Getting Started with Project Management: A Beginner's Guide
You want to get started on a project, or you’ve already started but things aren’t going as smoothly as you’d hoped. Maybe this sounds familiar:
“I had this great idea for an app. I worked on it whenever I had free time. After a few weeks, I had lots of code files and notes everywhere. Then exams came up, and I had to take a break. When I came back … I couldn’t remember what I was planning to do next, or why I made certain decisions. Some of my code didn’t even make sense anymore!”
Or perhaps this:
“I spent three hours setting up the perfect Notion workspace, with all these cool templates and views. Then another hour organising my GitHub repositories. And another hour researching project management methodologies … but I haven’t actually started building anything yet.”
Or maybe:
“I keep having new ideas while I work, so I start implementing them right away. Now I have five half-finished features, and I’m not sure which ones are actually important anymore.”
If any of these sound familiar, you’re not alone! These are signs that you’re dealing with a project rather than a simple task. Let’s understand why these situations happen and what they teach us about managing projects.
What Makes a Project Different?
Think about writing a short essay. You gather your thoughts, write for a while, and finish it in one or two sittings. All the important information — your main points, your structure, your sources — stays fresh in your mind until you’re done.
Now think about writing a book. You can’t finish it in one sitting. You can’t keep all the plot points, character details, and research in your head. You need to work on it over time, and you need some way to track everything.
This is the key difference: a project extends beyond what you can hold in your working memory or complete in one sitting.
What Projects Teach Us
The Memory Principle
Remember our first story about the app project? When we step away from work, our crystal-clear understanding begins to fade. Future You won’t have access to Current You’s thoughts and context.
This doesn’t mean you need to document every detail. But it does mean that some form of external memory is essential. Whether that’s notes, diagrams, or comments in your code, you’re building a bridge to your future self.
The Tools Trap
Our second story, about setting up the perfect workspace, illustrates a common pitfall. Tools and systems can be seductive – they promise to solve all our organizational problems. But they’re just tools, not solutions.
The principle here? Tools should reduce friction, not create it. The best system is the one that helps you actually do the work.
The Focus Principle
Our third story shows what happens when we try to juggle too many things. Each new idea feels exciting and important. But without some way to capture and evaluate these ideas, they can pull us in too many directions.
This teaches us that projects need some way to manage scope and direction. Not to restrict creativity, but to channel it productively.
What This Means for Your Project
These stories point to some fundamental needs in any project:
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You need some way to capture information that matters
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Not everything, just the things Future You will thank you for knowing
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Especially the “why” behind decisions
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You need some way to track direction
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Where you’re going
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What you’re working on now
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What you’re saving for later
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You need some way to maintain momentum
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Getting back to work after breaks
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Knowing what to work on next
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Learning from what you’ve already done
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Finding Your Way
The exact way you handle these needs will depend on you and your project. Some people use detailed notes, others use quick bullet points. Some use specialised tools, others use simple text files.
What matters is that your approach:
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Helps rather than hinders your work
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Feels natural enough to actually use
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Grows with you and your project
Moving Forward
Start by noticing what you tend to forget. What causes you to lose momentum? What makes it hard to get back to work after a break? The answers will help you develop habits that actually serve your needs.
Remember: The goal isn’t perfect organisation. The goal is doing good work, and finishing what you start. Everything else is just support for that goal.