How to Manage Time as a Project Manager

I've seen it on LinkedIn, with clients, friends, family, and even with me.   Projects and tasks seem to be taking longer than initially expected, especially those with less structure.   Is this the same for you? Why do you think that is the case?   Take the time to plan up front that it is going to take you more time than you anticipate.   📈 Buffer Time: When estimating timelines, I now add a 20% time buffer to account for potential delays or unforeseen circumstances. 50% if it is an important project.   🔀 Break it Down: I break larger projects into smaller, more manageable tasks or milestones, making it easier to track progress and adjust as needed.   ⌚ Time Blocking: I dedicate specific time blocks for focused work on different areas, allowing me to fully immerse myself in each task.   ⭐ Prioritize Important Tasks: For critical projects, I schedule them during my most productive hours to ensure they receive the necessary attention and energy.   📣 Communicate Proactively: I let stakeholders know in advance if I anticipate being unavailable or facing potential delays, setting realistic expectations from the outset.   By implementing these practices, I've found it easier to navigate the complexities of project management and maintain a better work-life balance. It's an ongoing process, but these strategies have helped me stay on top of my commitments more effectively.   --------------------------------------- ⏳I am David Buck the Time Strategist   📅I guide business professionals, who struggle with a lack of flexibility to create more quality time in life.    Liked this post? Want to see more? 🔔 Ring it on my profile   Follow #timeoptimize Learn more in my book The Time-Optimized Life Kairos (Time) Management Solutions Time Management Analysis (TMA)   #management #timemanagement #personaldevelopment

Time Management Insights for Improving Productivity ⏰💡 I have been mentoring several people around the topic of time management. These are some pointers to help you master your time, boost productivity, and achieve more with less stress. 📈 1. Self-Assessment: Track and Analyze Your Time 📊 Track Your Time: For the next two weeks , keep a detailed log of how you spend each hour. There are tools like Toggl or RescueTime to help simplify this process.  I will put link to their sites in the comments. John Jensen also has a spreadsheet he utilizes that is a great framework for sales people. Categorize Activities: Once your log is complete, sort activities into categories such as planning, deal management, prospecting, admin tasks, internal and external meetings, and personal time.  Do you also understand what your high-impact activities are? Evaluate: Reflect on your log. Are you dedicating enough time to high-impact activities? Are personal activities getting the time they deserve? 2. Identify Areas for Improvement 🔍 High-Value vs. Low-Value Tasks: Pinpoint tasks that drive your goals forward. Delegate or eliminate low-value tasks. High-value tasks are often those that only you can do. Time Wasters: Identify activities that consume time without adding value, such as redundant meetings or excessive email checks. 3. Set Clear Priorities 🎯 Define Your Key Responsibilities: Clarify your role and responsibilities. Focus on activities that align with these and have the most significant impact. Goal Setting: Set clear, measurable goals. This will sharpen your focus and help you prioritize and delegate tasks effectively. 4. Improve Delegation 🤝 Identify Delegation Opportunities: Based on your time log and priorities, find tasks that can be handed off, freeing you to focus on high-level strategy. 5. Continuous Improvement 📈 Regular Check-Ins: Schedule regular check-ins to review your progress, discuss challenges, and adjust strategies as needed. This keeps you accountable and allows for timely adjustments. Personal Insights from My Experience 🌟 When I first started tracking my time, I was amazed at how much of it was spent on low-value tasks. By categorizing and analyzing my activities, I identified key areas for improvement and began delegating tasks that were consuming my time without significant returns. Setting clear priorities and goals was a game-changer, allowing me to focus on high-impact activities and achieve better results. Implementing these steps transformed my productivity, and I'm confident it can do the same for you! 🚀 #TimeManagement #Productivity

The biggest thing that helped me become a better PMM was carving out time for strategic thinking, no matter how busy I was. Why is this important? -> Tactical work alone won’t advance your career. You need to think far with a strategic vision and have the ability to execute. -> Strategic clarity reduces decision fatigue and eliminates random tasks that don’t lead to real outcomes. -> It helps you identify opportunities to innovate and create net new value for the business. -> Teams naturally follow people who think beyond the immediate. Here’s how I do it (and how you can too): 1️⃣ Block time for deep thinking It’s very hard to focus on strategic work if you are always busy in meetings or putting out fires. So the first step is to make TIME. Dedicate 30–60 minutes daily to uninterrupted, quiet thinking even if it means waking up earlier. I also block Wed and Friday mornings for extended work sessions. Find a time that works with your natural productivity. 2️⃣ Prioritize what to focus on (and not focus on) Strategy also means saying no, or not now. Use my Action/Priority Matrix to identify and focus on high-impact tasks, while deferring, delegating or eliminating the rest. Communicate your priorities to your manager for transparency. Remember part of strategy is also saying no. https://lnkd.in/eDd_PvuN 3️⃣ Create project plans Before jumping into a project, no matter how big or small (even if it’s just creating a piece of content), get into the habit of writing out a project plan, including who, how, what, when, why, KPIs, milestones, and key stakeholders. This forces you to think AHEAD, create a repeatable structure, and helps you easily drive alignment with others. 4️⃣ Review long-term goals often Regularly assess how your day-to-day work aligns with your big-picture vision/strategy. Realignment ensures you’re always working toward meaningful outcomes. I suggest doing a monthly review and then communicating what you’d like to start, stop, and continue, with your manager. This also shows you are proactive. 5️⃣ Talk it out with a thought partner or coach Clarity doesn’t always come on your own. Talking through your ideas with someone who can ask the right questions or challenge your assumptions is invaluable. My clients often come to me with a jumble of (great) thoughts, and we untangle them to pull the thread together and uncover the strategy. — Carving out time for strategic thinking isn’t just about blocking time - it’s about making that time effective by doing the right thing and creating the right system. What would you add? #productmarketing #strategy #career #growth #coaching

Ever feel like you’re drowning in to-dos and endless meetings?  5 years ago, I was in a middle management role, frustrated by the lack of progress and constantly treading water. ⚠️ Another calendar invite.  ⚠️ Another email to address.  ⚠️ Another Slack message to read. 🗣️“Where did we put that document from last week?”  🗣️“Can you pull a report for me?”  🗣️“What's going on with Customer ABC?”  🗣️“How soon do you think xyz project will be done?” It felt like everyone needed something yesterday. I was overwhelmed, defeated, and felt like I’d never keep up. I wasn’t in control of my time, and I blamed everyone else instead of taking responsibility. If you’ve ever felt like this, here are 3 practical ways you can take back control: 1️⃣ 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗰𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗼𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀 Sometimes, this means cataloging everything you’ve been asked to do and then asking your manager/leadership to help prioritize the work. This can help your manager see all of your work and encourage a conversation about what's really important. Try as you may, you can't do it all. 2️⃣ 𝗔𝘂𝗱𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝘁𝗶𝗺𝗲 Use your calendar to track how you spend your time. Reflect on whether you’re moving the right things forward.  It’s like tracking your spending—it forces you to be honest about where your time is going. This also makes it easier to have an honest conversation with your manager about all those “pop-up” tasks that seem to hijack your day. 3️⃣ 𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗯𝗼𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝘀 Need focused time? Block it off on your calendar and hold yourself accountable. If you realize you’re underestimating how long things take, adjust and get clear on what “good enough” looks like. This may mean:  • Turning off Slack notifications (or closing it entirely)  • Scheduling specific times to check email, instead of constantly checking  • Being selective about accepting calendar invites—ask, “Is this meeting more important than xyz project?” 𝘏𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 boundaries can be the hardest part. Taking control of my time transformed how I worked. If you’re feeling stuck, I hope these tips help you find clarity and regain focus. #Leadership #TimeManagement #WorkLifeBalance #CareerGrowth 

FAANG PM Time Management 101: ⚡️ 👇 Over the past 4 years at Google, I've managed $1B+ products through complete chaos. And I use the same 5 time management techniques every time... 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 #𝟭: 𝗧𝗲𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗘𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 How it works: • Use Chrome extensions to manage 120+ docs • Create templates for everything (PRDs, one-pagers, OKRs) • Batch document reviews into 2-hour blocks This simple technique saves me 10+ hours every week. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 #𝟮: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗠𝗲𝗲𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗠𝗮𝘁𝗿𝗶𝘅 How it works: • Categorize: decision meetings vs. info-sharing • Stack similar stakeholder meetings together • Pre-align with key players before big meetings Pro Tip: Don't try to "minimize meetings." That's a mistake. Focus on maximizing their value instead. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 #𝟯: 𝗠𝗶𝗻𝗶𝗺𝗶𝘇𝗲 𝗖𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗰𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴 How it works: • Avoid context switching between different products • Batch similar work (all PRDs, all emails, all reviews) If you do this right, you'll cut mental drain by 50% Easy. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 #𝟰: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗜𝗻𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻 𝗙𝗶𝗹𝘁𝗲𝗿 How it works: • Create a single source of truth for each project • Set up automated bug/email filters • Build a stakeholder update template Do these 3 things, and you'll never lose track of docs and links. 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗶𝗾𝘂𝗲 #𝟱: 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗧𝗶𝗺𝗲𝗯𝗹𝗼𝗰𝗸 𝗦𝗰𝗵𝗲𝗱𝘂𝗹𝗲 How it works: • Do strategic work in the morning • Handle reactive tasks post-lunch • Save relationship building for late afternoon --- Ready to fast-track your way to becoming a Big Tech PM? Join 1000+ hotshot PMs in my free course: the $700K PM Interview Blueprint - link in the comments

PMs have all the accountability. With none of the authority. Getting others to do what you need them to do can be tough. Managers' and directors' gigs aren't easy, but at least they're in a position of authority. As for project managers? Not so much. Which means you need your own set of tactics. Since there's nothing you can do to 𝘤𝘰𝘮𝘱𝘦𝘭 a team member to get their stuff done. Cialdini's landmark book "Influence" is full of great advice on subtly accomplishing this. a. Reciprocity b. Commitment & Consistency c. Social Proof d. Authority e. Liking f. Scarcity g. Unity But personally, I prefer a more direct approach: public accountability. How does it work? Here are the steps: 1/ 𝘿𝙚𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙗𝙟𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚𝙨 Collaborate with sponsors and stakeholders to spell out what you're meant to accomplish. Ensure you have complete buy-in before moving from this step. 2/ 𝙊𝙧𝙜𝙖𝙣𝙞𝙯𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 Sit down with your project team members to mark down all of the tasks (with dependencies) that are required to accomplish your defined objectives. Make sure all of your team members are at the table. Spend as much time on this as it takes to get it right. 3/ 𝘼𝙨𝙨𝙞𝙜𝙣 𝙤𝙬𝙣𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙙𝙪𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣𝙨 For every task from the previous step, identify a single owner who is responsible for the task's completion. Ascribe durations to the tasks. Ask the owners what must be accomplished before their work can begin and/or finish. Ensure that it's marked as a dependency if it was missed in the previous step. 4/ 𝙑𝙖𝙡𝙞𝙙𝙖𝙩𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙨𝙩 In round-robin style, ask every task owner if they believe the list of tasks is accurate. Do not ask this of the group; 𝗮𝘀𝗸 𝗲𝗮𝗰𝗵 𝗽𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗼𝗻 𝗶𝗻𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗶𝗱𝘂𝗮𝗹𝗹𝘆. 5/ 𝙂𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙗𝙪𝙮-𝙞𝙣 Socialize the plan with the sponsors and/or steering committee. (Milestones should be sufficient.) Ask for concerns about timing and duration. Answer all questions and get final approval. 6/ 𝙋𝙪𝙗𝙡𝙞𝙘𝙡𝙮 𝙘𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙠𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙠 𝙫𝙨. 𝙖𝙩 𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙠 Meet as a project team regularly. Review current and past due tasks *with the task owner PROMINENTLY identified*. Do this religiously so people know it's coming and will prepare accordingly. Be supportive of task owners who fall behind, and show support to their supervisor as you make them aware of deliverables that are at risk or overdue. ~~~ Be firm but fair. This will build your credibility and ensure that team members know what's expected of them. Any problems that arise become a concern related to the process rather than with individuals. Do this over the duration of the project--and then for subsequent projects--and you'll become recognized as a process-oriented project manager with high standards. People want to work with a PM who has high standards, and who holds others to high standards as well. ____ 👋 Follow me Timothy Morgan for more about IT project management.

The problem isn’t that you don’t have enough time. The problem is that you are wasting it. As a new manager, I was not just a manager. I also had a lot of individual contributor duties I needed to complete as well. Most new managers I talked to are in this position. I always teach them the same technique that helped me when I was in their position. The same technique that helps me today when running my business. Splitting my days into Maker Days and Manager Days. As a Maker, or individual contributor, your job is all about concentration. Deep focus on individual projects for 2, 3, 4 hours at a time. As a Manager, your job is to stay plugged in by answering emails, attending meetings, basically bouncing around from task to task. Most new managers think they can do both at the same time. They have their day split up by six, 30-minute meetings and try to fit their Maker work in between those meetings. But this doesn’t work because Maker work requires more concentration than you can get out of 30-60 minutes. Here is the solution. Make Monday, Wednesday, Friday Manager Days. Fill them with as many meetings and small tasks as you can. Make Tuesday and Thursday Maker Days. Keep them as open as possible or reserve your own time on your calendar so you can really make progress. A project that takes 10 hours when broken up into 30 minute chunks can take 3 hours if you do it all at once. This technique has saved my sanity many times. What is your favorite time management technique? BTW, I am going to be diving deeper into this in my newsletter in a few weeks, make sure you sign up using the link at the top of the post. #TimeManagement #Managers #ManagerDevelopment

As project managers, we thrive on the thrill of juggling multiple tasks and deadlines. The ability to keep track of everything is not just a skill—it's an art. Here are some high-level strategies I've found invaluable in managing the daily whirlwind of responsibilities: 📝 𝗞𝗲𝗲𝗽 𝗮 𝗠𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁: Whether it's digital or on a classic paper pad, maintain a running list of tasks and reminders. This not only helps in prioritizing your day but also ensures nothing slips through the cracks. 🔝𝗦𝗲𝘁 𝗖𝗹𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗶𝗼𝗿𝗶𝘁𝗶𝗲𝘀: Every morning, determine which tasks are critical and which can wait. This simple practice can transform your productivity and help you to manage your workload effectively. 💻 𝗟𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗴𝗲 𝗧𝗲𝗰𝗵𝗻𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆: Tools like ConnectWise Manage, Trello, and SharePoint are fantastic for breaking down projects into manageable parts. Use technology to set reminders, track progress, and communicate updates. 🔎 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝘂𝗹𝗮𝗿 𝗥𝗲𝘃𝗶𝗲𝘄 𝗦𝗲𝘀𝘀𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀: Spend a few minutes at the end of each day reviewing what was accomplished and what needs to be addressed the next day. This can help in setting a clear agenda and preparing mentally for what's ahead. 👥 𝗗𝗲𝗹𝗲𝗴𝗮𝘁𝗲 𝗪𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗹𝘆: Understand the strengths of your team and delegate tasks accordingly. Trusting your team with responsibilities can free up your time to focus on strategic planning and problem-solving. ☕𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗕𝗿𝗲𝗮𝗸𝘀: Taking short breaks can significantly boost your productivity. A few minutes away from your desk can help you return with a fresh perspective. These strategies have helped me keep my head above water in the most chaotic times. ❓𝗪𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗴𝗼-𝘁𝗼 𝗺𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗼𝗱𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝘁𝗮𝘆𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘇𝗲𝗱? Let’s share and learn from each other's experiences. #ProjectManagement #ProductivityTips #Leadership

To optimize project delivery, move from time to energy management I don’t divide my world into life and work. I’ve got one life, set time, priorities and energy levels. That’s it. So, PMs, here some tips to up your individual and team efficiency AND effectiveness. Time Management: 🔸plan & organize time effectively 🔸set priorities, deadlines, time slots 🔸aim: to make most of available time Energy Management: 🔹understand & optimize energy 🔹aligns tasks with optimal energy 🔹aim: sustainable, optimal performance Need both? Yes. For time management, think like a scientist and test what works for you. Examples of what I do: For me: ▫️EOD write 3 “must do” for next day ▫️put timer on deliverables to do ▫️follow one touch rule For team: ▪️focus each member for the day/week ▪️keep teams small & meetings short ▪️have clear agendas & purpose Wanna take it up a notch? Think like an athlete. Hyper focus on wellness and energy management. Know when to go hardcore, when to taper, when to coast, when to rest. First, get baseline data on yourself AND your team. Observe performance trends, write down how ya’ll feel, notice when you are clearer at thinking, etc. Then: For me: ▫️be clear on outcome (vs output) ▫️plan for rest as critical to success ▫️continuously cut energy vampires For team: ▪️start meetings w/ energy check ▪️observe cadences that work best ▪️balance workload based on energy To top it all off, have fun, laugh often and share what’s working for you! #projectmanagement #timemanagement #energymanagement #highperformingteams