Being outperforming and versatile are just a few of the traits that many project managers have. This causes them to feel stressed on a regular basis as they also need to adapt to unexpected circumstances that may arise.
If you are a project manager, then you’re on the right page. Here, we’ll talk about the habits that you need to adopt to make your work easier and more manageable.
Why Project Managers Need to Develop Good Practices
Good working habits are crucial since they build the foundation for almost half of your everyday actions. Meanwhile, the rest of your actions can be on autopilot.
Since habits and routines allow your brain to utilize less energy, you have more time and mentality to deal with issues. This allows your team’s productivity to improve as you take these practices in place.
The 7 Habits of Effective Project Managers
Without further ado, here are the 7 habits that you as a project manager need to have to be more effective:
1. Being Proactive
Project managers can be categorized into 3 main types. The first one is an accidental project manager which was chosen due to their technical background instead of their employee management abilities.
Next is the good project manager. They both have technical and people abilities. However, they don’t have the necessary amount of energy to show eagerness.
The last is the proactive project manager who is always prepared for the future.
One who thinks ahead is the type of project manager you should aim to be.
2. Knowing Your Priorities
You need to identify your priorities and focus on significant goals first so that your project will be a success. Writing a business case can help you determine what tasks you need to focus on first. Then, you can start working on them immediately.
3. Keeping the Outcome in Mind
This practice is somewhat connected to the previous one. For this, you need to create a draft of the outcomes you expect to give you a more profound understanding of your most important goals.
If you place importance on the outcomes, you can stay focused and on track with the plans you created. Doing so also ensures that your priorities align with your projects’ goals and expected outcomes.
4. Having Good Time Management Skills
It would help if you also made a schedule of what you need to do for the day to prioritize your tasks and prevent from being distracted. When you have good time management skills, you’ll be able to tackle your tasks more effectively and efficiently, leaving you time for the other aspects of the project.
Moreover, you can also delegate other tasks to the other team members to proceed more quickly. For instance, you can try outsourcing some tasks so that you can concentrate more on the other essential tasks you have.
5. Being a Team Player
Collaboration is essential when you’re a project manager since it often entails working with people with varying backgrounds, perspectives, and abilities. Being a team player means you can encourage the rest of your team and allow them to work together more seamlessly while playing to their individual strengths.
Communication plays a vital role in this, so you also need to have excellent communication skills to be an effective project manager. You can promote clear communication among your team members using various tools like online calendars and forums.
These will allow the rest of the team to become more aware of what the others are doing and offer help when needed.
6. Asking Questions
Successful projects come from good leadership. This means you need to know how to be responsible when strategizing, making decisions, and making mistakes.
You must constantly question, challenge, and seek evidence to demonstrate this skill. When preparing your reports, you need to avoid favoring information based on previous beliefs. Having your reporting tools will be helpful.
You can begin with raw data instead of selecting data to show the main ideas. You can also ask for advice and ask for opinions from your colleagues.
No one person knows everything. Therefore, it is best to ask questions when something is unclear to ensure projects go as smoothly and seamlessly as possible.
7. Knows How to Balance Things
You also need to know how to balance the different aspects of your life. You must realize how important a healthy work-life balance is so that you can feel content and happy with the work you do.
If you eat unhealthily or don’t get enough sleep, you’re more likely to feel tired and less productive. This can significantly impact how well you do your job and it could negatively affect the project’s outcome.
Conclusion
As long as you develop these 7 habits, managing projects will be a lot easier and more manageable. More than that, these 7 habits won’t just come in handy for you as a project manager – they can also benefit you as an individual.