5 ways project management skills help you master everyday life

The stereotypical project management career is all about Gantt charts, risk registers and meetings, meetings, meetings. Those of us who are in the project profession know that the real skill of managing successful projects comes from having the right training and a good deal of experience, along with aptitude, interest, discipline and good judgement.

It’s no surprise that some of these skills come in very in handy in our lives outside work. Here are some examples where I find myself using project management approaches outside my day job.

Managing the daily schedule

Calendars are a project management tool that I make good use of both inside and outside work. As well as constantly referring to the various ‘daily scope’ scribbles on my kitchen wall calendar, being a parent means I need to run quality checks (school uniform on correctly, breakfast fully eaten), as well as running regular mental progress reports to make sure we’re on track to get the family out of the door on time, every time.

Sharing the load

Balancing work commitments with school drops off and pickups is a well-documented nightmare for families with parents that work full-time, not to mention ferrying children to and from various after-school activities. The negotiation and scheduling skills I have developed through a career in project management are regularly put to the test, in ensuring that everyone in my family can be where they need to be, and that no-one is left waiting at the school gate.

Saving for the future

Whether it’s pensions, mortgages or working out how long we’d have to save up for a big purchase, I love setting up a simple spreadsheet model and running a sensitivity analysis to see how different assumptions can affect outcomes. My project management experience has built up my patience and discipline when managing longer term savings. From assessing the options to sticking to a plan, I enjoy dedicating an occasional Saturday morning to assessing progress against financial goals, keeping longer-term benefits in mind.

Avoiding entertainment scope-creep

My children would happily drain the family finances by signing up for every available activity and club. Strict prioritisation and cost control are essential in setting budgets and monitoring this kind of discretionary spend. Moving budgeted funds into dedicated savings accounts is my banking-app equivalent of project cost codes!

Getting away from the grind

Holidays have always been my favourite indulgence. Solo backpacking adventures are no longer an option; these days I have some tricky stakeholders to manage. I chat to each family member to find out what they most want to do and we usually end up with a busy blend of action-packed weekenders, peaceful retreats and cultural city breaks, to keep everyone happy.

From tools to principles to lessons learnt, project management approaches give me a mental framework for navigating uncertainty, balancing competing needs and creating a sense of order in all areas of my life.

Even when things don’t go to plan.

Which happens quite often.