| Project Management: Your Key to Self-Sufficiency |
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| Written by Michelle LaBrosse | ||||||||||
| Wednesday, 01 July 2009 | ||||||||||
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Remember the children’s rhyme: Mary, Mary, Quite Contrary How does your garden grow? With silver bells and cockle shells I’d like to add another line: And Project Management from row to row Summer is the time for gardening, and this summer, gardening has had a resurgence. Call it eco-awareness or getting back to our roots (pun intended), gardening is more than a hobby; it’s the most basic form of self-sufficiency. It also allows me to combine two passions: Project Management and being in the great outdoors. That’s why I started the Square Foot Garden Project in Alaska with my friends and family. The concept behind the Square Foot Garden is that anyone, anywhere can enjoy one. You don’t have to have a green thumb to grow your own food; you just need a project plan and the ability to roll up your sleeves. As I was working on the garden, I got to thinking about self-sufficiency, and I realized that Project Management has helped me to be self-sufficient throughout my life – no matter what projects I tackled. Think about it when you have to meet a tough challenge. What always works? Taking the time to plan. Thinking. Gathering your thoughts. Setting goals and objectives. Assessing the risks. Building the right team. These are just a few of the things that you do as a good project manager. So, ask yourself, what is keeping you from the level of self-sufficiency that you would like? Is it debt? Is it energy costs? Healthcare? Whatever it is, you can write a project plan that will help you make a change. And don’t think that small changes don’t matter. They do. Here are just a few ideas to get you started. Choose a project that you have passion for, write your project plan and go! 1) Plant your own Square Foot Garden. My friend recommended a great book to me called All New Square Foot Gardening. This book really inspired me to write my project plan and get moving. 2) Get a bike and ride it whenever possible to run errands. Remember the thrill of riding your bike as a kid. Now, bikes are no longer kid stuff. If you live in an area where you can ride your bike into town, what better way to lessen your own dependence on your car and oil? 3) Make your own gifts and cards from recycled materials. I have a friend who did this for an entire year. She bought no gifts, wrapping paper or cards and made gifts with only recycled materials in her house. She got very creative with it, and we all looked forward to seeing what her gift would be at a birthday party or holiday gathering. 4) Choose a “Do It Yourself” area to learn about: plumbing, basic car maintenance, handy man or woman basics. A basic visit from the plumber can easily set you back a hundred dollars or more. If you’ve ever wanted to be handier, this could be a great area of focus for you. 5) Entertain the old fashioned way. Are your kids dependent on their Wii’s or PlayStations for entertainment? Do you default to DVD on a rainy day? How about bringing out some old-fashioned entertainment plans: charades, Scrabble, cards, board games? Make your family or friends part of the planning team and take turns on whose night it is to choose some low-tech entertainment. No electricity or Internet connection required. Complete a Cheetah Action Project and Get 60 PDUs Whether you decide to plant a garden or build a new deck, Cheetah Action Project was designed to bring the phases of Project Management to life. You choose the project and we supply the Project Management know-how that you need to get it done successfully. Need inspiration? Click here to see some of the projects our students have completed in Cheetah style. | ||||||||||
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