Knowing when to stop and rethink things

Sometimes we plow ahead figuring that we know exactly what we are doing, only to run into a major obstacle that we didn't think would even be in our way. This is something that happens to the best of us, and now I am trying to tackle a larger project and have decided to take that step back and rethink my process of doing the work before I run into the major obstacle.

As a project manager, I understand that I should be writing out my tasks before I start the project, instead of just plowing right into the work. So here I am just starting to tackle this project, and I am doing what I should be doing and listing all my tasks that lay ahead of me for this project. Yes, I am going to be giving myself a deadline as to when I would like this project completed by. It also needs to be tested, so that is going to be another thing that I will need to determine how that is going to be done.

Once the project has been completed, I know that there is still going to be lots of work ahead of me, but at least the big changes are going to be done.

Now to sit back for a while and work on designing my project plan and see the most efficient way I can accomplish this project. Taking one step at a time is the best thing I can do, so maybe the next day or two are going to be the evaluation days instead of just making things work.

Knowing when to stop and rethink things is the best thing you can understand. Why spend days and days working on something only to discover those days have been wasted and you need to start over.

Setting Priorities

Lately, things seem to have been a little busier than they have been for me, but I am getting so much better at setting priorities and then working through things.  Knowing how to set the priorities and focusing on one thing at a time does really help.

Some of my goals for this year have been getting worked on, while some of the other goals have been ignored as I try and get work done first.  I am learning to ensure that I do take some time for myself because I have realized that if I don't take time for myself, I am not able to focus on the tasks at hand.

Everyone needs to take time for themselves from time to time to ensure that they can recharge their personal battery.  Sometimes a break away from the many projects on your plate can really help you refocus on the multiple projects and get the work done on all of them.  A break can be a day to yourself where you do something for yourself, or it can be as simple as just curling up and doing nothing.

Remember, set priorities and ensure you focus on what is important first to ensure that everything gets done, and you don't end up just spinning your wheels and accomplishing nothing.

Juggling the demands of life

Currently, I feel like I am juggling a lot of different things, and I am trying to ensure that they all get accomplished, and nothing is left out.  Yes, this is a challenge that a lot of us face quite often, and knowing that you can handle it can be hard and even stressful. 

I am sitting in my office area at home and realize that sometimes I am just going to have to let a few things go until I can make progress on the things that are most important.  Looking around and seeing the different demands is difficult, but at least now I have a list of things that I need to work on.  Over the last month or so, I started writing down all the different things that need my attention, big or small.  The small things get dealt with right away, and all the other things get written down.  I am the type of person that does make to-do lists and have to admit that most of the time they do work for me because I can see what needs to get done and also what I got done. 

Tomorrow is another day, and I am going to start with my to-do list and see what I can accomplish off of it and know that I wouldn't be able to accomplish everything.  At least making some progress on the different items is going to make me feel quite a bit better about things.  Taking the small steps forward is a lot better than taking no steps forward at all.  My list may be long, but I know that I can accomplish some of the things and the other things will just have to wait another day.

The juggling is through for today, and now it's time to sit back and relax and know that I did what I could do today and I will do what I can do tomorrow.

Knowing you can do something

Since writing my CAPM exam, I have had a chance to look at things and think a lot of things through.  I have found that since writing and passing the exam, I realized that I can really achieve what I put my mind to.  Yes, there are going to be challenges to overcome, but at least know that you can achieve what you want in life.

Of course after finishing my exam I realized I had a one-week break before I took another course, but that was only a 4-day course, and you write the exam at the end of the last day.  This time I put a lot less pressure on myself because I was feeling good throughout the course and this exam wasn't for a certification, it was just one course. 

Besides all the stress release and trying to catch up with everything I had pushed aside in January, I realized that I needed a better way to organize my life.  I am one of those that of course tries to do everything for everyone and then gets stressed because of everything on my plate.  Now I have started to write down all the things that I need to do, and I am not feeling as stressed as I did before.  I think being able to see the list instead of trying to keep it all in my head has really started to help me.  Having this list also means that I can delegate some of the things when my plate gets too full, and the other person knows what is outstanding and needs attention. 

My list of things that need my attention is currently a little longer than I would like it to be, but I know that if I focus on one thing at a time, the list will get shorter quickly.  This next week I hope to be able to focus on a couple of things that need to be completed by the end of February and then work on the rest of the list. 

Knowing that you can achieve what you put your mind to does help because it means that you aren't doubting yourself as much.  I know this is how I am feeling because I now know that I achieved something I wanted and can now plow ahead and achieve other things.

Results of self imposed stress

Previously, I wrote about the self-imposed stress that I had put upon myself about trying to achieve something that I really wanted.  Well the exam was Friday and thanks to modern technology I know the results already, and they are I passed the exam.  I achieved my CAPM (Certified Associate in Project Management) and now know that if I put my mind to something, I can achieve it.

This certification has been a lot of hard work, but I put the effort into achieving it and after wanting to postpone the exam because I doubted myself, I pushed ahead and wrote it.  Knowing that I did this has helped me see that I shouldn't doubt myself as much as I have in the past.

So now that I have achieved this, I am going to start thinking a little differently about things and I will know that if I put my mind to it, I can do it.

Dealing with self imposed stress

Like a lot of people, I put undo stress on myself.  I am admitting this because this week I have been adding more and more stress for no real reason.  I think part of it is because of writing a CAPM exam on Friday, I am starting to worry about the outcome.  Last night, I hit the point of wanting to postpone the exam so that I didn't have to deal with the outcome this week.  Basically, all I was going to do was postpone the outcome instead of facing it head on.

This morning I woke up feeling a lot better about things and realize that no matter what the outcome, at least I have given it my best try and that is all anyone can expect.  Yes, anyone does include me now, instead of how I normally deal with things and forget to include me.  Knowing that people are there to support me is helping because sometimes being your own worst enemy sure doesn't help.  I am the one that questions if I am ready, while everyone else is saying that I know the material. 

Facing things head-on instead of always questioning your ability is what I should do more often because I know I can do lots of things and will continue to do them.  Now the challenge until the weekend is to try not to add any more stress to myself and know that what happens, happens.

Off to do some studying, but will not try and pack the brain too much today so that I can also take some time to relax and enjoy life.

Getting organized

This last little while I have felt that life has been a little too crazy for my liking, so have decided that I am going to try and get myself a little more organized.  Part of my organization is deciding that I am going to schedule my workdays a little more than I have in the past.  I am hoping that having my days scheduled a bit more it will mean that I get more accomplished, and the stress level should also be reduced.

A lot of people probably do things like I do and bounce from one thing to another and really don't feel like they are getting much done.  I know that instead of focusing on each of the different roles that I have, I try and do a bit of everything and therefore end up stressed and frustrated.  Now my goal is to try and work on my schedule for the month of February and see how it goes.  It should mean that I get things done, and maybe I won't worry so much about all the other things because I will know that they will be handled on the assigned day.

I have actually decided that I am also going to schedule some me time into my evening schedules so that I ensure that I remember to take time for myself instead of always putting everyone else first.  This is going to be the biggest challenge for me because I normally start taking time for myself only to put it aside because something else for someone else calls out to me.  I started the evening schedule last week and have to admit that it does feel great taking some time for myself and actually seeing stuff getting accomplished and not feeling guilty about doing it.

Getting my life a little more organized should also mean that I will be able to get more done, both professionally and personally.  Now to start my day and see how much I can accomplish.