Protect Your Energy: Project Manage Yourself

This is the ultimate managing-up experience. You know your strengths, your growth areas and all the ways you are your own worst enemy. It's time to put that knowledge to work and project manage yourself. Here's how:

• Be clear about deliverables. Clearly define what success looks like with the time and energy you have. Don't over commit. Remember, essentials only.

• Manage your time. Block scheduling is a great way to stay focused and be efficient. Don't keep to many tabs open or bounce back and forth in your inbox. Block time for email. Block time for project work. Block time for parenthood and partnership. Block time for self-care.

• Give yourself deadlines. Use your top 5 to create deadlines for yourself. Pull those most essential items to the top of your list each day (or over the course of a few days if that's more energy effective) and meet your deadlines. Deadlines are promises, and it's just as important you keep your promises to yourself as to others.

• Hold yourself accountable. This doesn't mean keep going until you can't go anymore. This means stopping when you said you'd stop. Using the time you blocked the way you planned. Hold the boundaries for yourself to protect your energy supply.

• Check-in on your progress. Set a few minutes aside each day to check your energy and give yourself some feedback on the day. A good project manager always has a strong rapport with the team.

We get in our own way more than anything else does. Put a project management plan together for yourself and work smarter, not harder than you have to.