Think Like a Project Manager (Even When You’re Not One)
May 2025: First up, I’m delighted to announce the publication of Dreaming of the Office, Second Edition! It’s been a while coming, but it nicely pulls together many of the thoughts I’ve shared in this Substack while remaining tight, accessible, and easy to dip into. You can get the Kindle version on Amazon, and the paperback is coming soon.
I’ve never had “Project Manager” in my job title. Maybe you haven’t either. But if you’ve ever stared down a to-do list that looks like a game of Jenga about to collapse—or juggled conflicting deadlines, competing requests, and vague deliverables—then congratulations: you’ve already been a project manager. You just didn’t get the badge.
The truth is, in hybrid working life, most of us are our own project managers in a sense. There’s no one breathing down our necks with Gantt charts or war room whiteboards. Often, we’re expected to deliver without a formal plan, a team kick-off, or even a shared understanding of what success looks like.
So, what do you do when there’s no project plan but the work is still stacking up?
Here’s how I’ve learned to think like a project manager—even when I’m technically not one—and how it’s saved my sanity more times than I can count.
Define the ‘project’—even if no one else has
Just because no one’s called it a project doesn’t mean it isn’t one. That deck you need to write, the onboarding plan for a new hire, the six-week sprint to update the website, or even planning your child’s birthday party (yes, really)—all of these are projects.
So I start by mentally promoting each of these from ‘task blob’ to ‘mini project.’ That simple shift changes how I think. Instead of asking what do I need to do today?, I ask what stage is this at?, who’s involved?, and what’s the real goal here?
I often create a one-line description for each project, like:
“Redesign the sales deck before the product launch so the whole team is aligned on messaging.”
That alone makes it feel more concrete.
Give the chaos a container
Without structure, everything bleeds into everything else. I used to have 20 half-started tasks fighting for attention, each yelling “me first!” My brain turned into a bad airport: too many planes circling, none landing.
So I learned to group related tasks into “workstreams” or categories. For instance:
“Content updates for Q2”
“Internal process cleanup”
“Client onboarding prep”
Then I block time in my calendar around those. Not for every task individually—but for chunks of focused work. That’s what a project manager would do: allocate time by stream, not micro-manage every line item.
Build a mini project plan (but keep it human)
No one’s asking you to open Microsoft Project (thank goodness), but a little planning goes a long way.
I jot down:
Key deliverables (What does ‘done’ look like?)
Rough timeline (When do things need to happen?)
Dependencies (What do I need from others?)
Risks (What could trip me up?)
You can scribble this on a sticky note or make a quick table in Notion, OneNote, or even a Google Doc. It doesn’t have to be fancy—it just has to exist. Otherwise, everything stays stuck in your head…and your head will revolt.
Don’t manage tasks—manage energy and focus
One mistake I used to make: treating every task as equally urgent, equally important, and equally easy to do at any time. That’s not how we work.
Instead, I now ask:
Is this deep work or light work?
Does it need quiet focus or just admin energy?
When in the day am I best placed to do this?
Then I schedule accordingly. I leave mornings for brain-heavy work. I batch shallow tasks (like replying to emails or reviewing docs) for the afternoon dip. This isn’t project management in the formal sense, but it is how good project managers plan their team’s time.
Track progress, not perfection
Without a project manager checking in, it’s easy to lose sight of where you are. That’s when things start slipping through the cracks.
I’ve learned to do a quick weekly review—nothing dramatic, just:
What’s moving forward?
What’s stuck?
What did I finish?
What’s ballooning beyond its original scope?
You could use task-tracking tools (like Todoist or Microsoft To Do) but frankly you could do this just as well with a paper notebook or a whiteboard. The point is to have some kind of feedback loop—so you’re not flying blind.
Name the bottlenecks
Sometimes you’re not stuck because you’re slacking—it’s because something else is blocked. Maybe you’re waiting on a reply, a decision, or someone’s input.
Project managers are great at spotting this. So when I notice I’m spinning my wheels, I ask: What am I waiting for? Then I follow up. Or find a workaround. Or just make a decision and move on.
Naming the bottleneck is powerful. It shifts you from “Why am I failing?” to “What’s the hold-up—and what can I do about it?”
Keep your ‘stakeholders’ in the loop (even if it’s just your manager)
A lot of workplace stress comes from mismatched expectations. You think it’s going fine. They think it’s taking too long. Or vice versa.
So I try to share quick updates—especially if something’s delayed, pivoting, or needs input. Just like a project manager would. I might say:
“Just a heads-up: the draft will land Thursday instead of Wednesday—I’m factoring in some extra review time. Let me know if that’s a problem!”
No drama. No apology spiral. Just visibility and clarity.
Celebrate milestones (and closures)
Without a formal project team, it’s easy to forget to celebrate. But humans are wired to need endings and a sense of progress.
So when I wrap something—especially if it’s been dragging on—I take a moment. Maybe it’s a “done!” emoji in my notes, a quick message to the team, or even just making a cup of tea and reflecting: That was a good piece of work. I’m proud of that.
Project managers mark milestones for a reason. You should too.
Final thought: It’s your project, whether anyone else knows it or not
You don’t need the title. You don’t need the Gantt chart. But if you’re the one holding the threads of something complex, you are the project manager.
So take the reins. Give things shape. Push for clarity. Track the flow. Share the load. And—most importantly—keep your own sanity in mind as you go.
The work may be messy, but your mindset doesn’t have to be.