Zen and the PMP

Since I obtained my PMP designation in late 2015, many people have asked me for advice on how to prepare for the exam. I will admit that it was not necessarily the most graceful period for me, but I do have some ideas to share on the subject. After all, I did pass the exam while juggling many other work and family responsibilities. For me, the biggest challenge wasn’t the material itself. My challenges were finding the time to study, and stopping the “noise” of daily life from interfering with that time.  

Let’s look at my regular daily life: I’m a husband and father, I work full time, I teach part time. When I can, I also like to write blogs and produce podcasts. My waking time is all spoken for (and sleeping time as well!).  So, jamming one more thing into my schedule meant that I was going to be really off balance and other aspects of my life were going to be put on hold.

The PMP, or any other professional exam, is a lot of work. Studying takes a long time, and it can take over your life if you let it. For a busy working dad like me, I had to make sure I kept myself balanced, and also use my time as effectively as possible.

So, rather than add just one thing to my life, I opted to add two. Yes, it may sound counter-intuitive to add even MORE juggling pins to my life, but keep reading.

First, I started studying a lot. But to help me keep balance and focus, I also started meditating. It worked so well for me, I wanted to share this here in hopes that you may find it helpful.

This advice may not sound as sensible or as simple as buying a specific book or using a particular study trick, but it really helped me. Also, it’s free, so you have nothing to lose. And it has made a world of difference for my busy schedule and over-active brain. I found that meditation helped me relax, find balance, and keep the exam stress to a minimum.

The Research

Admittedly, I did very little research on the subject, but I knew my stress level was increasing as the PMP exam date loomed closer. I needed a better way to manage it all. I picked up a book called The Relaxation and Stress Reduction Workbook and started skimming. Some other great articles in Forbes and in the Guardian confirmed that I was onto something positive.

Beginning

I started simple, with instructions from the book. I tried 5-10 minutes per night and used visualization to focus on a safe and pleasant place (easy to joke about going to a “happy place” but it really can work). Originally, I went through a number of memories to find a good relaxing place to imagine, but one suddenly appeared: a massive tree that grew in the yard at my elementary school. I have no idea if that tree is still there (it has been 30 years since I have seen it), but as soon as I thought of it, my mind relaxed, and the noise in my head just vanished.

I also got into deep breathing, using the 7/11 technique (7 seconds inhaling, 11 seconds exhaling) to help when the noise started to creep into my study space. 

With more practice, and more research, I found it much easier to relax, and much easier to cut out the noise and focus on studying instead of the many other things I could have been doing. It was easier to target on my goal of reading the PMBOK and related texts.

Success

Before I began working on the PMP, I would maybe watch TV in the evenings, or listen to some music or read a book. That’s how I spent my down time after the kids went to bed. Like me, when you take on a new project that is as intense as the PMP, your downtime can easily evaporate. Those 2 hours per night of sitcoms and newscasts were suddenly 2 hours per night of studying, and I had to make the most of that time.

This meditative approach helped me focus and study on the PMP material, and it also helped me clear all the mental noise from everything else in my life. When it was time for that 2-hour study session, I thought about Project Management and did not engage in other thoughts about another project, about the pile of laundry, or what we’d be making for dinner the next evening.

Deep breathing, visualization and other meditative techniques helped focus my attention on the task and made things go smoothly. You want proof? The PMP certificate is hanging in my office.