Project management is a fun and challenging profession, where you deal with many different elements such as managing deadlines, budgets, team dynamics and stakeholders. Just over three years ago, I jumped into this adventure with great enthusiasm and started to build a small survival kit. I’ve put together a list of essentials that I believe are a must-have for every (starting) project manager to have in their survival kit.

Stress balls and punching bags for stressful moments

Let’s be honest, stress comes within any job, but it is no unknown territory for a project manager. Think about a deadline that’s at risk, budgets that are being exceeded, or a client who wants to make some last-minute changes. Having a stress ball on hand to squeeze in can help relieve stress. If you want to take it more seriously, I would recommend hanging a punching bag in the office and take your stress out on it. Afterwards, you can tackle any next challenge.

A well-organized and structured agenda

Without a clear overview, managing various projects can become more difficult. Therefore, it is essential to have a well-organized and structured agenda that includes your appointments, ongoing projects, deadlines, milestones and of course enough space and time for taking notes, writing reports and project updates.

Make use of (a) tool(s)

When you have a well-organized agenda, the use of one or more tools to keep track of your projects is a no brainer. Which tools you use is a personal choice, as long as they allow for monitoring progress, planning, and documenting the projects.

A crystal ball for making though decisions

During a project, there is always that moment when a though decision has to be made and the outcome of that decision is not always that clear. After endless discussions and considerations, it might be advisable to consult a crystal ball that can give you guidance on which decision to make.

A protein bar for emergencies

Let’s point out that a project manager has a well-organized and structured agenda. But of course, meetings can take longer than expected, an urgent task might come up, or an important e-mail needs to be answered during your lunch break. In such cases, having a protein bar at hand is the perfect solution. The bar provides you with the necessary nutrients to stay focused and avoid you going hangry.

A good noise-cancelling headset

Invest in a proper noise-cancelling headset. This will come in handy when you really need to focus on important tasks or when you have a meeting where you fully need to concentrate on your conversation partner. In these kind of situations you just need to be able to shut out the outside world.

A (non-)alcoholic beverage

And yes, after all that hard work, it is also time to relax. Which might include an (non-)alcoholic beverage with or without an vegetarian snack platter. I believe it is very important that we can work hard and under pressure together, bus also have time and space to relax and to get to know each other in a more personal setting. I find this an essential part of building a team.

(Bad) humor

Finally, a good sense of (bad) humor. But you might already have noticed that while you where reading this blog. Yes, there are tense moments during a project, and yes, emotions can run high at some point. But that is why it is so important to be able to laugh with each other over a bad joke even during a crisis situation. It will help to relieve the tension and will give that space to look at the issue from a different angle.

All of this is written with a touch of humor, and a lot of project management is based on a positive mindset, a pragmatic approach on your projects, experience and a great team to work with. Important to keep in mind is that you are doing this together and that you can lean on each other strengths to deliver the best project outcome. I hope you found this blog helpful, and if not, I at least hope you have read this blog with a smile. If you think something is missing in this survival kit, feel free to reach out!