the Best in Your People, then please signup to my newsletter on the sidebar as I will be giving one away to my email list shortly.
Brian’s list above is a great start but I wanted to expand on what exactly has been working for me in putting together all of my recent product launches, business expansions and lifestyle opportunities. The first is getting organized and writing stuff down.
Getting Organized
I am always looking for new productivity tools, from to-do lists to Project Management software to things that sync with my iPhone, iPad, Google Calendar and my MacBook. I have come to the conclusion that there is not one tool that is going to be best for me and all my projects. But…
the most important thing is that I have a place for each task, each project and each deadline. For some projects we use ActiveCollab, a project management software that lets our overseas team and our clients collaborate and talk to each other. It’s very similar to Basecamp and is really only used for client work.
Next is Evernote. This thing changed my life. Everything is in there. After upgrading to a Pro account I can easily create, sync and share all kinds of notes with anyone on my team. Being very visual I love snapping photos of whiteboards and sending them direct to the design or development teams for implementation.
Last is the good old pen and paper. I abuse the crap out of trees when I need to remember things. It’s not perfect, but it beats trying to remember things with my overcrowded brain.
Working With A Great Team And Delegating
I talk about outsourcing a lot and for good reasons. It allows me to do what I do best. Working on projects and not in them. I still mess with some coding and backend issues when in a jam, but when you create a realistic time frame like Brian Tracy mentions above, you allow your team to get things done.
I have found that some of the best things to get off my plate are:
- development and small back and forth web changes
- accounting (this has been a God send)
- legal paperwork (just tell me where to sign)
- research
- front line of customer service (lost passwords, can’t log in, where are the videos, etc)
Once you eliminate the barriers that are stopping you from completing projects you can move on to do wonderful things.
Let’s wrap this up and hear what you have to say. How are you learning to handle your projects and what are your secrets? Share in the comments below.
-Greg
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