I’m not an important one for making resolutions (though if you’re in search of inspiration for workforce objectives or resolutions this 12 months, learn my suggestions for team objectives) so this 12 months I assumed I’d take a distinct take a look at issues.
As a substitute of setting myself up for failure by making guarantees to do new issues, I wished to show it on its head. Let’s look as an alternative on the issues to cease doing.
Listed below are the 5 habits I’m going to ditch this 12 months. Will you be a part of me?
1. Losing time
Oh, goodness.
I do that lots. I strive actually onerous to not, however generally it takes me perpetually to get spherical to doing a troublesome job.
The factor is, once I do get spherical to doing that troublesome job it usually takes half the time I used to be anticipating and is definitely fairly simple. Procrastination is a productiveness killer (and there are extra productivity killers to watch out for too).
I additionally should be stricter with myself about popping again into the home (my workplace is within the backyard) and ONLY getting a cup of tea or a biscuit or no matter after which going straight again to work. I appear to waste plenty of time ‘simply’ placing on the washing or ‘simply’ checking the publish or no matter.
To be honest, it was worse once I was self-employed as there was actually nothing to cease me doing what I wished to prioritize. Now I’m again employed, I’m significantly better at not losing time as a result of I’m accountable for my tasks and it makes me really feel responsible to not be working throughout work hours!
I shall even be adopting strategies to improve team productivity so all of us profit.
I’ve began the method of not losing time by tidying up my garments. It was taking far too lengthy to discover a pair of matching socks. Take a look at my pretty KonMari-inspired drawer.
The subsequent job on my checklist is tidying up my hanging garments so they’re simpler to seek out and I waste much less time getting dressed. I’ve received a dangling rail up on the wall in my bed room so I can grasp up my work garments for the subsequent day and keep away from looking spherical for them within the morning.
2. Ignoring stakeholders
I wouldn’t say I do that lots, however I do know of mission managers who do.
You place your stakeholder administration plan collectively after which put it within the (digital) drawer and neglect about it. Don’t do that.
Stakeholders could make or break your mission so it’s necessary to work by means of that plan and put your concepts into motion. Even overlooking one stakeholder – somebody who doesn’t appear that necessary at first of the mission – could cause points afterward.
I’ve had just a few challenges just lately the place stakeholders in a single specific division haven’t been engaged early sufficient, however we’re engaged on methods to alter that. Plus, it’s not a mistake you make fairly often!
3. Disregarding success standards
Defining key success standards to your mission is a part of the mission life cycle they usually crop up in varied codecs in various mission initiation paperwork. Nevertheless it’s simple to both overlook them completely and never set success standards in any respect, or to set them after which fail to return and test that you’re really assembly them.
I couldn’t hand-on-heart say that every one my tasks final 12 months had success standards, not to mention ones that I went again and confirmed that I used to be hitting. It’s a foul behavior!
If you wish to crack this dangerous behavior now, learn my Definitive Guide to Project Success Criteria.
The identical goes for advantages. We’re having advantages workshops routinely now, so advantages are recognized and tracked, with baselines collected. It is a behavior I shall be persevering with.
4. Reinventing the wheel
I actually should cease this. I’ve already began the method of ditching this behavior. I’ve created a month-to-month To Do job checklist for my writing work and running a blog duties, primarily as a result of I’ve so little time to do any of these now, so I’ve to be tremendous environment friendly once I can seize an hour.
I’ve additionally received myself a brand new binder which I’m calling my ‘bible’. It has sheets for each repetitive course of I do (or it’s going to have, once I’m carried out) together with issues like coping with financial institution transfers in foreign currency echange. These are duties that occur once in a while however not incessantly sufficient for me to recollect precisely the way to do them.
I don’t have time to attempt to determine this stuff out each month. I’m hoping the ‘bible’ will cease me from doing so as a result of it particulars all my work directions. We’re additionally transferring many processes to Infinity and writing customary working procedures.
Standardization is the watchword for the 12 months!
5. Sloppy conferences
I confess, I don’t all the time write minutes. I don’t all the time use agendas both, particularly on the extra casual conferences.
That’s going to alter! I do know that not all conferences require minutes and an agenda, however the place they do we should always all use them.
For those who want a serving to hand with the place to begin, try my set of templates for great meetings (with ebook of meeting management techniques and tips included).
What are you going to alter? Follow me on Instagram and let me know!
A model of this text first appeared in 2016.
