What We Focus On

The other day I found myself focusing on some negative events in the news. Looking for inspiration, I stared at my library of books. One book jumped out to me (felt like it literally did!)

"QBQ!", by John G. Miller, is a great book of not-so-common sense. (The full title is Practicing Personal Accountability at Work and Life - QBQ! The Question Behind the Question®, What to Really Ask Yourself to Eliminate Blame, Complaining, and Procrastination.)

Mr. Miller talks about making better choices through changing the questions we ask ourselves and others. His three simple guidelines for creating a QBQ are:

1. Begin with "What" or "How" (not "Why," "When," or "Who").
2. Contain an "I" (not "they," "them," "we," or "you").
3. Focus on action.

As he says, "What can I do?" fits the guidelines perfectly.

So, instead of thinking, "Why are they acting like that?" I started re-focusing on where I was and what I could do.

Hey, sounds like some good things are happening in the world now. Funny how that happens!

Breaking It Down

Sometimes when I look at an important project I am about to start, I get overwhelmed with the idea of it. It feels like, "It's just too much." Then I remember there is an easy way around this - break it down!

When I was in school, I won some contests for writing. One key to writing is the same principle - breaking the idea down into smaller parts. Even though we didn’t use the term 'mind map' then, as my kids do all the time in school now, that's what I did. I took the idea and broke it into its subcomponents and then further subdivided. Working on each part was much easier than trying to throw ideas willy-nilly at the whole.

When creating a training course, it’s the same principle - break it down. Looking at the topic of project management as a whole can be a bit daunting because there is a lot of information. The key, again, is to break the main idea into parts. What are we doing on Day One, Day Two, and so on? We want to make sure each topic is covered in the right amount.

So, if you have a big idea that's confusing you (I know when this happens to me, it's when I ignore the idea, pushing it to the side because it's "just too big" to think about), try this: take a quiet moment and write down the 'parts' of the idea. Then, put them in order as to the weight to be given to each part.

I hope this makes you feel better and breathe a sigh of relief because you are on your way to achieving your goal!

This breaking down process is really what the work breakdown structure (WBS) is all about. The WBS has been reported to be the most valuable tool by 74% of project managers.

The Focused Florence Foster Jenkins

A few nights ago I went to see the movie about Florence Foster Jenkins. I was inspired by how she carried through on achieving what she set out to do. Another thing remarkable about Ms. Jenkins was her ability to ignore what was going on around her while achieving her goals.

I am not so sure she was as oblivious to others' reactions -  to her singing or what was happening in her personal life - as the movie shows. Maybe she chose to ignore those things in her focus to create what she wanted?

Projects can be like that. Lots of distractions, things we could pay attention to that can lead us off our goal. I'm not saying we should always ignore distractions, but we should be aware of what is a distraction and what really needs our attention.

Thank you, Ms. Jenkins...

Mindfulness and Project Management

I was reading a book on mindfulness the other day. The author, who was also a manager, found she was always thinking of planning her next project when she wanted to be focusing on what she was doing. So she came up with a workable solution: she set aside time for planning. When she wasn't in this planning time, she would focus on what she was doing. When she was in the planning time, she focused on planning. Seems to me a good way to be efficient.

In thinking about mindfulness and project management, I did some internet searching and found this article, which I hope you like: Be a Mindful Project Manager by Kiron Bondale.

One Step at a Time

I had the best business advice ever last week. Karen Mombourquette, my tarot card reader, said, "Take everything a step at a time."

I laughed; assuredly this was the best advice for me, as I was starting a trend of over-committing to multiple projects. I was ignoring a simple truism of Project Management: break down the work into manageable steps and follow the plan.

I am now getting back on goal and following Karen’s advice. For the work I have already committed to, I am taking a step back and saying, "Okay, how can I get what I said I would do done?" The answer falls in line with Karen's advice: break it down! (Where was that WBS when I needed it?!)

One small step at a time can get us to big results. And no small steps, of course, leads to foggy thinking and nothing getting done.

(Thanks Karen!)

Project Managers - Focusing to Get Results

“A recent story about the use of transcendental meditation by top Wall Street traders was given a lot of attention, but I just see it as more evidence of what our research has shown for years,” says Hannah Shaw Grove, an authority on the behaviours and characteristics of the high-net-worth markets and the executive editor of Private Wealth magazine. “The professionals who are the very best at what they do and have monetized their skills always find ways to stay focused on the most important tasks and forget about the trivialities.”

(excerpt from: To Become Wealthier Do What You Do Best, Forbes Magazine)

When I read this article in Forbes Magazine, I thought - that’s what project managers do: focus on the important tasks.

We have a few tools to help with this, not the least of which is the Work Breakdown Structure (WBS). In defining a WBS, we are looking at what the end result/product/service is to be, and breaking that down into manageable groups. We then define the steps to get there and follow these steps to achieve the outcome. What could be more focused?

How about those diversions along the way? Project management is largely based on having a good plan, being prepared for what could lead the project astray, and having a change control system. Whether the changes are related to the roles and responsibilities of the project, budget, scope, etc., following the plan and using the system will help keep us on track.

And, like the article said, meditation is an excellent input to keeping focused. I started meditating about a year ago after a few nudges. I can attest that meditation has changed my outlook on life and work - more positive and calmer. If making the big bucks is what motivates someone to start meditating, I say go for it. The results will enhance focus and much more.

There are a few more project management tools and techniques that help us stay on goal. If you'd like to discuss, send me an email at brenda@brendaniel.com.