Project Management for Everyday Life

Let’s Discover What a Project Is

Just to make sure everyone is on the same page a project has a specific task that needs to be completed within a specified timeframe.

You may already be the project manager of your life if you:

• Make a plan (either mental or written out) before you tackle a problem.
• Set a schedule to accomplish goals or complete tasks.
• Make a list and check things off as you finish them.
• Consider the resources/budget necessary to achieve the goal.
• Motivate others to help you achieve your goals.

Planning to Succeed

Have you ever planned a party, dinner, or vacation with a group of friends or family members?

If so, you did indeed practice some project management skills. Many of us practice project management in our every day lives without even realizing it.

I bet you never thought of meal planning or buying a car as a project that you managed, but it really is!

Think about it this way, when you are going through the motions of meal planning, what’s the first thing you do? Decide what meals you are going to have for the week, right?

Then, you devise a plan as to how you will achieve those meals.

From there you create the plan using recipes. You make a list of the ingredients you will need. Then, (if you’re frugal you search ads, load your coupons, so you save money and time) you pick up your grocery order.

Once you have groceries in hand you begin to follow the recipes and assemble the meals. Now of course there are a few additional steps like taking into consideration your budget for food and supplies to create these wonderful meals, but that is all a part of the planning process.

The same concepts apply to managing your life. Set a goal that has a measurable outcome:

• cut expenses by 25%,
• increase income by 10%,
• read “X” number of articles or books to learn a content area or
• watch tutorials to master some application or software)

Most importantly, set a realistic time limit (within a week, month, year, etc.)

Now you have the makings of a project! Good Luck….