You're juggling IT projects and personal time. How can you find a balance that works for you?

Balancing IT projects with personal life hinges on effective prioritization. It's essential to distinguish between tasks needing immediate attention and those that can wait. This approach isn't just about meeting deadlines; it's also about understanding each task's role in your project's overall success. By prioritizing based on urgency and importance, you can manage your time efficiently, avoid over commitment, and safeguard personal time for a healthy work-life balance.

The most famous way to do this is the Eisenhower Matrix, or some people call it Stephen Covey matrix as he is the one popularized it on his book. In short words, it's a task management way that helps us to organize and prioritize tasks by urgency and importance. Many resources available to learn about it, one of the easiest to understand is "Using the Eisenhower Matrix" Youtube video from DecisionSkills channel.

O grande equilibrio que todos procuram entre trabalho e vida pessoal. Aqui vai uma dica: Não se compare com ninguém. Ninguém mesmo. Muito menos todos de Instagram, TikTok etc. que tem a vida fantástica. Bom, na real sabemos que não é bem assim, mas nossa mente tende a isso, a olhar somente para os momentos postados e acreditar que aquilo representa 100%. Mas temos que ter a certeza que não são. Ouvi uma frase do pai de um amigo meu uma vez: "Não existe vida feliz ou triste. A vida é feita destes momentos. Saiba aproveitá-los pois todos são importantes".

You need time to focus on your important and urgent work. Use your calendar to block several hours per week to focus, set your MsTeams to Do-Not-Disturb. If you work with multi time zone team, sometimes consider to put out-of-office block during your important time, even for lunch time. And also important to mention your working time zone, i.e. all approval is expected on 4 PM Jakarta time (GMT+7) so people know your boundaries.

Eu coloco na agenda o que vou fazer. Academia? Caminhada? Jantar em familia? Passear com o cachorro? Não importa. Coloque na sua agenda que isso ajuda seu cérebro a entender estes temas com a mesma importância dos demais - pois estão no memso "local"!

Finding balance in life is as crucial as balancing a bike. To ride a bike we must know to balance it and to live life we must know to balance and it's the only way to live. Balancing can be achievable by being organized on time and is crucial for a successful life which can be possibly achieved by setting clear boundaries on anything we do. Setting a schedule with a template that works for an individual like "Eisenhower Matrix" and being clear on Parkinson's law makes any day the best day. Remind yourself, "The World treats us the way we set them to treat us". If we do not respect the way we handle our time neither does the world.

Delegar é diferente de Delargar. Então como gestor, delegue aquilo que tens certeza que seu time está com capacidade de fazer - capacidade envolve conhecimento técnico na realização, tempo e softskills para o envolvimento com os demais participantes da ação.

Effective delegation is crucial in IT management, enabling tasks to be entrusted to team members or stakeholders with the right skills and capacity. Besides lightening your workload, delegation empowers your team by fostering growth and responsibility. Clear communication and trust are key: outlining expectations and desired outcomes ensures tasks are completed efficiently while developing team capabilities. This approach not only enhances productivity but also strengthens teamwork and skill development within your IT projects.

New age requires new solutions. If you don't know where to start - try a new system. I loved the Building the Second Brain book from Tiago Forte. It gives you a new perspective on how to use tech as a powerful weapon. Tools like Evernote, Notion, or Roam Research are recommended for capturing, organizing, and retrieving information, but you can use whatever you want. Don't mark tech as evil - use it to your advantage. It is a tool the same as a pen/paper or a hammer. It can do wonders for the amount of time you have and the quality of it.

Com certeza usar das ferramentas tecnológicas que temos ajuda e muito a gestão de projetos e tarefas. Eu não me canso de citar o MS Teams que pra mim é o mais completo englobando comunicação, compartilhamento, gestão de tarefas, anotações e tudo mais que ele permite conectar.

Se você colocou na agenda estas atividades pessoais, com certeza já é um grande passo para a sua execução. E quando vc conseguir, aceite isso como uma vitória e se premie com isso. Nem que seja algo muito pequeno, mas faça pois nossa mente adora recompensas

Find hobbies; could be gym, boxing, Lego or anything. You need time for your personal wellbeing. You may say that you are too busy to have time for 1 hour gym, then allocate sometime on weekend or after office. Or just simply have a 10 to 15 minutes meditation before sleep will helps us to reduce our stress. The simplest method of meditation is "Breathwork Meditation".

There will be times when work demands more attention or personal activities require extra time. By implementing the below strategies and prioritizing your well-being, you can develop a sustainable approach - Project Prioritization: At work, prioritize your IT projects. Use frameworks like the Eisenhower Matrix to categorize tasks based on urgency and - Realistic Deadlines: Set realistic deadlines for your projects and avoid overloading yourself. - Delegation: Don't be afraid to delegate tasks to colleagues who have the skills and capacity. This empowers your team and allows you to focus on your core responsibilities - Continuous Evaluation: Finding balance is an ongoing process.