Yes, I use my management tools all the time

I’m often asked, “Mike, do you actually use any of the tools you tell us about?” My answer is, “ABSOLUTELY !!”.

Let me give you an example and tell you why I believe in tools so much. It’s November, 2008 and I’m about to fly to Dubai in a few days to deliver my 32nd IT Manager Institute. One of the things that makes it easier for me is that I have a checklist that guarantees I’m ready for each class.

CLICK HERE to download the Class Preparation Checklist.

This little checklist literally eliminates the stress and concern as to whether I’m prepared, , , or not. It also guarantees that when I arrive at the class location, I have everything I’m supposed to have – i.e., no mishaps.

Let me emphasize two points – “It eliminates the stress of preparing for a class and improves my productivity in getting ready for the class.”

BIG BENEFITS !!

Basically, it’s just a simple project plan that’s organized by weekly completion time before the class, the week of the class, and the week after.

For example, I know that I have to order IT Management-101 paperback books at least 4 weeks ahead of the class if I need them; otherwise they may not get here in time. Same thing with reserving a classroom, etc.

On the other hand, there are many things that can be completed at the last minute – like the week before the class.

And then there are things that I can’t forget to do before leaving for the class such as:
– go to the bank and get money for the trip
– pack my passport if I’m going out of country
– pack the gifts I plan to hand out
– get a haircut

In the example, I’m showing you the status of preparing for the Dubai class and you can see that it is just a few days before I leave. Having this list allows me to quickly see what’s not completed (identified by a “/”) versus what has been completed (identified with an “X”). This totally eliminates the stress of preparing for class because I can see what I need to do and I never worry about forgetting something.

When this list is completed, all I have to do is go deliver the class, , , piece of cake.

You might find this type of tool helpful for many events or things you do like holding a meeting, delivering training, coordinating a User Group meeting, etc.

Good luck