I finally did it. A major career milestone achieved. I passed the Project Management Professional (PMP) exam on my first attempt on October 31st!
Studying for the exam, however, was a different experience. The past 11 weeks was my second attempt at doing so. My first attempt at studying for the certification occurred almost two years ago. A New Year’s resolution, if you will. “I’m going to get my PMP by the end of 2017.”
Do you know that 80% of New Year’s Resolutions fail by mid-February?
I purchased the books, the podcasts, the PMBOK, got really motivated….for about 8 weeks. Then life happened – a long overdue engagement (read: wedding planning), increased job responsibilities, and a rather full social calendar. And when I did have some downtime, there’s social media feeds to scroll through, a laundry list of TV to watch, and…actual laundry to do. Next thing you know, were singing Christmas carols with no further career advancements.
Then, in the latter half of 2018, I forged ahead, and ahead, and ahead…until I crossed the finish line.
What made the first time studying different from the second time around?
– Knowing my motivators. For me, it has been an intrinsic need to get 1) my second certification, and 2) my wanting to sidestep into a different career path for a few years now. I wanted it bad, and I knew it would bog me down cognitively and emotionally if I didn’t. I kept going back to that thought if I started to slip during my study weeks. What are you motivated by?
– Announcing it to the world. This gives you two crutches: keeping track of your progress (so that you are less likely to stray from it), and a support from your network (A little “keep going!” here, a bit of “you can do it!” there from family and friends is a big self-esteem booster.) Keep yourself accountable through monitored progress, and surround yourself with positive/supportive people.
– Time management is everything. The past 11 weeks has enforced what I already know: Time is money, money is time. This concept breaks down into 3 distinct parts:
- Enforcing a deadline. It took me several days to cobble together the PMP application. Once approved, I chose a date roughly 11 weeks out, which is approximately 4 hours of studying per day. This ensures that the study guide would be followed, and forces you into disciplined efforts.
- Prioritization. Four hours of studying…where can I find that time? I performed a time audit early in my studies, and found the areas where I spent unproductive minutes. Even with time efficiency, I still needed more time. So, sacrifices needed to be made – e.g. waking up an hour earlier, less social commitments, and *gasp* less time for the gym. Prioritization, unfortunately, begets sacrifices. It’s only 11 weeks anyway – suck it up.
- Life timing. This one is probably the hardest to predict, as there are some external forces at play. During my first attempt at studying, I had weddings to attend (and plan!), upcoming trips, other social commitments, other personal deadlines, major work deadlines…my point is, you have a limited amount of time. If you’re expecting all of these events to happen in the next several months, don’t commit yourself to studying. If you’re anticipating a stretch of relatively commitment-free weeks, then I suggest you use that time wisely.
In reflection, my first attempt at studying did not include many of the items noted above. However, learning from your mistakes is also key to growth. Learn from your failures will only push you forward. As corny as it sounds, I’ll leave you with an old age adage of, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”!
MeganSoriano.com 