I recently became a puppy mom, which quickly confronted me with some steep and sometimes-unexpected new learning curves, especially in these first few weeks. Rigsby is a 3-month-old chocolate lab with a sweet and playful personality. When I decided to get a puppy, I was really excited to bring her home, but I soon realized I was getting overwhelmed. It’s one thing to welcome a young puppy into life, but it’s another thing to figure out what to do with her and how to anticipate all her needs. That’s when I thought about my public relations work and the things I have learned about project management.
Project management has become a crucial tool in my work. As someone who can sometimes struggle to manage multiple tasks, I have found that taking the time and effort to implement some changes in my work processes can help keep me on track.
I recently was discussing this struggle with a colleague. I realized I kept making to-do lists and then forgetting to use them. She suggested I try an online to-do list which I could split up by client and then assign myself due dates for each item. Every time I was in a meeting, I could add my tasks immediately to the list and then when I completed them check them off and they would automatically move to a completed folder.
This new format has helped my work tremendously. I have found that I am feeling more in control, completing more tasks on time, and becoming more confident about knowing the next steps of the process.
Adopting project management can be challenging, especially when you have been stuck in your way of doing things. I had been convinced that my paper to-do lists were the best form of project management for myself (and for some people they might be.) But I have learned that when I use an online project management site, my work is more consistent and efficient. Below are three tips I apply to be as productive as possible during my work day.
Structuring Your Day. One of the biggest changes I have noticed with project management is that structuring my day has become a lot easier. When I get to work, I have already marked my to-do items for the day. As meetings occur, I add tasks and their deadlines. When the deadline is the same day, I add it into the workflow of my day. Before using project management, when a large new task or project was presented, I got overwhelmed. What steps do I need to take? How do I get started? By using this new system, I can now breakdown projects into smaller steps. These smaller, manageable tasks not only help calm me, but help me work faster. By laying everything out, I know exactly what tasks to prioritize to meet deadlines and produce better work.
Consistency. In health care public relations, our work is focused on client deliverables and goals. While these vary based on client needs, we are dedicated at The Reis Group to providing top-tier work. Project management promotes consistency. Our team uses templates and outlines for to-do lists across clients which help keep us accountable. The subject matter changes with each client, of course, but the practice of using the template helps create processes across all our accounts to clearly establish deliverables, deadlines and expectations. By having the processes outlined beforehand, I have found that managing the next steps becomes easier and goals of projects are more clear.
Integration. One of the aspects of project management I am still working on is integration. When you have done something one way for so long, integrating the new way takes time, but full integration is absolutely essential for success. If I skip one day of adding to my list, I may struggle to catch up. When I use the system daily, I stay on track and tasks are more manageable.
I have found that connecting these project management tools at work to my life at home has made me more efficient at handling all the new tasks and unexpected demands of raising a puppy. I’m not certain, but I’m pretty sure that Rigsby would agree. If not, I’ll have to make some changes to my to-do list.
