The 10 Best Habits of Highly Productive PMs

Posted on: 12/20/16

Written by: David Whitemyer, AIA

Topics: Project Management

I’m a bit of connoisseur of books and articles on productivity tips. Admittedly, I’m obsessed with the topic. From all that I’ve read on the subject, many of the same suggestions appear in just about every written piece. Here are the ten tips that show up the most.

Get Up Early and Plan Your Day. Give yourself about 30 minutes in the morning, when it’s calm and quiet, to look ahead and plan your day. Don’t wait until you walk into the office and have a million fires piled on your desk. Look over your calendar, your upcoming meetings, and prioritize the day’s tasks.
Prioritize Your Tasks. Your to-do list will never be completely blank, and you can’t do everything in one day. However, you should have a to-do list, you should be using it frequently, and it should be prioritized. At the very least, determine what can’t wait, and what can.
Expect the Unexpected. The best Project Managers aren’t just good at planning and executing, but in calmly and efficiently adjusting plans to changes and surprises. In sounds illogical, but schedule some time for interruptions; meaning, don’t fill up every second of the day with high-priority tasks.
Have an Agenda for Every Meeting. In my opinion, there’s little that’s as painful as showing up for a meeting or conference call with no expectation of what’s being discussed and what decisions need to be made. Few people enjoy meetings, so make them fast and efficient by having an agenda for every single one.
Live by the 80/20 Rule. Also called the Pareto Principle, assume that about 20 percent of your day’s time will return about 80 percent of the most effective productive returns, so give that 20 percent intense focus. This rule has been claimed to apply to other aspects of management as well. For example, assume that 80 percent of a project’s problems will arise from 20 percent of the issues or stakeholders.
Document Your Time. How can you assess how well you’re spending your time if you’re not keeping track of it? At day’s end, look over your calendar, your phone logs, and your meeting minutes. Take a few minutes to think about how you’ve been spending your time. You’ll start seeing patterns showing how much of your time is productive, and how much is wasteful.
Ignore Your Phone & Email. You’ve heard this one before. Just because your phone is ringing doesn’t mean you have to answer. And as for emails, most of them can wait a few hours or a day. Stay focused on whatever you’re doing, and devote blocks of time each for checking emails and returning calls.
Stay Away from Social Media. Unless you’re in marketing, there’s no reason you need to be on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, or Instagram during the workday. Social media is a major timewaster. Save it for your morning coffee or evening wind-down.
Schedule Time for Yourself. You know the saying. “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” It can also make Jack incredibly stressed and unproductive. Make sure you’re giving yourself some “me” time each day; time to make personal calls, time to take a walk outside, etc.
Don’t Be Too Hard on Yourself. You’re not a miracle worker. You can’t complete everything in one day. Things pop up each day that throw wrenches into your plans. Deal with them, but don’t let them wear you down.

For additional project management tips, download PSMJ’s Guide to Empowering Project Management, a complimentary ebook designed to synthesize some of our most insightful and action-oriented advice for project managers.