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To succeed in today’s fast-paced, hybrid, globalised work environment, you must master the art of balancing multiple projects. Having multiple projects on the go at one time is a core component of the modern workplace. It is the only way to stay competitive and meet the needs of demanding clients when time is precious. Failing to keep up can result in missed opportunities and dissatisfied clients.
However, being able to manage multiple projects takes skill. Conflicting deadlines, scant resources, and your health can be at risk if you juggle multiple projects. Here’s how you can take responsibility and keep tasks moving, all while keeping yourself happy and healthy.
Prioritise your multiple projects every day
You should always keep a task list by your side to help you keep track of deadlines and milestones. We recommend reviewing this list at the beginning of every day. Long exhaustive lists can put undue pressure on the person working through them, especially when new tasks are added. Reviewing tasks each day can help you rethink how you complete them, enabling you to see patterns. Such patterns can help you bundle them and get through related tasks more quickly.
Looking at your tasks at the beginning of each day will also help you improve how you prioritise them, ensuring that nothing gets left behind.
Make use of recognised systems
Management tools are there for us to use! Many resources online will help you understand which is the best fit for your task. We suggest starting with the following:
- The Agile methodology: Great for structuring and streamlining your project management so you don’t get stuck on the way.
- The Eisenhower Matrix: A table to help you organise tasks by urgency and importance.
- The MoSCoW method: Invaluable if you need to find a clear and objective way to prioritise tasks.
Use the digital technologies available
Project management platforms can be powerful aids in tracking your progress, visualising your workload, reminding you of deadlines, and assigning tasks across projects. Microsoft Project, Monday and Trello are just a few of the great management tools out there. These tools often offer a trial period to help you and your team get to grips with their capabilities.
Communicate with your team and stakeholders
When you have multiple projects, ensure you keep all your stakeholders and team members on the same page. Good communication is an important practice for everyone in business, but it becomes especially critical when managing numerous projects.
Set up regular status updates, team meetings and progress reports for your clients and stakeholders. Collaborative tools like Slack and Asana keep lines of communication open and establish a single point of contact for tasks. When you know everyone is up to speed, you will feel a reduced sense of pressure to keepi abreast of your multiple projects.
Adapt to succeed
It is inevitable that, in the real world, obstacles will arise. Even hyper-organised people cannot manage everything without complications, and multiple projects will definitely test your skills! In these instances, the most important strategy is to recognise a problem and adapt to it.
This might mean reprioritising your tasks. Look at your list and identify the items that have now become critical. Can you move them to the top of the list and delegate the other priority items to another reliable team member? If not, consider adjusting your deadlines by asking the main stakeholder if they can be moved.
Seeking assistance is not a weakness, and giving team members responsibility can bring the team closer and focused on delivering the final goal!
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Multiple projects are challenging, but keeping your head clear and your tasks organised will help you. Remember, as well, that your team has chosen you as a reliable person to take on multiple tasks, so this should give you the confidence to succeed.
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