It may seem obvious but having a good memory is a skill Project Managers should have. Even if you believe as a Project Manager you don’t have a good memory the chances are you do as for most deliverables the number of tasks, meetings and interactions you go through every week is phenomenal. You end up training your brain to pick those minute details that can be critical when certain tasks need to be executed efficiently and quickly. As a Project Manager you cannot rely on note taking all the time as this can hinder you effectively listening to colleagues in meetings. Can be far more effective at times to listen and take in and understand what is being said. Our memories can let us down sometimes so yes taking notes is important too, especially to look back on down the line. See below for some important points around honing your memory skills.

• Make sure to listen to important information in meetings.

• Balance the need to listen versus taking notes.

• Trust your memory, over time you will train your brain to memorise key project points.

• If on virtual video calls use screen shots to grab snippets of information that can be formatted after the call.

• Record calls if your company policy and attendees sanction it.

• Condense information into readable and manageable chunks.

• Use memory skill techniques when note taking.

• Mind maps are an old way of displaying information, akin to spider diagrams which can help memory.

• Don’t worry if you cannot remember certain points or simply mix up some information, this is part of the project process.

• Do not be scared to ask colleagues to fill in the gaps if you are missing some information.

• Remember Project Managers don’t need to be subject matter experts but a certain level of knowledge does help.

• The longer you work on a project the more confident you become and all those little pieces of information you have memorised over time do come together to complete the jigsaw puzzle.

• For a lot of Project Managers their portfolio of projects can be quite large and getting engrained in the weeds of detail may be unavoidable.

• Look at this as a positive as the knowledge you build up and remember can make you a key & integral part of the organization.

• As most Project Managers double or triple job, executing the program manager and Business Analyst role concurrent to their own role can necessitate the need for a good memory.

• Don’t panic and become over stressed by this, embrace it and use it as a way to utilise and import your memory.

• Project management has become a unique and highly sought after skill and one of the reasons is their ability to grasp concepts, retain knowledge and when called upon use the memory to output critical snippets of information that can make projects flow in the right direction and ultimately succeed.

• All the knowledge you attain and retain make you a flexible and more rounded Project Manager.

• Don’t underestimate the need for a good memory and most importantly don’t underestimate your memory, it will dig you out of holes.