How To Tackle Your To-Do List When Running A Business
I started my own business because I wanted something more. I wanted to help others, and, of course, be able to do it on my own terms. But, NOBODY ever told me that actually RUNNING a business would be this much work! (Am I right?)
The organizing, and helping people part, I had down! But...financials, to-do's, strategizing, marketing, advertising, social media....OH. EM. GEE. The list goes on and on.
I used to think I was a pretty good task manager. That is, until I found that the business was getting SUPER busy (which is a good thing, of course)and then I found myself forgetting to certain things in the business and even for my projects.
I used to write down all of my to-dos on paper. Until...my list just kept growing and growing...and then I found I was spending MORE time writing my to-dos down, rather than actually completing them!
I made the switch to using a digital task manager and it has made all of the difference in the world! This week I’m telling you all about the software I use, how I use it, and the tasks I get done with it!
The Digital Task Manager
The digital task manager that I went with was Asana. I tried other ones, but landed on Asana. It definitely took me a while to get the hang of it, but I will say that I’m glad I put the time into learning it because it has saved me so much time in the long run.
With Asana, I am able to have all of my tasks in one place, for personal and for business! I can access it anywhere. So if I’m working at a Panera, I know what I have to get done. If I have tasks that need to get done on a recurring basis, I have those set up to remind me every time so I don’t have to keep writing down the same task. If I’m out and about and get a random thought, or have something come up throughout the day that I need to do, I can open the app and add the task to my to-do list right away. That way, everything gets out of my head, and stored into one location for all of my to-do’s.
I open the app in the morning, and throughout the day as well to access my daily to-do’s to keep me on track!
The Tasks
So, back to what I was saying in the beginning, nobody ever told me just how many THINGS would have to get done on the back end of the business. It definitely took me a while to figure out all of the things I needed to get done. And as my business grew, the task list grew. Which, of course, are good problems to have, but figuring out how to navigate and actually accomplish those tasks could be a headache.
Now that I use Asana, I have all of my recurring tasks laid out for the backend of my business. Here are some of the tasks and topics that I have listed on a recurring basis that need to get done in my business:
Admin tasks:
download mileage reports
update accounting spreadsheet
update lead generation spreadsheet
check and respond to emails (inbox 0)
quarterly goal planning
Financials:
Here is where I list out all of my finances in the business and have them set for when the payments are due, whether monthly or yearly.
Social Media:
Prescheduling all of my social media posts
Marketing
Blog posts
Email newsletters
Facebook group postings - I have these on a recurring basis based on the group rules of what days and how often a business is allowed to post in the group
Networking
Here in this section, I have a task set for each different type of business category that may be a good idea to reach out to and connect with and try to send emails and get together with owners in different categories where our clients may overlap.
Task Management
WOW. That is a lot.
So now you know all of the tasks you need to complete, how do you find the time to complete these tasks? If you are not at the point of paying an assistant to help you with certain tasks, I can tell you, you CAN do this on your own with a clear system in place.
I check my task list every morning before I start the day to review the things I need to get done. If there are small tasks I can knock out at the moment, I do them. I will usually work with clients, or have meetings from 9am-2pm. Then 3pm everyday is usually when I have a chance to sit down and bang out the tasks for the day. If I don’t finish everything, IT’S OK.
If you are at a point in business where you can hire help, that is always a plus! If you have a team that can help, you can share these tasks with your team and assign the tasks to them, that way, everyone knows what they have to do.
Either way, you have peace of mind knowing that the back end of your business is a well oiled machine!
Having a system for listing and tackling all of your business to-do’s is an investment in your success in your business and time management. If you need some help setting up your to-do list, check out our ASANA BOARD TEMPLATE: TO-DO LIST. This is the EXACT template that I use in my business with all of the tasks already listed for you. All you have to do is set up the due dates!