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If you want to make significant change in your business your life, your relationships, just about anything, you’re going to need time to do it.

In fact, if you don’t give yourself time, you’re probably going to screw it up.

There are dozens of tools out there from software planning tools like MS Project and others that start off looking like a great idea but in the end, you need a plan to learn how to use them before you even start with your plan of changing your life (or whatever it is you want to change)!

So, what do you do, what do you need and how do you know you’re making progress?

Well, I suggest you follow a 90 day planning cycle.

• 90 days gives you time to make the change without putting unnecessary pressure on yourself.
• It allows you time to get used to any new situations you find yourself in.
• It also gives you time to communicate with others what you’re planning to do and for them to get used to the idea.
• (Heck, it could be something as simple as cutting down your TV time!)

So, as with all tasks, break each portion into actionable steps and plan a date you’ll have them done by. If you decide to use index cards, allocate one card to each month. Then you’ll know that once the first month is over, as long as you’re on track, the first card is superfluous.

MIT has a document as a template you can follow. A little more detailed than what I have written here but it provides you with some decent parameters to work within.

Barry Zweibel, business coach, has an article as well on where to use a 90 Day Plan - in a job application process - this is an awesome idea!

If you have implemented a 90 Day Plan I’d love to hear of your experiences and how you used it.

I love sites that cut through all the clutter and just give the real essence of what they are talking about.

It’s like: “Do this and then this will happen!” It’s awesome!

So, I’ll attempt to add a management hack each day, chime in with comments and then add your own. What is the simplest thing you’ve done as a people manager that just works - every time!

Management Hack 1: Get feedback - every day.

People talk about climate surveys and interviewing people and “staying in touch” and creating rather elaborate systems to get into the head of staff. So here’s a new idea:

Talk to them. Actually, get them to talk to you.

Head over to Creative Suit to find out about a really cool idea called 5@5.

And you know what, this isn’t so new. Tom Peters brought this up in 1984. Remember his 4 word rule for managers?