While there are several flavors of project management for different industries, we’re going to discuss what a project manager at this particular outfit does to keep the Upswept engine running.

Start with Digital Matchmaking

At Upswept, the project manager’s work begins before a contract is signed, with evaluating inquiries that come in from our customer maybe-matches. It requires preparing questions and notes for consultations that help determine whether what the customer has in mind is a project that we can slam-dunk. When everyone can say, “Yes, absolutely!” the next step is to put together a proposal that lists out exactly what the customer will get out of the project, what the process will look like, the estimated timeline, and the price. Once everyone signs off, we’re clear for take-off!

Gather the Necessities

You can’t deliver  awesome results if you don’t have the tools or components. That means collecting information that will give our craftspeople the strongest start—passwords, relevant links, visual assets, and bits of inspiration. At Upswept, we have a Client Portal that gives clients a single place to fill out Discovery forms, drop files in shared Google Folders, provide passwords, and schedule face-time with us. It’s the project manager’s responsibility that this portal is easy to use and that all the information that’s entered in it gets back to the people who can act on it.

Plot the Steps

For the creative folks who are about to make digital dreams come true, a systematized approach avoids time-wasting confusion. We have internal project management software that comes with a series of task lists for each of our projects—the client onboarding process, the discovery process, roadmap creation and delivery, website builds, the works! It’s the project manager’s job to set up that series of steps that lead from beginning to end, assign dates, and update with relevant information as it comes.

Keep Things Clean and Clear

There’s nothing like dead air to kill a creative project. It’s the project manager’s job to make sure questions get to the people who can answer them, and check in frequently until they get answered. This is where an organized approach to email becomes a must to maintain one’s grasp on the timeline. You can read more about this in one of my earlier blog posts about the Email Processing Ecosystem.

Tie It Up in a Beautiful Bow

When a project comes to an end, it’s no time to leave clients hanging! The project manager is responsible for reviewing everything that has been done and making sure the client has suggested next steps to use their new website or continue on with a successful social media presence. They also document the process internally, analyzing what happened over the course of the project and what can be done better in the future.

A good project manager must be proactive while keeping an eye on the details as well as how those details come together to create a bigger picture. Most of all, they’re responsible for ensuring everyone is moving in the same direction and reaching a destination that’s satisfying for both the client and their team. So if you’re feeling lost, reach out to your friendly project manager with your questions. It’s literally what they’re there for.

“Should I make that into a task?” has become a punchline in our weekly Upswept team meetings.

But no love for planners, software, or stationery can overcome the reality of being a human.

Humans, despite our best intentions, have fluctuating energies that often produce a gap between what we think we can accomplish and what we actually do. I’ve been learning this the hard way in 2020, as I imagine many of you ambitious business-oriented types have.

How Resolutions Tend to Go

A lot of people in my circles, and possibly yours, are giving up on New Year’s Resolutions altogether. It makes sense—they don’t work for most people (80% of people ditch them by February by a recent estimate).

On the other hand, we constantly hear how important it is to make SMART goals, ones that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. But that doesn’t always work for everyone either.

When I started to write this blog, I began by going back through the past few years of my resolution lists, and I discovered something a little disconcerting. I’ve been making similar resolutions every year for the past three years. Even though I’d made well articulated plans with manageable milestones to hit month-by-month, I still hadn’t made the progress I’d set out to make.

Time to try something new.

Looking Back on What Really Happened

I know, I know. You probably think you didn’t do a thing this year, but that probably isn’t true. When I spent a little time pondering the past year and journaling, I came up with a whole list of accomplishments and insights that surprised me.

Your resolution to visit your relatives more may have been torpedoed, and you may have given up on learning Mandarin on Duolingo after a few weeks. You may have lost all motivation and abandoned your blog. However, I’m going to bet that one of the following still took place.

You achieved something that you haven’t given yourself credit for.

You nurtured a relationship with someone in person or remotely. This could be a family member, friend, partner, or pet.

You developed a new method of self care. For instance, I finally got into different kinds of tea, which is something I’ve wanted to do for years.

You learned something new. Yes, a comprehensive knowledge of Kate Bush’s musical catalogue counts. So does figuring out how to set up your Mailchimp account or host a webinar.

Reflecting on the things you did manage to do in this nightmare of a year will tell you something about your values and the things that bring you comfort. What can you take away from this list and apply to the year to come—whatever challenges it may hold?

Do More of What is Working for You

There has been enough upheaval in our lives in 2020 that trying to force ourselves into the patterns that we think make people “successful” is asking for intolerable stress. Instead, I suggest you take the things you’ve learned from your reflections and focus on what you know you can do rather than the results that you think you’re going to get by doing things “the right way.”

Maybe you’ve discovered that your creativity comes alive at night. Loud online entrepreneurs might be screaming that only morning people are truly successful. Forget ‘em. Instead of forcing yourself to wake up at 4 a.m. every day to do 2 hours of writing, keep doing your work at night and let yourself sleep in a little.

Maybe you managed to land a new client that you enjoyed working with. What did you like about them? How did you connect with them? Instead of saying, “I’m going to find 5 new clients,” upsell that client so you can work with them more, or ask them for a referral.

Maybe you spent a lot of time connecting with other businesses on Instagram. Instead of saying, “I’m going to bring in 500 new social media followers by using Facebook ads,” you could focus on nurturing those connections you’ve already made on your preferred platform and seeing how you can partner with them.

You might need to widen your net later on, but for now, start with what’s been working.

Change Course Whenever You Want

You might burn out on Instagram. You might get too tired staying up late and working. Maybe your client’s needs have been fully served. There’s no shame in shifting tactics rather than doubling down.

While the turning from one year to the next is a wonderful time to reflect, regroup, and create goals, our motivation and preferences shift. Don’t fight it—use it. The paper you’re writing your resolutions on is two-dimensional, but you’re not. Instead of flattening yourself, build your resolutions around who you are.

Interested in getting a little guidance on how your business can show up more effectively online without keeping your personality confined? Sarah is hosting a Purpose Powered Website program in January, for those of you who want a website that reflects who you are, and makes life and business easier. Reserve your spot here.

I sorted email with folders when folders were the thing. Then, when everyone realized how annoying that was, I switched to using labels. I’m still working on perfecting the art of the Gmail filter, and may be doing so until the day the grid collapses.

Yes, yes, like my fellow Upswept-ers, I’m a nerd. But, also like my fellow Upswept-ers, I loathe a cliché. 

The concept of “Inbox Zero” seemed like nothing but a buzzword, and, frankly, a waste of time. Why not just keep your recent emails at hand? What were a few rows of text if you could easily find what you needed anyway? Wasn’t this just another way for tech bros to flex on normies—like wearing black turtlenecks daily or waking up at 4 a.m. to drink a glass of cold water and do 50 push-ups?

Preparing our online class on email management led me through multiple methods of inbox management. I had scaled down to about 30–60 emails in our company inbox over the last few weeks, and I thought, “Aaaaw…why not give this thing a shot?”

What it Feels Like to Totally Empty Your Inbox

The concept of Inbox Zero means that you create an email processing and archiving system that leaves your actual inbox with nothing in it by the end of the day (or whatever point in time you decide). When you get there, all of your emails have been sorted or acted upon in one way or another. 

So I finally buckled down and tried it, and it was like the first time I jumped off a diving board as a kid (although my second grade cohorts weren’t there goading me into it—just a chorus of faceless bloggers). Looking at a big white box with only the words “Your Primary Tab is Empty” gave me a free-falling sensation in my gut the first several times I looked at it.

You’ve gotta get your socially-distanced kicks somehow I guess.

This doesn’t mean that you just delete everything that comes in, however. Inbox Zero requires you to have tools and the systems in place to actually deal with things as they come. It almost demands that you have a plan for how to act on whatever message is zapped your way.

Respecting Your Digital Ecosystem

The biggest thing that I’ve learned about email processing in the last week is that it’s much more than just a collection of messages. It’s not a digital desert island receiving communications via virtual carrier pigeon. To really be able to deal with your inbox, you need help from other apps. 

Think of it this way: if you needed to write a book review (yes, I’m talking about books again), sorting your bookshelf into alphabetical order would help you find what you need more easily. However, it’s only one step to get organized and get the result you want.

Your calendar shows you when the report is due, and helps you plan when you’ll work on it. The assignment is going to be part of your to-do list, because you doubtlessly have a lot of other things going on. Of course, you probably also have a notebook or notes app to write down all the important points and get your drafts in order. Then, you have a word processor to complete the article itself.

Your inbox’s ecosystem extends beyond what goes into your account—into the realms of your calendars, your to-do lists, your project management systems, and your personal note taking software. It takes more than a few color-coded categories to get all that you need to get out of your inbox.

Trying out Inbox Zero has really emphasized the importance of dealing with your email as it comes. It has given me perspective on how the way you deal with your inbox can help your workday move more easily—especially as a project manager! 

My recommendation is if you’re truly going to embrace your inner nerd, you’ve got to be willing to jump right off that diving board and over your hatred of cliches. It’ll probably help you get some work done too.

Here’s another link to that class if you’d like to hear more about how I did it.