3 Winning Habits for Digital Project Managers to help you own the day

Grab your morning brew, get organised and create some energy with your team.

Sometimes being a digital PM can feel like riding a unicycle while juggling twelve balls. You have deadlines, competing team agendas, demanding clients, and more—all of which need your attention, all at once.

Let's explore 3 winning practices to enable you to really own your day and keep on top of everything.

Habit 1: Organise your day first thing—Look for curveballs.

Taking charge of your day before it controls you is the first step toward owning it. Spend some time planning your activities before jumping into the maelstrom of tasks - I usually find a good coffee from the local cafe, or pop on the 'stove-top' if I'm working from home to help get me focussed. Although making a good to-do list seems like a no-brainer, it's incredible how quickly it may be disregarded when you have loads to deliver.

Examine your list to find the 3 most important things. The tasks that will help to get the team going and not sitting around waiting for you.

Check your email for curveballs—that is, last-minute client requests or urgent revisions that could send things off course. Spotting these things early helps you to change your priorities so that the team are always working on the right priorities.

Habit 2: Go over your time plans

After you have set the daily priorities, it's time to make sure you're on track with all the project deliverables. Here is where your project management tools—from JIRA to Asana to another tool—might come in handy. Or if you're an older-hand like me then Excel might be doing the job.

Go over your timelines: Are you still waiting for client feedback on something. Are all projects moving as expected? Are any deadlines approaching that call for particular focus?

Communicate any issues nice and early with the client services team, or to the client if you speak to them directly. Speak to the team and give them options for resolutions.

Habit 3: Have a daily stand-up with the (whole) team

Your last habit is all about communication in a daily stand-up meeting. This is a strong tool for keeping the team nice and focused, and a great way to foster collaboration between different people too.

Every team member rapidly talks about what they worked on yesterday, what they intend to do today, and anything that is blocking them doing what they need to do. This not only keeps everyone updated, but also lets you handle problems quickly, therefore preventing them from turning into significant delays.

Keep it short and sweet. The stand-up should be no more than 10 to 15 minutes. Don't get protracted debates; take those into a meeting room at the right time. The team should leave the stand-up feeling energised and positive.

Thanks for reading!

Embracing these 3 habits—prioritising your day, tracking your project schedules, and doing daily stand-ups—you will not only help you own your day but, the team will own theirs too!