5 New Year’s Resolutions for PMs

Hitting the gym three times a week, making less impulsive purchases, striking a better work-life balance… These resolutions can be tough to stick to. Sure, you might eat more salads the first week of January or force yourself to go to bed at a reasonable time on Sundays. But when it comes to setting — and meeting — those lofty resolutions each year, sustainability is the key.

That’s why, while we can’t necessarily help you with losing weight or spending more time with family, we can carve out five New Year’s resolutions that project managers can actually follow through with.

Did any of these make it on your list for 2024?

Let’s take a look:

1. Don’t freak out about AI

AI has been threatening to gobble up jobs, leaving many people worried that they’ll be left without a steady income in the next few years. In fact, Gartner worryingly predicted that 80% of today’s project management discipline will be eliminated by AI.

But before you spiral, it’s important to understand just which parts of the discipline AI will replace. Namely, AI is expected to streamline tasks like data collection and analysis, real-time reporting, decision-making, and risk assessments — you know, manual, time-consuming processes that often keep you from doing the real work.

That’s why, instead of freaking out, project managers should understand that they have an opportunity to work with AI technologies to make their jobs easier and lighten their workloads. So they can get back to actually strategizing and being productive.

Or, at the very least, listen to reddit user samipk1234’s rationalization: “[AI] won’t [replace PMs], I would love to see AI chase the developers 24/7 via emails and not get a reply.”

2. Host meetings people won’t absolutely dread

Yeah, meetings can be brutal. And though they should largely be rendered obsolete, some are simply unavoidable, especially in project management. But you can make them less brutal by planning ahead of time and anticipating setbacks that might throw you off course.

That’s why we created a 10-step guide to planning a meeting people actually want to attend. 

From planning your talking points to testing your tech, you can use this comprehensive playbook to host truly productive meetings and avoid making people want to rip their hair out every time they get another calendar invite.

3. Play nice with stakeholders

Yes, this is just another glamorous part of the job that sets project managers apart from insentient tools. As reddit user 415native said, “Let’s see AI try to negotiate with stakeholders.”

It may seem impossible sometimes, but PMs can actually create smooth channels of communication with their stakeholders. Automated reporting tools, for example, can help cut down on those pesky status update meetings, shoulder taps, and facetime with stakeholders. Because they’ll automatically send out real-time data reports every week, month, or quarter. So you can keep important players up to speed and stay focused on meeting your project goals.

4. Improve your snack game

New year? New snacks. I mean…new me… A me who is fueled and often wholly sustained by snacks.

Yes, you might always have your tried-and-true snacks in your desk drawer or office kitchen. But it’s good to shake up your snack game every once in a while, too. That’s why we put together some snack recommendations from other people who love snacks: the Proggio team.

What did we find? Almost 40% of Proggio folks opted for sweet over savory snacks. Most notably, 30% chose chocolate cereals like Cocoa Krispies and Nesquik Choco Waves. Still over 30% pointed to one commonly savory snack, in particular, to get them through the day: Bamba Bissli Mix (with a special shout out to the BBQ variety).

5. Level-up your PPM without breaking the bank

This is like the project management version of saving money, improving work life, and reducing burnout all in one resolution.

After all, your PPM is the heart of your management operation. If it’s clunky and slow — and, on top of that, expensive — it’ll only drag you down and bring more stress into your life. On the other hand, if your PPM has the tools to help you streamline and automate project management tasks at more efficient costs, it can set you up for a more successful year than ever.

That’s why Proggio launched a free, frictionless version of our adaptive PPM, along with our fixed-price plans for unlimited users. So you can start building adaptive project timelines and keep teams connected every step of the way — without breaking the bank.

Ready to improve your project management game in 2024? Create a free Proggio account.