[Digital Nomad #2-3] From "disordered start" to "system Control"! Risk management, budget control and efficient communication: Study notes for Google PM license "Project Planning: Putting It All Together" 📝

Hi!  Dear friend Gilly, how are you today?
Just want to be free but afraid of the explosion of the project?

Don't worry! This time from Google PM license "Project Planning: Putting It All Together" courseIn it, the three major digital nomadic planning techniques are extracted: risk management, budget control and efficient communication. Follow Gilly and use project thinking to make her life both free and rhythmic!

Compulsory for digital nomadic risk aversion: From Project Planning: Putting It All Together Learn risk management

Course unit

• Beginning the Planning Phase
• Building a Project Plan
• Managing Budgeting and Procurement
• Managing Risks Effectively
• Organizing Communication and Documentation

提示 Reminder：Jili hopes to emphasize the objectivity of experience content and knowledge transmission. There is a part about the course content.，Follow the official English nameMainly.

Five steps of risk management

1. Identify –List potential risks (weather affects the itinerary, website security suddenly fails...)
2. Analyze –Evaluate "probability × impact"
3. Evaluate –Prioritize according to severity
4. Treat –Formulate strategies: backup routes, cloud backup, mobile power supply…
5. Monitor –Continuous tracking

✨ Opportunity risk
Risk is not all a bad thing! Feeling different culture shocks in your sojourn life inspires entrepreneurial inspiration-this is "positive risk", seizing it and taking it to the next level.

Adventure movie inspiration: We are our own agents

"Gyver" Series

Jili suddenly remembered that between 1985 and 1992, the smash-hit "Maghaixian". A Secret Service agent, relying on a Swiss knife and wisdom, overcame various difficulties in a limited period of time and saved the day from difficult tasks.

"Mission: Impossible"

Ethan Hunt, played by Tom Cruise in the play, walks the wall with various exciting flying eaves and wonderful fighting action scenes in the play. In fact, it can also be observed that when a special agent is on a mission, the importance of planning, time and risk control before the mission.

Without financial and time margin, how can you be a nomad? Strengthen life planning from project budget thinking

Direct cost (must bring equipment)

• 💻 Software subscription & cloud Service
• ♀️♀️Project learning related course training
• ️️ Purchase of work equipment
• The time you must invest

Indirect cost (logistics and supply)

• 生活 Living expenses
• ️️Administrative miscellaneous expenses
• ️️ Insurance & equipment depreciation
• ️ Expected investment time

Establish a Baseline Budget

• List all items ➕ add 10-15% buffer
• Check the actual expenditure vs budget every week
• Set the task time and add buffer time (use off-duty time to study and create sideline jobs, use the flight time on the aircraft to perform offline work tasks...)

Gilly's little Sharing

Everyone often says Time is money, But I think it's more like "time is the dough, and money is the yeast"-the dough is kneaded first, and the yeast makes it swell instantly. 🥖🍞

1. Rub it yourself first
   • YouTube, official documents, free lectures── Swipe extensively first to figure out where you are stuck.
2. Sprinkle the right yeast again
   • Picking a "small but refined" paid class for card points is like smuggling someone else's ten years of experience into your head.
3. Learn to bake while grilling, so the fragrance can be retained
   • Every time you learn a trick, you will immediately implement + take notes, and the tuition fee will instantly become a long tail flow.

Gilly's little Sharing
The course is not an escape pod, nor is it a secret secret; it is more like Turbo-people who are already running, use it to rush faster.
When I finish stepping on all the pits and try the formula, I will package the "Turbo version" to you, so that you can save time and effort (stay tuned for more).

conclusion：Do it first, then speed up。 So the money is not spent in vain, and the time is not busy in vain~

Freedom is not equal to being casual: digital nomads should also face procurement management seriously

🛍️ Jili 3-Step Procurement Method

1. Demand inventory –The luggage is only 7 kg? Reading online e-books replaces physical books.
2. Market price comparison –Bluehost vs Cloudways, look at TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) rather than the encouragement of advertising and marketing.
3. Maintain relationships –Open a small Slack group with the supplier and say "Help!" urgently. "Immediate support.

💡 Examples of life risk transfer
"Renting a house" replaces "buying a house": leave the maintenance & earthquake risks to the landlord, and keep the funds for the next journey.

Not only to transmit information, but also to save time: efficient communication for digital nomadic projects

Concepts mentioned in the course “Clear, Honest, Relevant, Frequent. ”
Gilly translated it into her own vernacular：Focus, tell the truth, focus, and don't lose contact.

Illustration: In Course Unit 5, a small step for effective communication

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Information cache 3-layer

Put the information in the right drawer, so I don't have to look all over the place in the future.

1. Give your own brain.
   • Wukong mobile phone log-5 minutes before going to bed, write "Today's maximum calorie point + tomorrow's itinerary". Ferment overnight, and there will be direction when you wake up.
2. A signboard for the rhythm of the project
   • ️️ Concept Kanban-only three columns: to-do/proceed/complete, plus Timeline View to see how hot and cold it is, it's refreshing to see.
3. Fast tasks for suppliers
   • ️️Email/Ticket-use one template to fill the background +time+error message + What I have tried to do. The other party asks one less question, and I will wait one less round.

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Jili's communication template with suppliers (copy and leave)

Subject: Site 503 ─ Restarted + Observation safety data is still invalid

． Occurrence time 2025/05/13 14:05 (UTC+8)
． Affect the front desk 503, the background is OK
． I tried to log in to the background again / Observe the security plug-in data sign → invalid
． Attached 2 screenshots
． If you want the result, please help us remove the error and restart the website, thank you

 Small skimming step: Depending on the communication situation, translate into the required language and rewrite the content. Store this paragraph in notepad, copy → paste it, and it will be done in 30 seconds.

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Switching cost? Save as much as you can

• Context Bundle: Screenshots, logs, and links are all lost on the same page. Don't let the other party spend time piecing together information.
• Focus Block: Google Meet is only opened if "the text is unclear or an instant demo is required", and the rest is obediently recorded as a file.
• Desk calendar reminder: "Three important things for today" is posted next to the screen. Aim for any incoming call first-if you can wait, you can reply at night.

Gilly's little Sharing
In the past, I pursued "fast return in seconds", and I threw it to the customer service when I saw any problems. As a result, I often wasted a lot of time.

Now take a deep breath for 3 seconds to confirm MUU（Minimum Understandable Unit） Pack it up and send it back. The number of customer service round trips is directly cut in half, and all the time saved is used to write articles and draw pictures. The coolness is ++!

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Common communication pitfalls (working examples)

• Situation: The team's business personnel did not give back to the technical partner after talking about the requirements, and the technology had to be asked in reverse.
• consequences: The small functions that could be delivered in 3 days were delayed for 2 weeks due to lack of information; the trust value of the two sides bottomed out instantly.
• Reform law: Business→ Technology Set up a "report small white order" process (date/requirements/restrictions/next step), any progress will be lost first, and then make up the details.

 Key points: It is not to write a long report, but to ensure that "key variables are in place at once" and "team credit and workflow are established".

Little egg in this lesson｜Digital Nomad resume fast charge 3 tricks, let PM job search fly all the way

At the end of this course, a mini chapter of "Help you find a PM job" was secretly stuffed, which Gilly found very practical. I have sorted out three tricks for everyone-simple and direct, for you who are digging a hole now.：

1. Keywords insert the flag first
   Risk Register, RACI, TCO... Throw these project words into the skill area, and the small ATS (resume scanner) will catch you.
2. ONE SENTENCE STAR
   Don't write long stories, condense them into：
   "Complete 35 tasks→ go online 4 weeks earlier than scheduled, saving 10% in cost"
   The supervisor can understand at a glance what you have done and how effective it is.
3. Side Project can also show muscles
   lucky-nomads.com The website is one of my collections of works: how much traffic, how to arrange Concept Kanban, and what indicators to use to track progress-all of which are written with an extra layer of actual combat persuasion.

The three simple tricks are to put it in your pocket first, and when you want to jump out of the pit to take the case or change your job, just take it out and speed it up!

Jili's conclusion｜ It's daily life to change around. That's how digital nomads practice a sense of rhythm.

Risk management makes you "near misses", Budget control to ensure"Flexibility and freedom", Efficient communicationThe "black hole of time" shrank into a teleportation. We must start from chasing the wind and become the leader of the wind.

Gilly's 3 State-of-mind turning points

1. Risk control：From "temporary fire fighting" to "systematic prevention"
   • Quickly scan the "thunder point list" every week and move forward steadily like a jumping grid.
2. Budget control：From "saving a small amount of money" to "calculating a long amount of money"
   • Use TCO+ to use AI tools (such as chatGPT) to actualize the cost of software funds to avoid being kidnapped by annual fees.
3. Communication optimization：From "quick reply" to "good packaging"
   • MUU template + desk calendar visualization, the message is cut in half back and forth, and there is more creative space in the head.

The last sentence is for the future self
The "sense of rhythm" is not to fill up the days, but to know the next step when you look up. When the Miro roadmap, Concept Task Board, Google Meet review, desk calendar reminder, and mobile phone log gears bite, you can stay in control of your mobile life and move forward gracefully. See ya！ ☕🐾

Extended reading：

【Digital Nomad#2-2】From "perfect plan" to pragmatic advancement! One-person team's project start-up and adjustment mentality: Study notes for Google PM license "Project Initiation: Starting a Successful Project"
【Digital Nomad#2-1】From "handing in homework” to flexible creation! Using project management thinking to improve digital nomadic efficiency: A Learning journey of Google PM license "Foundations of Project Management"
【Digital Nomad Financial Management】Start steadily from small white to steady! Gilly's Digital Nomad's Path to Financial Freedom

Lovely reader，
Do you have any other ideas?
You are welcome to leave a message to discuss with Lucky!