It’s one thing to have a process. It’s another thing for that process to still be functional in the season that you’re in.
Ashley Shuler, a project manager consultant, shares the cost of disorganization and what it means when your process does not align with the season you’re in. She shares information about how to get back on track and organized.
Read on for key gems Ashley shares.
What is disorganization?
Disorganization is when things are out of order. And it could be from a personal perspective, you could be off balance. For example, as you are going throughout your day, you find you’re not in the rhythm or pattern you used to. There is some system that’s out of place, that could be morning routine, that could be in your actual day to day work. And you may not have the flow you built for yourself, or maybe it is expired and you have to find a new way of doing things.
The cost of disorganization
The cost of disorganization means that there’s a pattern of needing to do something but then putting it off for later or something more important. Then you become tired and frustrated and you may even be losing some clients. When you start noticing these thing, you need to slow down and get refocused.
Getting Back on Track
Reexamine your priorities
You are typically hyper focused on completing the goal that once you accomplish it, you realize you got off track. Before you decide on a new time management technique, you need to reexamine your priorities- your mission and motivation. As you’re reexamining your prioritie you might realize that you’ve mismanaged your priorities.
Become more intentional about your time
To become more intentional with your time means that you have to look at the projects, tasks, and your schedule. You have to be realistic about when you are working on the important things within your business or personal life. That means formulating a process where you actually sit down and manage your project properly.
There’s a difference between time management and the schedule of your project. Many folks don’t know that time management means prioritizing things. The actual managing of a project takes forecasting, vision, planning, and understanding resources.
When you’re working on a project, you have to delegate what your tasks are and then figure out how long things will take. After that, you compare that to your calendar to then figure out the internal deadline for the project .
1. Scheduling time for brainstorming new ideas
You should have designated time to think. You might need to schedule it in during the week to do that. You need to schedule a time to actually let your mind breathe. This time can been when you go on a walk, when you’re exercising, during prayer time, or whenever it is you need that time.
Giving yourself time to think allows you to think through things you really want to do to then think through how you would get it done. Asking yourself other questions like, what are some of the key strategies? What don’t I know? That’s the question we’re not even asking. What don’t I know? And it doesn’t require you to spend 5 hours straight on the Internet looking. No, you need to figure out what you don’t know.
About Ashley
Ashley doesn’t believe in quick fixes and seeks to create transformative solutions for small business owners, teams, and leaders so they can operate more efficiently in their business. As Principal of Shuler Strategies Group (aka #AskAsh Consulting), one of Ashley’s superpowers is the ability to take big picture ideas and create unique recipes for entrepreneurs to reclaim their time, improve team communications, and manage mission-oriented projects for their organizations. Ashley’s journey with project management, operations, and creating time-saving solutions began in 2012, where she has trained teams and managed projects across government agencies with the Department of Commerce, Department of Homeland Security, the Executive Office of the President, and the U.S. Senate on Small Business and Entrepreneurship. Originally from Northern Virginia, Ashley holds a BA in Government from The College of William & Mary in Williamsburg, Virginia and obtained her Master’s Degree from George Mason University, School of Public Policy. Currently, she is a certified Project Manager and Policy Analyst within the Federal Government. In her off time, she enjoys playing with her puppy, hanging out with family and friends, and serving her local community.
