Managing multiple projects simultaneously

[fearofbirds]

Hi - i'm new here, but i'm hoping I can get some good tips. I have a number of different - very different - projects running simultaneously and it's really difficult to manage them all. I am imagining that there could be some simple app or solution (for Mac) whereby I can track each project.

I've had a look at the project management software options and while there are plenty of great pieces of software, i'm not sure that any would really work for me.

Any ideas of something I might be missing?

 

[mcogilvie]

GTD has its own twist on what a project is, and track can mean many different things. I think it is safe to say that you need to do whatever is necessary for each project to feel comfortable about it. Generally speaking, that's not an issue of software. Can you say more about what's on your mind?

 

[fearofbirds]

Hmm.. OK. I guess it's that I have each of these projects and it's difficult for me to:

1. Always keep track of the stage each one is at.
2. Divide my time between each project appropriately.
3. Prioritise the projects (as it's quite possible that I simply don't have time for everything).
4. Remember to dedicate the appropriate time to each project so as not to favour one over the other unnecessarily.

And more...

I guess my problem is these 6 or 7 different projects are all happening and I often find myself neglecting the others in favour of one or two. As a result, no real progress is made on the neglected projects.

Does that clarify?

 

[kelstarrising]

My suggestion would be to setup your projects and next actions in a really good list manager that you like, always have access to, and you'll trust (such as OmniFocus or Evernote for Mac), following one of the GTD Setup Guides or GTD Connect Webinars.

Then, here's what I would do:
1. Do Mind Sweeps regularly to capture anything that has your attention around any of those projects--like at least once a day, to squelch that gnawing sense that you haven't captured something you should, or should be working on something you're not.

2. Review your Calendar and Next Actions Lists daily, as often as you can or makes sense. I look at my lists any chance I get, even the Projects list, to make sure every Project has a current Next Action, Waiting For, or Calendar entry as my stake in the ground.

3. Do your Weekly Reviews weekly to do a deep dive on reviewing ALL of your projects (not just the high priority 6 that you mention--I'm guessing you really have more like 10-15.) There's no escaping that one for getting back in control, as things can get wild in between Reviews.

Hope that helps!

~Kelly

 

[fearofbirds]

Thanks all. Kelly - those suggestions where really helpful.

I'm going to try and do GTD properly and use Omnifocus to do that. Thanks very much for the thoughts.

 

[TesTeq]

it's really difficult to manage them all.

Don't manage them all. Manage them one by one. For me it is a critical distinction.

 

[vegasvec]

Remember, projects are made up of more than 1 task. So ultimately you should be prioritizing your tasks based on their individual importance/priority. If you have one project that is higher priority than another, then you can reflect that in the prioritization of the tasks (now vs soon).

I am also a huge fan of Evernote and found it to be very helpful with projects. I have a project folder where I keep one note per project. I update that note with general ideas/comments about the project, and even assign it a priority as I would a normal task. If you are doing a weekly review, which you should, you should be touching every one of these projects (and tasks) and re-assessing to make sure they are still prioritized correctly.

 

[enyonam]

+1 to Vegasvec.

My take is that since once does not actually do projects - one can only do actions - you have to get clear about exactly what needs to get done for each project. This is what enables me to shift from project to project smoothly, to be able to spend appropriate amounts of time in each place / context, and to get clear about all the next actions and then to use those next actions to prioritize what I do at each moment.

Because it's at the moment you're looking at say your @computer list and you see that 2 of the items are related to a project you need to get moving, that your project priorities will really get actioned, and your time appropriately apportioned.

I use Evernote and each project for me is a notebook which I prefix with a project priority if you will.
I use "0: Project Name" for projects that need to be completed this week, "1: Project Name" for project that need significant movement this week, and so forth.
That way, when I am looking at my context list, each next action is already has this indicator I've made on the project as helpful reference when I am choosing what to work on.

I included a screen shot below.

Cheers, Enyo
www.enyonam.com

Attached files

 

[Folke]

2. Divide my time between each project appropriately.
4. Remember to dedicate the appropriate time to each project so as not to favour one over the other unnecessarily.

I do not think I owe it to myself or anybody to be "fair" with my hours and minutes. Some projects are more important or urgent or interesting than others. I trust my gut to make the right choice. If some projects fall by the wayside then I see this as just a natural consequence of my own "correct" intuitive prioritizations.

3. Prioritise the projects (as it's quite possible that I simply don't have time for everything).

See previous answer. But in addition: If I have projects that are of such secondary importance that I begin to doubt whether I will ever have time for them, I make them a Someday/Maybe (i.e. I "inactivate" them completely such that they do not even appear on my list of projects).

1. Always keep track of the stage each one is at.

I usually know how far I have come without keeping notes, and I feel no need for measuring progress based on notes or statistics. I am usually spontaneously aware of how "productive" I have been generally and whether certain projects are running dangerously late. I have a few next actions lined up to remind me of what is next in each project. That is all I need. But:

If some of these actions are particularly important/urgent (and perhaps belong to important projects) I mark these actions with a red line to make them easier to spot in the next actions list. This speeds up the morning review, as it helps me see the critical actions and decide which of these, along with my calendar actions, will make up the general framework for the rest of the day. Then I will decide on additional actions during the day based on context, energy etc.

 

[TesTeq]

I feel no need for measuring progress based on notes or statistics.

I find statistics, percentages or progress bars to be a very dangerous, misleading tool. Why? Because you don't know the future so your estimation of the "not done" part is meaningless. For example you are developing a software module. From your experience you know that it will have about 500 lines of code. You've typed 495 lines but it doesn't mean that you've done 99% of work. There can be bugs but you may also have to rewrite the whole thing because of performance problems.

 

[Folke]

GTD has its own twist on what a project is

My take is that since one does not actually do projects - one can only do actions

Yes, this how David Allen describes it. If you have a problem with this, you are not the first. I think it is meant to be a simplification or "white lie" for the vast majority of readers, and I think many people, but not all, appreciate the approach.

I think we all agree that there is a huge difference between a desired outcome (purpose) and an action (what we physically do). For example. if you "Post the letter to X" (something you can do, i.e. an action) you also have a purpose with it, e.g. to convince the recipient to buy your goods.

Equally obviously, a big task can be broken down into smaller steps. For example "Post the letter to X" could be broken down into steps such as "Grab envelope", "Put envelope in the car" etc .... . The whole task of posting the letter is not any way changed in its nature or purpose by the fact that you have now described in finer steps.

The unusual twist that David Allen has taken (in his explanations) is to:

• use the term project for every task that has been broken down into steps. This means that with GTD you have big and small "projects" helter-skelter in one long list
• equate project with outcome, as if projects only have a desired outcome but cannot actually be done, whereas actions are things you can only do but have no identified purpose

Apparently this distinction is highly clarifying for many people. It obviously eliminates the whole concept of task hierarchy (projects, subprojects, actions, sub-actions etc) which can sometimes be a bit disturbing if taken to the extreme. But the simplification also has its cost. It causes considerable confusion for some, and it does have the disadvantage of not providing a way to see the forest for all the trees - seeing the "real" projects among all the GTD quasi-projects. (Or a way to see the purpose of standalone actions, either, if you would want that.)

I personally use a modified approach in my app. I use the app's project feature for "real" projects, and use the "tasks with subtasks" feature for the other kind of GTD projects. When necessary I make a note of the desired outcome/purpose in the comments to each such project or task.

 

[Folke]

I find statistics, percentages or progress bars to be a very dangerous, misleading tool.

Yes, I can easily agree with that. If used mindlessly it can be directly dangerous. And even if used with caution it is not reliably significative enough to be of value.

I think it is sad to see so many apps (Doit, Todoist and others) wasting development resources on silly features for performance measurement.