Taking a few weeks off from blogging to enjoy the summer and brainstorm new ideas.
I'll see you back here on August 10 and announce the lucky winner of the PM-Prepcast.
Giveaway- worth $99.97
I am giving away one PM Prepcast worth $99.97. Send me an email (see email info on the right panel of the blog) and include "I want the PM Prepcast" in the subject line. Thats it.
You can email me within July 31, the winner will be announced in August.
What makes you happy PM's?
This post is not about project management.
This is about happiness, so this Monday you are ready for the week and smiling!
So, I asked you What makes you happy PM's? Other than meeting deadlines...a good book n coffee/movie/ close grp brunch/sunday newspaper makes me smile.
Yes, it does.
The job, blogging, keeping up with my reading list, SIPM all keeps me busy and to the point that sometimes I don’t feel very inspired in my everyday life. When things just become items in my schedule and happiness seems far away, I try something new to bring it back.
Talking to the people I respect and being sincere about the problems I am facing I think automatically brings in a new perspective for me, calling up my friends and talking silly and nothing about project management is relaxing, going out for a walk and enjoying it, listening to good music, having a chocolate or a cup of tea and a good book that inspires is nice. I also like visiting grocery stores for inspiration to whip up a new dish or go completely crazy and color my hair a brownish red.
I always don’t plan out everything when I take a break; I think randomness brings out a different side to everyone.
PM Prepcast- why should you take it?
Its unusual, effective and loaded with information that can be used for and beyond exams.
It’s the PM Prepcast I am talking about and I think the concept is superb. Cornelius has brought in the perfect combination of audio and video to make sure the every single point is communicated.
The prepcast consists of episode lists that can be downloaded to your computer and syched with your ipod. It’s a great resource to understand everything you need to know about exams (both CAPM and PMP by PMI) including what happens if you don’t make it in your first attempt, how you should retest etc.
Each lesson/podcast is around 25 minutes which comes with very clear and to the point graphics done in a way that helps you understand, remember and sort of reaffirms the audio. By using the dual methods you can remember them easily without having to get back to the podcast over and over again.
Who can use the podcast?
Certification takers- if you are planning to take your PMP or CAPM its perfect for you. The podcast fits your purse and goal and is a great way to start your preparation. Listen to the tips he has to share on how to use the resource and get through the exam. By the way, he also sends lessons and reminds you through email.
Newbies in project management- A great way to zoom ahead of the other newbies. By listening to these podcast you not only understand project management better but your are aware of the much needed terminology and the intricacies.
Interview preparation for project management- if you are lining for an interview next week or getting ready for a job search, this podcast will make it a little easier for you. You can brush on the PMBOK knowledge along with other skills and stay head in the game by downloading some free flash cards.
Take your next step- interview help
Looking for a job? Wake up this Monday to update your resume and get some amazing tips from the experts.
Browse these links below for some resume tips:
To nail your next interview in project management, try these great links whether its your first project management job or you are a seasoned project manager trying to get to your next job I can only hope these links are helpful :
- Interview Sample 1
- Interview Sample 2
- Interview Sample 3
- Interview Sample 4
- Interview Sample 5
- Interview Sample 6
- Interview Sample 7
- Interview Sample 8
- Interview Sample 9
- Interview Sample 10
- Interview Sample 11
- Interview Sample 12
- Interview Sample 13
- Interview Sample 14
- Interview Sample 15
- Interview Sample 16
- Interview Sample 17
- Interview Sample 18
- Interview Sample 19
Good Luck!
Looking towards taking the next step in your career and want to try Project Management, learn from the seasoned PM's here for no charge.
The 10,000 Hour Rule
There will always be moments when you need the extra push in your life to get to your next milestone. Everytime I have pushed myself I end up surprising me. It's true for most people I know.
This long weekend, I ended up watching the triathlon in television and heard the narrators talk about the winner and how she has been out of the sports for a year and came back better than ever- and won!
It made me think, how I get too comfortable or even complacent sometimes and don't do what I can do or should do. There are times, when you just know it is the right time for you to take action or make he next move. If you have always wanted to become a project manager, may be this is the time to look for a new opportunity or simply learn a new skill.
So, July is my month to do everything I'm not comfortable doing and trust me it's a long list.
So, I took a break. I thought about it while I roamed the isles of the Japanese grocery and filled in my cart with steamed buns, dumplings, sea weed, bean sprouts and a beautiful tea set.
By the time I came back home after an entire day spent outside- shopping and watching people in the mall; I read this piece (see below). It struck me as just the perfect thing I should have read. So - why not share?
Given below are some paragraphs that really touched me, however you can read the entire article here.
The author Malcolm Gladwell in his book Outliers described the 10,000 Hour Rule as a reason why some people become successful. This rule is based on a study that was conducted by Anders Ericsson.
In this study, it was discovered that those who became successful in their given field had practiced it for a total of 10,000 hours prior to being discovered. InGladwell’s book, he uses the example of the Beatles and how they practiced for 10,000 hours prior to becoming famous.
Every spare moment I had, I was reading or talking to someone who was doing what I wanted to do. I also began to apply the theories to my life and started living what I studied.
When Charlie Rose asked Steve Martin about what advice would he give to others starting out in the acting business, Martin said the following: “Be so good at what you do that they cannot ignore you.
A guy dressed in sweat pants may seem like a no body to you but for all you know, he may be the person that has the ability to help you achieve a certain goal.
Years ago, I read a biography on the life of the singer Madonna. Many people recounted how when Madonna was just a club act, she handled every show as if it were a concert in a huge arena. The general conclusion was that she was acting like a superstar even before she became one.
Visualization is a tool that I use frequently because I have seen it work. Many times in my life, I visualized achieving certain goals or having certain funds. And every single time without fail, each item that I visualized became a reality. Sometimes it took hours and other times it took years.
101 votes- thank you
Thank you everyone for their support and the encouragement.
The blog would have never happened if it wasn't for the crisis I was in. I thought my job profile was getting stagnated and I needed something to keep me going. A commitment to myself that was getting hard to keep everyday.
Finally, in desperation I decided to put it in writing and started the blog. When Elizabeth Harrin spotted my blog for the first time; it gave me the unreal motivation to write regularly. I have never stopped since that day.
There has been good times and bad times and I have kept the blog consistent (at least tried to); so getting the votes in the PPM Community was big deal for me. I am so humbled, grateful and happy.
There are lots of good blogs out there in Project Management and I voted for all the blogs I read, please vote for the blogs because a little inspiration goes a long way for all the bloggers who take the time out of their busy life to do so.
Thank you again everyone for the votes!
The E-book that is real and good
I don't like flooding my inbox with junk mails and subscriptions.
Wait till this one, I signed up at Geoff Crane's subscription so I can get the free e-book. I like what he writes and how he writes it- so I figured out this one has to be really good.
I had the e-book few minutes later called "Nine Destructive Behaviors".
It talks about different types of project managers and yeah- it is good!Very good.
It's injected with Geoff humor and is a good read not only for the sake of some good weekend reading but simply for the seriousness of the matter. You can really learn from this and to the extent you wont mind paying for the book if you had to do so.
Simple, powerful and full of observation- it tracks down traits, their behavioral characteristic and the remedies. Good way to know your project manager or even find the kind you are and how you can improve.
By the way- the email's that you get from him in your inbox are actually similarly interesting- I'm not a big fan of inbox emails from websites, but from Geoff I differ.
So, to get the book you have to sign up here and to get in touch with the master himself, click this.
Want to have fun and learn more from real life Project Managers, check out http://beta.steppingintopm.com/
Does rigid timelines help creativity?
Timeline rules us.
Deadlines, projects schedules, invoices and regular business days all revolve around timeline. We remind ourselves through calendar, blackberry applications, and sticky notes.
But does chasing time help us? Help our work, help creativity? Let’s walk through some scenarios:
Regular Office- The pressure of timeline doesn't enhance creativity in most cases and leads us to “The Intrinsic Motivation Principle of Creativity. People will be most creative when they feel motivated primarily by the interest, enjoyment, satisfaction, and challenge of the work itself, and not by external pressures or inducements.” So, for those who like creativity and challenge in their work should sought out similar assignments. Look for more encouragement from your boss and find a mentor who knows how to match creativity with the end of the month salary scenario.
Bloggers/Entrepreneurs – It is said that time management skills contribute to creativity . It seems very true since most of the successful bloggers are multi tasking all the time. Look carefully at the project management bloggers- they know thing or two about maintaining schedules and some of them use it to their best. They blog, they run their own thing, work 9-5 job, write books, papers, participate in numerous profession related websites, network, are active participants of their community and perhaps even doting parents. They run their lives as they run their project. They plan, they schedule, they prioritize and get the work done. And to top it all they are creative – it takes some to manage time so effectively if nothing else.
Also, the most frequently mentioned contextual factor characterizing high-creativity events was freedom. Think about entrepreneurs, individuals who are self employed, people whose writings you bookmark and read everyday- think Seth Godin, think Chris Brogan, think Pamela Slim, think Tim Ferris, think Scott Berkun…..when the pressures off performance and delivery; people might come up with real creativity.
But can everyone be creative? Do you want to be creative? Anyone with the inclination to be one perhaps can find a way to be creative to an certain extent and how life changing it is
But then, there are people like J K Rowling who were creative under tremendous pressure initially and some more here.
Here’s an interesting aspect of creativity- giving time to think might just be the answer you are looking for.
Edison spent a good deal of time just thinking. He fished off the end of his dock for an hour almost everyday of his life. He always fished by himself but he never caught any fish. Observers always thought it was strange that Edison would spend so much time fishing when he really wasn't that good at it.
Late in life, he was asked about his obsession with fishing even though he was probably the worst angler anyone had ever seen. His answer was, “I really never caught any fish because I have never used any bait.” Most people were shocked and thought he was crazy so they asked, “Why in the world would you fish without bait?”
His answer? “Because when you fish without bait, people don’t bother you and neither do the fish. It provides me my best time to think.” (Source)
Science of Creativity- Tim Ferris has written about his own creativity and I find it quite interesting.
I think creativity is as complicated as it seems. Here’s another of my favorites from Elizabeth Gilbert who practices creativity.
I like being creative and for most part want to be considered as one, so if wrote poetry when I was 21; now I try to bring creativity in my work I do- in my blog, my website, food or simply my everyday life.
SIPM updates and press release
- Post login (if you are a registered user), the "network updates" will now display updates from your own network, which is either a newbie or an expert. This allow you to get to know your peers and network among yourselves.
- System emails- All emails including welcome emails after registration or forgot password emails, sometimes go to your "spam" folder, please make sure you check it if you are expecting any emails from SIPM. We are working on it.
Thank you everyone who has signed up and all the encouragement through emails and twitter. To know more click here.
