Keeping track of the resources, phases, responsibilities, and members involved in each project can be tricky, and if you’re working on more than one project at a time, really overwhelming. Fortunately, there is help available, great help. Today, there are tons of management tools trying to get your attention. But what features should the right one have for you?

A good project management tool will help you to centralize all the information and, at the same time, to allow all the workers to know what are the tasks that they must carry out at all times. It offers a view of the workflow distribution and allows you to adjust them without de-centring you or your team. Here are some of the features that a complete solution should have:

Planning

The planning tool is the true essence of your project management software. At the very least, it helps you keep track of all your scheduled tasks and deadlines. A shared team calendar can also be a great advantage, as can automatic notifications when the end of the term is approaching.

More sophisticated project planners allow you to distribute jobs and responsibilities to specific team members, giving you an even clearer picture of workflow and time allocation.

Work management

Work management is another basic feature of most project management tools. Good work management allows you to divide each project into phases and small tasks to which you can add deadlines and budgets. Newer tools also integrate ‘the critical path’ – the precise order in which tasks should be completed for the project to go through.

Collaboration and communication

Fluent communication is the key to the success of any project, so it should also be part of your project management tool. The best ones function as centers where you can enter basic data and detailed information. This is very positive, for example, for those who work from home.

Some tools also help share project information with clients. This can be a good way to keep your client informed about the progress of the work without having to hold briefings with him every few days.

Reports

Reports and statistics are useful for getting an overview of how your current project is going and learning from previous projects. Why did a project go over budget? Why couldn’t another be delivered on time? All of this will be here.

Budget management and control of resources

Some tools offer a specific management feature. This gives you an overview of the meeting rooms booked, planned and the resources used and everything that will cost. It is also useful to avoid duplication of reservations or lack of resources.

Time tracking and profitability control

Time tracking features help you define which tasks took the longest to complete on a previous project to better estimate costs and time in the future. Most tools offer basic time tracking, but the option to set different hourly rates and automatically add billable hours to your receipts can save you many hours of work and greater control of the profitability of your projects. #WorkSmarter

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From the hotel, it took us just four minutes to get to Yamnaya. This public beach has free parking where there is no problem in leaving the car. The beach itself is nothing special, in fact, it was a bit dirty from people’s garbage. When we got to the sand we felt a bit watched, we were the only foreigners and I suppose we caught their attention.

Anyway, the people were friendly. For example, at a time when I was left alone, a group of girls came up to me and gave me a flower. We left the towels on the beach, in an area where there were fewer people, and we went into the sea. The water temperature was very pleasant, however, it has a reputation for never falling below 20 degrees. And, almost from the first step, the coral begins. If you have ever scuba dived through areas of coral, you will know that its surface is very sharp and the cuts heal very slowly, therefore, I would say that it is highly recommended to wear some booties to protect your feet at the entrance. At least in the area through which we entered. We have had them for years and we have used them a lot, much more than we thought.

You don’t have to walk too long to start scuba diving. Just a few steps away there is enough depth to lie down and enjoy the marine richness of the Red Sea. Different types of corals, sponges, clownfish, amoebas, parrotfish, pufferfish, angelfish, lionfish, butterflyfish, and thousands of small colorful fish are what we could see during our dive near the Japanese Garden. The visibility was perfect and the calm of the sea allowed us to enjoy a beautiful experience.

We were floating in the sea fascinated for almost two hours! There were areas where you were surrounded by hundreds of small fish. In others you found small schools of larger fish or solitary pufferfish. But if there was a fish that was everywhere, it was the Red Sea clownfish (or Nemos, as the smallest of the house know them). Maybe there weren’t that many, but they made themselves known as they are very territorial. Although they are tiny (about 10 centimeters) when you passed near their anemone they would come out to defend it,
swimming towards us quickly in a threatening way. Even when we brought the GoPro closer than necessary to take a photo, they even hit it.

We left the sea wrinkled as you pass after two hours without stopping and very hungry. In the car we had some food that we had bought the previous days, so we ate and went to visit the diving center where we had two dives reserved for the next day. The Camel Dive Center is located on First Bay Beach. We wanted to visit them to schedule the next day’s dives and see how to get there.

The staff is very friendly and, since we were there, we asked them where we could do some more diving before we went to dinner. They recommended us to go to the beach that is right in front but we could not enjoy the reef since in the last minutes the wind and waves had risen and the seabed was very rough.

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Each of us dreams of living a pleasant and dignified life without having to count a penny, wants to earn good money and do the job that he likes and deserves. But it turns out that we can be our own enemies when we distract ourselves from the work process, scatter our attention and waste our energy. As a result, it turns out that our life is not so cloudless and pleasant as we would like. While everything is in our hands, and we can make our existence better, moreover, the main thing is to simply organize ourselves .

Social media is a very popular way to communicate and express yourself these days. Much has already been said about the fact that they can not only entertain, but literally steal a lot of our time. And okay, if the time is free, and not intended for work. That is, if you are on popular social networks during working hours, this needs to be corrected, and urgently. Just forbid yourself from visiting the relevant sites until you have completed at least the bulk of the planned work.

The same goes for web surfing in general. Surely each of you has a set of favorite sites – informational, entertainment, thematic – that are so interesting to look at before starting your working day. Again, limit viewing the pages you are interested in for half an hour if there is no way to put off surfing the Web until your lunch break or return home.

You shouldn’t listen to music while working . Especially if you’re working on an important assignment or project that needs your full attention. After all, listening to music, and especially your favorite tracks, will not allow you to concentrate 100% on your work. It is better to plunge into the world of melodies on the way home, or at least when doing simple monotonous tasks, but not while working on a serious task.

Long lunch breaks are a nice little thing for a long day at work. But in many cases, even an hour is too long – in large part due to the fact that a long meal and afternoon relaxation can take away from you the time that you would have spent making money. 15–20 minutes is enough to distract yourself, relax and refresh yourself in the interval between brainstorming and the implementation of all brilliant ideas.

If you are not yet employed and are waiting for an ideal vacancy for you , my advice to you is to do something that will help you not only get temporary income, but also some experience in the necessary and interesting area for you. Let it not be your dream job, but at least a step towards it, because gaining experience and the opportunity to feel confident in a future interview with a new employer is already a lot. Plus, you will not sit without money, in the form of an unrecognized genius.

The inability to communicate with people can prevent you not only from getting a promotion (and a corresponding increase in salary), but also from getting along with colleagues. Or miss that very vacancy of your dreams – just because you do not know how to present yourself, how to conduct “salon” conversations and how to charm the interlocutor.

You can earn more … by simply asking for a pay raise . The main thing is not to wait for the perfect moment, because this will never come by itself. Take the bull by the horns, start a conversation with your boss today, now. However, I do not advise those unprepared for such negotiations; think about how you will present your advantages and benefits to the employer. Describe your merits and in this way argue that you earned a promotion. Another option is to ask your boss directly what you need to do for the company to earn a promotion.

This point is especially relevant for freelancers and those whose working hours are determined by themselves. Don’t sleep long! An extra hour and a half in the morning will help you do more and, accordingly, get more in the end in monetary terms. If you are an owl, and you cannot physically get up earlier, then spend the same hour and a half at work in the evening. The principle is the same, and the result is worth the effort, if getting more is both the desire and the need.

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Friend has a fancy gadget? Be sure to buy yourself one, or even cooler, so that he is already jealous. Did a colleague take an unusual vacation? You just need to surpass him now. Such a merry-go-round can last a lifetime, but who needs such a race? Perhaps the match problem is only in your imagination? The most important thing is to live your own life, not someone else’s. If you think about it and assess the situation sensibly, you can understand that absolutely no one needs this leapfrog with the “who – whom” competition. And do not be her, your personal finances will only benefit.

The second class of financially problematic people are those who want everything and more , and preferably as soon as possible, right now . That is, saving up cash for the desired acquisition is not as exciting as going right there and buying it – albeit for credit funds. And let it be necessary to give them away, already using the purchased thing, and it is not scary that the thing may lose its relevance, break down, cease to interest you even before you pay off the loan. The main thing is to buy now, it’s not scary that overpaying and with the prospect of working for interest.

The third category of careless squandering people are those who still dream of living like people in American TV shows (or just ordinary people abroad – who have what ideals). Namely, to own a home and a car, and preferably not the most inferior or modest ones. You can also add to this list a passion for travel abroad and other delights of a well-fed life. It’s great if you can afford all this without getting into debt. But are the benefits worth it to work hard to pay for them (and payments on all loans)? According to statistics, it is American citizens who suffer most from debt on loans.

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Meeting the New Year, every time we make grandiose plans for the future , we make promises to ourselves and voice our wildest dreams. Now it’s time to act, the year has already begun, and at least in the field of personal finance, it is worth fulfilling all your plans, or at least trying to change the situation for the better (if it is even a little neglected). What should you pay attention to in personal finance when planning next year?

First of all, you need to revise your budget . Surely in the past year, there have been changes in your personal budget that could not be ignored. In accordance with these changes, you will have to adapt your habits, change something in your lifestyle in order to find a balance between the desired and the actual. It doesn’t matter if you are concerned about cutting down on spontaneous spending, saving more diligently, or making other changes in your money-related habits. The main thing is that in life there is a correspondence between the already existing achievements and what still needs to be done, let everything be logical and consistent.

Smart shopping is the next step or plan for the new year. Whether it’s coupons or loyalty cards, sales or online shopping, make every purchase smart, sound, and justified. Success in saving does not mean that now you can spend the accumulated money, and announcements of crazy sales and discounts should not hypnotize and confuse. By the way, any purchase can become rational – if you first take a time-out and think carefully about its pros and cons, study the market and find the best offer for you. The World Wide Web will help with the search for reviews and reviews of the desired product, or even contribute to the purchase itself on more favorable terms.

Some people believe that each separate type of savings should not only be planned. It is even wiser to devote energy and attention to one account / fund / plan at a time , that is, first to accumulate a fund for unforeseen life situations, then for a planned large-scale purchase, and only then for a comfortable old age. (Each has its own procedure for saving funds.) While it turns out, it is easier to save up for everything at once , that is, create several accounts (prepare several piggy banks) and gradually add funds for each of the goals.

It’s also a good idea to turn to dedicated personal finance software. Most likely already have smartphones with powerful functionality. So why not take an interest in special applications that will help you save money, plan savings, and simply be aware of where and how money is spent. The network is replete with such programs, the main thing here is to choose what you need, depending on your needs, type of activity and type of plan.

An interesting financial blog can help you manage your personal finances and improve yourself . I advise you to read such sources regularly, in them you can find a lot of useful information that you no, no, and use somewhere in your life. Even one small article a day will affect your attitude towards money and help you change your personal financial situation for the better. After all, you probably spend at least half an hour a day on your smartphone or tablet (and at the computer too). A few minutes to get rich with financial wisdom is a small price to pay for wasting your free time.

Finally, in the new year, you have every chance of getting rid of debt . Think about it: after all, each subsequent year in debt (be it a mortgage or consumer loans, or even just a debt to one of your friends or family) will cost you more than a year without debt. Everything is simple and at the same time brilliant! After all, you can direct your efforts to paying off debts and then live for your own pleasure, not remembering who and how much you need to return, and without fear that at any moment some bailiff, collector or friend, angry with your impudence, will knock on your door.

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