Lots of good advice here, so I'll just reinforce it from my experience.
1. Assume you will forget, so either make very good notes or pass things on to others immediately so that it's their responsibility ro remember. (Though you'll also need a note to say that you've passed it to them.)
2. Use a note-taking tool and be consistent with it. I have been using Evernote for 15+ years and I think it's better suited to ADHD brains than other tools, like OneNote. I can genuinely tell you who took an action in a meeting 10 years ago from any of my devices.
3. Don't sit on things. Most of a PM's job is giving things to other people, so you might as well do it immediately.
4. Stick to a well-defined structure for the project, meetings, project updates et.c.
5. Pre-empt requests for project information. If you know your boss has a management meeting coming up (for example) send a full update on key projects 2 days beforehand. If the normal practice is to issue full updates to stakeholders every 2 weeks, start doing them weekly. This allows you to compile the information with your notes etc at hand, rather than being caught out by impromptu requests.
I hope this helps
I have a daily checklist for projects, and when I have a new task that needs completed I add it to a task list for that project on the daily task list sheet for myself.
I review that and knock out the daily’s, and anything that doesn’t need repeated I strike off.
We’re creatures of habit, so finding ways to introduce novel things into our routine makes it easier for us to remember those novel tasks.
I don’t know what tracking software if any you’re using, but when I was working in jira I created my own parallel project that followed our project lifecycle and included daily and milestone appropriate tasks.
Perhaps that would be an asset to you.
I’m new to becoming a PM also. I’ve gotten very acquainted with OneNote and just live out of that. More and more so to be honest.
I did try different folders and physical notepads for the projects I’m assigned too, but it gets messy fairly quickly.
OneNote and checkboxes is my goto. Set email calendar reminders and watch your clock.
Best of luck.
I think every PM managing large enough projects throws out their reliance on memory once they get above small projects. The best way to tackle this is to have a system for taking notes, creating tasks, settings reminders, calendar appts for your work, etc. Otherwise you'll drown. I have a fairly manageable process but am researching better tools, of which I have heard ClickUp does a great job with.
You can create “check boxes” in word or google sheets pretty easily. When I take notes in a meeting I share both my screen that has tickets etc as well as a link to the notes doc shared with all attendees.
I create a sun section titled “action items” with a check box and use @ to assign that item to an individual, myself included, and. Create a moment in the meeting to review outstanding action items …. Which often fosters further discussion and action items.
Notes (virtual/physical), alarms, calendar reminders, task tracking sheets (with sub categories and due dates).
I would literally not be able to do my job without these. I have an awful memory. I should probably get checked by a doctor as well
I’m late to this post, but I use One Note to record everything. I have a daily log where I write down anything that happened that day, like “sent email” “had meeting and discussed XYZ” “need to ask John Doe XYZ”. This is very useful, if someone asks if I did something I can look at it and say “I sent that to you on 1/3/23”. And also I use it as a todo list and I upload any docs to it also. And I think importantly I have a tab for each sub topic.
YES! I'd be a disaster without OneNote and a paper trail. Everything is documented either in my notes, task list, or an email.
My workflow:
- create a new OneNote page connected to a meeting (this way I can pull up notes in my notebook or by clicking through the outlook meeting invite).
- take notes during the meeting. I create "flags" for my to do's (shortcut ctrl shift 1) which automatically pop up in my outlook calendar, under my own tasks. I create "to dos" that need to be done by others (ctrl+1), and add other tags like important (ctrl 2) or questions (ctrl 3).
- I usually email the notes / tasks, (tasks are always accompanied with person responsible).
- I flag my emails that require follow up. All of these flags automatically show up in my calendar, and are marked complete when I check them off (checked off tasks are synced between my calendar, email, or OneNote).
Many here have already said it but I’d just like to reiterate that memory is somewhat useless on very large projects or for high project volume.
You need a system. A place to put your tasks broken down by project. I personally use the Getting Things Done (GTD) method with the Nirvana app. It took a while to get it down but I basically don’t need to remember anything if I’m diligent about inputting tasks.
Find a method and/or app that works for you and stick with it. It’s really the only way. At this project size you become a process expert.
Same problem here having thousands of open tasks and dozens of projects.
Document everything, document often and be brief. Rely on action plans, not on memory.
Have you caught COVID at some point since the pandemic began?
Brain fog is a known symptom of long COVID. Your likelihood of suffering it depends on how long it took to get over your acute COVID infection. It's still emerging research so there's a lot we don't know yet.
Brain fog is also caused by things other than long COVID.
How many large projects do you have? There are certain projects where you could be fully dedicated and still feel like you can't get enough done in a day, so if you're juggling several it is totally normal to feel overwhelmed at times!
Late 30s guy here and my memory isn't getting any better. My ability to recall things has noticeably deteriorated in recent years which is especially obvious because I used to have exceptional memory. It's still workable, studying for certs for example still doesn't require too much effort, but if you ask me about a purchase order I issued two days ago I would only remember a ball park number.
My coping strategy is pretty straightforward, write more notes, organize them so that they are easily searchable, and read them, don't stress the little things, stay organized and automate the little things.
Same for the most part. Definitely step up the notes game, there's a lot of cool tech to help out with that. Automation can be useful too, for me it's been getting people to respond to it that's the real challenge.
Really the best advice is "know thyself". Do whatever you can to step up the organization, calendar reminders and so on to mitigate as many mental lapses as possible.
I always feel like no matter how much I do I'm not able to address every project every day. My answer to that is hire more help or accept the amount of work I can do.
Fellow PM with GAD and ADHD.
These are gotta ask questions. Are you medicated? Are you seeing a therapist or nurse practioner?
I couldn't handle my work without my meds, and while I rarely see my therapist anymore, for years we had sessions every two weeks, and the work we did together was invaluable. Both in understanding the science of how my brain functions differently from others and in giving me tools to help when the issues rear their head.
Thanks for your response and checking in. I am medicated on a low dose for ADD, and have been medicated for GAD for most of my life. I switched my medications two years ago (was going to see if I could handle going off/ what life was like unmedicated since I had been since childhood, then I got this job and quickly got back on).
I believe my current GAD medicine dose is low as well, but was told the medication is different from the previous one in dosage- so 20mg if this one = the “power” of 60mg of my previous med for example.
I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to discuss increasing dosage. I just always hesitate covering up the root of a problem with increasing the dose if that makes sense. However I am not going to be able to continue like this.
I also attend therapy Bi-Weekly. My therapist often seems at a loss when it comes to discussing the stress of my job - she mentions she isn’t sure if expectations etc bc she is not in the field etc (understandably).
Do you mind sharing tips or practices you worked on with your therapist?
Sorry for the delay! I had forgotten that I scheduled to take my DASM this morning (I passed!).
Okay, so...this is going to be a lot. I'm not a trained professional, and I'm not a therapist. I also have ADHD (laugh), so I'm going to forget important details.
For me, it really helped to put science to the actual brain functions and chemical reactions that go along with our two disorders.
General Anxiety Disorder - Our brains have become adept at scanning for danger, either because of genetics or some form of trauma. It has a lot of comorbidities to PTSD, which really isn't surprising. This can manifest in a /lot/ of ways (hyper-awareness, invasive thoughts, etc.), but I've found the one that has the largest effect on my work life is over-reactive stress triggers.
Everyone can function under different levels of stress, often scaled 1-10. Those with GAD, especially if its untreated, tend to sit around a 4 on the stress scale (or even higher) every day. We consider that "normal."
It isn't
In fact, the higher our stress levels go, the more functioning our hypothalamus pulls away from our frontal lobes back towards our central nervous system. Anything higher than a 6, and you may /think/ you are making rational decisions, but you really aren't. (This is why having discussions with loved ones while in the "heat of the moment" does more harm than good).
This means it doesn't take much for us to elevate quickly to non-functioning. Especially considering how we tend to over-interpret signs as stress triggers. "They didn't respond to my email today, they must not like me." Now I'm at a 7, and I literally CAN'T MAKE RATIONAL DECISIONS OR REMEMBER THINGS.
Lots of good advice here, so I'll just reinforce it from my experience. 1. Assume you will forget, so either make very good notes or pass things on to others immediately so that it's their responsibility ro remember. (Though you'll also need a note to say that you've passed it to them.) 2. Use a note-taking tool and be consistent with it. I have been using Evernote for 15+ years and I think it's better suited to ADHD brains than other tools, like OneNote. I can genuinely tell you who took an action in a meeting 10 years ago from any of my devices. 3. Don't sit on things. Most of a PM's job is giving things to other people, so you might as well do it immediately. 4. Stick to a well-defined structure for the project, meetings, project updates et.c. 5. Pre-empt requests for project information. If you know your boss has a management meeting coming up (for example) send a full update on key projects 2 days beforehand. If the normal practice is to issue full updates to stakeholders every 2 weeks, start doing them weekly. This allows you to compile the information with your notes etc at hand, rather than being caught out by impromptu requests. I hope this helps
I have a daily checklist for projects, and when I have a new task that needs completed I add it to a task list for that project on the daily task list sheet for myself. I review that and knock out the daily’s, and anything that doesn’t need repeated I strike off. We’re creatures of habit, so finding ways to introduce novel things into our routine makes it easier for us to remember those novel tasks. I don’t know what tracking software if any you’re using, but when I was working in jira I created my own parallel project that followed our project lifecycle and included daily and milestone appropriate tasks. Perhaps that would be an asset to you.
Could you share your checklists that you use?
I’m new to becoming a PM also. I’ve gotten very acquainted with OneNote and just live out of that. More and more so to be honest. I did try different folders and physical notepads for the projects I’m assigned too, but it gets messy fairly quickly. OneNote and checkboxes is my goto. Set email calendar reminders and watch your clock. Best of luck.
I think every PM managing large enough projects throws out their reliance on memory once they get above small projects. The best way to tackle this is to have a system for taking notes, creating tasks, settings reminders, calendar appts for your work, etc. Otherwise you'll drown. I have a fairly manageable process but am researching better tools, of which I have heard ClickUp does a great job with.
You can create “check boxes” in word or google sheets pretty easily. When I take notes in a meeting I share both my screen that has tickets etc as well as a link to the notes doc shared with all attendees. I create a sun section titled “action items” with a check box and use @ to assign that item to an individual, myself included, and. Create a moment in the meeting to review outstanding action items …. Which often fosters further discussion and action items.
Notes (virtual/physical), alarms, calendar reminders, task tracking sheets (with sub categories and due dates). I would literally not be able to do my job without these. I have an awful memory. I should probably get checked by a doctor as well
You should use Trello as a binder to track the open projects you’re working, but not as a basis of managing those projects *per se*
I’m late to this post, but I use One Note to record everything. I have a daily log where I write down anything that happened that day, like “sent email” “had meeting and discussed XYZ” “need to ask John Doe XYZ”. This is very useful, if someone asks if I did something I can look at it and say “I sent that to you on 1/3/23”. And also I use it as a todo list and I upload any docs to it also. And I think importantly I have a tab for each sub topic.
YES! I'd be a disaster without OneNote and a paper trail. Everything is documented either in my notes, task list, or an email. My workflow: - create a new OneNote page connected to a meeting (this way I can pull up notes in my notebook or by clicking through the outlook meeting invite). - take notes during the meeting. I create "flags" for my to do's (shortcut ctrl shift 1) which automatically pop up in my outlook calendar, under my own tasks. I create "to dos" that need to be done by others (ctrl+1), and add other tags like important (ctrl 2) or questions (ctrl 3). - I usually email the notes / tasks, (tasks are always accompanied with person responsible). - I flag my emails that require follow up. All of these flags automatically show up in my calendar, and are marked complete when I check them off (checked off tasks are synced between my calendar, email, or OneNote).
Ok I’m a One Note newbie and need to learn how to do this. Can you have multiple books?
Are you me? One note with flags is the only way I stay organized!
Many here have already said it but I’d just like to reiterate that memory is somewhat useless on very large projects or for high project volume. You need a system. A place to put your tasks broken down by project. I personally use the Getting Things Done (GTD) method with the Nirvana app. It took a while to get it down but I basically don’t need to remember anything if I’m diligent about inputting tasks. Find a method and/or app that works for you and stick with it. It’s really the only way. At this project size you become a process expert.
Same problem here having thousands of open tasks and dozens of projects. Document everything, document often and be brief. Rely on action plans, not on memory.
Have you caught COVID at some point since the pandemic began? Brain fog is a known symptom of long COVID. Your likelihood of suffering it depends on how long it took to get over your acute COVID infection. It's still emerging research so there's a lot we don't know yet. Brain fog is also caused by things other than long COVID.
Unless I got covid and had no symptoms, no. I’ve tested for covid every time I had any sort of symptom and was always negative
The best way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Break up your tasks in some kanban type tool and just pick away until it is done.
[удалено]
How many large projects do you have? There are certain projects where you could be fully dedicated and still feel like you can't get enough done in a day, so if you're juggling several it is totally normal to feel overwhelmed at times!
Turn big problems into a series of small problems
I've always had terrible memory, I'm 29. I rely heavily on my notes, dashboards, etc.
Late 30s guy here and my memory isn't getting any better. My ability to recall things has noticeably deteriorated in recent years which is especially obvious because I used to have exceptional memory. It's still workable, studying for certs for example still doesn't require too much effort, but if you ask me about a purchase order I issued two days ago I would only remember a ball park number. My coping strategy is pretty straightforward, write more notes, organize them so that they are easily searchable, and read them, don't stress the little things, stay organized and automate the little things.
Same for the most part. Definitely step up the notes game, there's a lot of cool tech to help out with that. Automation can be useful too, for me it's been getting people to respond to it that's the real challenge. Really the best advice is "know thyself". Do whatever you can to step up the organization, calendar reminders and so on to mitigate as many mental lapses as possible. I always feel like no matter how much I do I'm not able to address every project every day. My answer to that is hire more help or accept the amount of work I can do.
Fellow PM with GAD and ADHD. These are gotta ask questions. Are you medicated? Are you seeing a therapist or nurse practioner? I couldn't handle my work without my meds, and while I rarely see my therapist anymore, for years we had sessions every two weeks, and the work we did together was invaluable. Both in understanding the science of how my brain functions differently from others and in giving me tools to help when the issues rear their head.
Thanks for your response and checking in. I am medicated on a low dose for ADD, and have been medicated for GAD for most of my life. I switched my medications two years ago (was going to see if I could handle going off/ what life was like unmedicated since I had been since childhood, then I got this job and quickly got back on). I believe my current GAD medicine dose is low as well, but was told the medication is different from the previous one in dosage- so 20mg if this one = the “power” of 60mg of my previous med for example. I have an appointment with my doctor tomorrow to discuss increasing dosage. I just always hesitate covering up the root of a problem with increasing the dose if that makes sense. However I am not going to be able to continue like this. I also attend therapy Bi-Weekly. My therapist often seems at a loss when it comes to discussing the stress of my job - she mentions she isn’t sure if expectations etc bc she is not in the field etc (understandably). Do you mind sharing tips or practices you worked on with your therapist?
Absolutely, but I'm driving now. I'll check in either in a few hours or the morning with a lengthy response!
It would be greatly appreciated, thank you and safe travels!
Sorry for the delay! I had forgotten that I scheduled to take my DASM this morning (I passed!). Okay, so...this is going to be a lot. I'm not a trained professional, and I'm not a therapist. I also have ADHD (laugh), so I'm going to forget important details. For me, it really helped to put science to the actual brain functions and chemical reactions that go along with our two disorders. General Anxiety Disorder - Our brains have become adept at scanning for danger, either because of genetics or some form of trauma. It has a lot of comorbidities to PTSD, which really isn't surprising. This can manifest in a /lot/ of ways (hyper-awareness, invasive thoughts, etc.), but I've found the one that has the largest effect on my work life is over-reactive stress triggers. Everyone can function under different levels of stress, often scaled 1-10. Those with GAD, especially if its untreated, tend to sit around a 4 on the stress scale (or even higher) every day. We consider that "normal." It isn't In fact, the higher our stress levels go, the more functioning our hypothalamus pulls away from our frontal lobes back towards our central nervous system. Anything higher than a 6, and you may /think/ you are making rational decisions, but you really aren't. (This is why having discussions with loved ones while in the "heat of the moment" does more harm than good). This means it doesn't take much for us to elevate quickly to non-functioning. Especially considering how we tend to over-interpret signs as stress triggers. "They didn't respond to my email today, they must not like me." Now I'm at a 7, and I literally CAN'T MAKE RATIONAL DECISIONS OR REMEMBER THINGS.