Giveaway

The new E-book- A Guide: Stepping into Project Management (Welcome to the #PMOT World) is ready for giveaway.

And there are 2 of them.

 To get your copy free (will be emailed to you), you can:

• Tweet about your project management plans for the future and why you want to become one with the Hashtag #SIPM, so I can find you.
• Or you can simply send a pic (via twitter) about your project management initiatives that you are taking. This can mean pictures about workshops attended, study groups to clear off certifications, prep books being delivered –pretty much anything that related to your interest in project management. Don’t forget to include the hashtag #SIPM, so I can find your post.

This is open till August 15 and 2 winners will be announced in the blog and twitter.

Don’t have a twitter account, get one. You will be surprised how much it can help you learn by following PM related hashtags, chats and other project managers.

For the rest of you, the book will be announced in the blog and twitter soon.

By the way, don't forget to sign up for the Free Google Hangout session on Sept 2 (Sunday) and the SIPM Newsletter. 

SIPM Monthly Newsletter

The SIPM monthly newsletter is on it’s way and to subscribe all you have to do is sign in (see to your right).

I used to maintain the Feedburner delivery of my posts and after a lot of contemplation if I should still keep it running, I decided to let it be.

If you are one of the subscribers, feel free to let me know if you would still like the service to continue or add yourself to the monthly newsletter list. You can email me directly or find me in twitter.

I’ll leave it to you.

The monthly newsletter is a way to connect to you and give out more on insider information on getting closer to your goal of becoming a Project Manager. The newsletter is the additional information that doesn’t find it’s way into the blogposts. It will answer your queries that I often get, insider knowledge of what’s coming up on SIPM next and true to it’s audience a way to tell the realities of being in the profession.

Have a wonderful weekend!

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

The #PMOT E-book

A Guide: Stepping into Project Management (welcome to the #PMOT circle), the upcoming e-book is almost ready, getting it’s finishing touches.

I always knew it would mean a lot of work to get it done; however I might have underestimated the hours it would take me to get there. So, the date is August.

I still have the cover page pending, last minute touches and editing is in full flow. I have deleted more while editing than writing and turns out it does take a while to get the hang of it.

So, what should you expect in the coming months?

• E-book Publication-A step by step guide to get into your dream role of a Project Manager.
• English isn't your first language-Like the blog, this E-book is in simple  working English, no jargon's, straight communication that allows newbies and fresh graduates from all over the world to understand what is required to get into Project Management.
• Expert Comments- Project Managers, Coaches and Trainers share their secrets in getting into the industry.
• Price-Keeping the newbies in mind, the e-book can be downloaded at a very reasonable $2.99 (Download will be available in pdf format). Payments through Paypal. All you have to do is click a button and you don’t need to have a Paypal account to buy the book.
• Free Google Hangout 30 minute session- On September 2 (Sunday): How to find your #PMOT mentor. The time will be announced later in the blog and via twitter. This interactive session is open to 8 people only based on first come, first serve basis. Please email me at steppingintopm@gmail.com to reserve your seat with the subject line: Reserve me for “How to find your #PMOT mentor. This is open to all, irrespective of the fact whether you have bought my book or not. The reservations start today.
• Next Session- This will be announced in August, after the book publication. This session is only for people who have bought the book. Your full name and email id will be required to make your reservation for the session. Details of the session will be announced in the blog and in the e-book. Stay tuned.
• New Hashtag Introduced- Called #SIPM, this hashtag has been introduced to enable you to follow all updates from the book, sessions and posts in the blog.
• Giveaway- Two E-Books will be given away in August (for free) through the blog. Stay tuned for announcements.
• Reviews- If you have a Project Management blog and would like to review the book, please ask me for a free copy. Email me with your blog URL with the subject line: SIPM Book review

 Have questions, want to advertise in the book or just want to say hello- email me or find me at twitter  at @Soma_b

Learn Free

I have been reading Scott H Young  for a while now.

I love what he has done with his blog and his latest challenge is finishing a 4 year MIT computer science course in 1 year without attending classes. Go Figure.

So, I thought this lecture of his from TED about the education system was worth listening to.

Education costs a lot, but what a lot of us are trying to do is to get as much as possible free resources available to all of you.

For your project management understanding, try the following:

• PMChat  -Held at every Friday 12 pm EST; Robert Kelly and Rob Prinzo bring out hundreds of project management professionals where topics are discussed and debated on. All you need is to follow #pmchat over twitter. Try it today.
• Friday Sessions with Samad Aidane- Samad Aidane from Guerrilla Project Management is doing Friday sessions about various topics on project management. It’s an informal way of talking about a specific subject and then continuing with FAQ sessions. It’s a great tool for everyone looking forward to learn the ropes of the profession faster. And it’s free. Today’s webinar details are here .
• SIPM Community - A global platform to get your mentor, internship opportunities or follow a project manager for a day. New experts and newbies register every day. A free resource to get you going.

·       If you are not free on Friday’s and can’t attend these live, ask for recordings or just follow the hashtag to read it up later. It’s rather simple really and I think it’s time all of us started taking advantage of the free resources and help we have.

(Pic Courtesy: Google Images)

Fear- Is your friend

Fear is your greatest companion.

A little fear does no harm.

In fact it’s good to be a little scared of getting on to your next challenge. Most people are scared of doing things first time like bungee jumping, going to your first job interview, emailing your hero, trying to do something extraordinary.

You can either be scared by not doing what you have been planning or just be scared and still do it scarily and be thrilled later on achieving your goal.

“Many of us let fear get in the way of long-term goals, and that's not good. But it's a mistake to think the solution is to overcome fear in general. You can't (at least, not without a temporal lobectomy)”.  

                           - Lifehacker

What do you want to do?

Here are 5 ways to face the fear, accept you are scared and still go ahead:

• Accept that you can’t change it- Waiting it out for weeks or months, won’t let the fear go away. Faster you accept it, better it is for you. If you still need to get it done, just go with the fear and still do it.
• Believe in yourself- Write down why you need to get this done. Once your thoughts are clear, chances are you will be able to do it even though you are scared. Too scared, keep the thought written in your purse, glance it once in a while and try the positive reinforcement.
• It’s ok to fail- Everybody has bad days and it’s all right to fail. Just go for your next certification or job interview or make some drastic changes in life and even if you fail, now you know the idea won’t work out. You will need that closure to move on in life.
• Finding an alternative- if you can find an alternative which might sound a little more scary, gives you more confidence or is within your comfort zone, go for it. Confidence in getting something done will allow you to take on complex challenges.
• Talk to someone- Find someone who has done similar tasks or taken up challenges that were scary. Talk to your mentor or read up other people in your profession; listening or reading about them and their failures will make it easier for you. No matter how successful you are, there has to be failures on the way.

Once you know that being scared is ok and normal most of the times, research and plan your work well, remove any obstacles that you possibly can and then go for it. 

(Pic courtesy: Google Images)