As an entrepreneur, it’s easy to get so caught up in running our business that we forget to work on the long-term projects that help us grow our business or run it more efficiently. In today’s video, I’m sharing the tools I use to stay on top of these long term projects and ensure they are completed on time.
Most of the projects and initiatives that will make a real impact on your business take time. They usually have multiple parts, sometimes require help from team members or contractors, and often span over multiple weeks and months. It’s easy for small details to fall through the cracks. Fortunately, I have found 3 systems to help map out long term projects and ensure me and my team can stay on track.
The first is a 90 day plan. This is a basic spreadsheet or chart that maps out high level projects, the three months of the quarter, and when each of the tasks will get done. I print this out and post it in my office so I can see it every day. That way, I can see my progress every day, and on the off-chance I have some spare time, I can look at my plan, pick a task, and dive right in.
The second system is Asana. Asana is a project management system that you can schedule and assign tasks around different projects. This allows me to schedule out all the tasks associated with every project, assign due dates, and if applicable, assign tasks to different members of my team. I can easily see what’s been completed and what we have left to do, and because I can schedule out tasks as far out in advance as I need, I’m able to ensure nothing slips through the cracks.
The last system we use is Airtable*. Airtable is similar to Microsoft Excel, but it’s more dynamic and serves as a better project management tool. We use Airtable for a number of things – organizing client contact information, creating media databases, etc. – but one of the most helpful things we use it for is for mapping out marketing calendars and tracking initiatives. It’s easy to task out things like send an e-blast or write a blog post in Asana, but Airtable allows me to see the full picture of the content we’re putting out there and when. It also supports dropping files into cells so my graphic designer can add graphics and our assistant can pull the materials to get the blog posts scheduled.
I’ve never met an entrepreneur whose brain could hold all tasks, projects, and responsibilities associated with our jobs. That’s why it’s necessary to implement systems that will keep track of long term projects and ensure we’re making progress.
Do you have favorite tools and systems for getting more things done in your business? Feel free to share those in the comments!
For more tips and tricks for increasing your productivity, be sure to check out the other videos in this playlist.
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