Before we dive into the how… I want to mention why I find a Project Management Tool (PM Tool) so important.
Using a PM tool is extremely valuable in gathering my thoughts and to do’s and it helps me stay on track. Either I’m using it as a brain dump to get all of my thoughts and ideas out of my head or I use it to list items that need to be accomplished. I even use my PM tool to organize recipes and plan my meals for the week!
Another way that I utilize my PM tool even more is to create checklist templates. What I mean by that is, I create a checklist of a certain task that I do over and over again that involves multiple steps. In doing this, I can copy it and use it each time I start that task to make sure I don’t let anything fall through the cracks. This keeps me effective and efficient.
I also use the PM tool to track leads, work with client projects and plan my social media.
To start out with a PM tool, you need to decide which one will work for you. There are so many out there to choose from and while they have the same objective, they work and look a bit differently. The top 3 tools that I typically work with clients are Trello, Asana and ClickUp. Each of these have a similar overall process of using them, but the way they are presented to you and the additional features vary greatly. I feel that you should check them out for yourself as which one to choose is very much a personal preference.
I think of Trello as the simplest to get started with…. you make a board, create lists and add cards to each list. I would say that cards are essentially comparable to sticky notes. OK, so that is a very simplified explanation as there are a lot more features, but you get the idea.
With ClickUp, you create the tasks and then move them along by what stage of completion they are in… for example: To Do, In Progress, Waiting For Review, Completed. ClickUp is a much more elaborate and feature rich PM tool. They are always adding new features and it can be quite complex. If you enjoy digging into technology and creating automations, then this would be the tool for you.
Asana moves processes along like ClickUp does, but you may find that it is not as feature rich as ClickUp. I would say that Asana comes in between Trello and ClickUp for features.
Any how, check them out… test drive them a bit and see what feels right for you. I personally find that less is more and use Trello. So many of my clients have never used a PM tool and I don’t want to overwhelm them trying to learn the technology.
It’s so easy to go down an endless rabbit hole of what you can start doing in a PM tool. I’m going to list 3 main boards, workspaces, whatever they may be called in the tool you choose, that you should get started with.
1) Set up your own Task Board. These are tasks that you may need to do for your business or your clients’ businesses. I would recommend considering these lists to get started: Notes/Ideas, Future, Current, Completed. As you get to using the PM tool more, you may create boards for each client project, so this is just a starting point.
2) Set up your Lead/ Client Tracking board. Here you may create a card/task for each lead you have. Then as the client moves along to work with you, you can move them along. I would suggest a few lists here: Leads, On-boarding, In Progress and Completed/Not a Good Fit. You could also add a list for Not Ready so that you could follow up later with them. This allows you to take notes for each person and copy a checklist template if needed.
3) Set up your Social Media Planning Board. I find it helpful to have the following lists: Notes/Ideas, One for each day of the week, and Completed. The way that I organize each card is I add the image/graphic for the post, the caption and a due date/time for when the post should be scheduled. Doing this will give you an overview of what your posting schedule looks like.
Alright, now you’ve got a clear plan on what to put together to get the most out of your new Project Management Tool right from the start. As you use the PM tool, you will find more ways to use the tool to help you be more effective and efficient in your day to day operations.
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Lynda is a Certified Online Business Manager and Systems Strategist. She loves working with her clients to eliminate the overwhelm and get back to loving their businesses by streamlining their business systems and processes.
Lynda was a stay at home mom to 3 kids under the age of 5 while being the right hand to her husband in his business. As they went on to school, she followed and began working at their elementary school while still helping her husband. When her children went on to middle and high school, she left the elementary school and began working as a VA to online entrepreneurs. This quickly transformed into more as she began noticing a consistent gap (which was something she excelled at) and began implementing the systems and processes in her clients businesses that they needed to help their days run more smoothly.
Lynda knew that she had finally found what she was meant to do- Make an impact in other business owners’ lives by getting them back hours in their week so they could have more time with their families and still have successful businesses.
Ready to start loving your business again? Get started by sign up for one of her super helpful free resources here.
