One thing I never expected to learn as a full-time blogger was project management. Fast forward a few years and I’ve actually become just slightly obsessed with different project management systems.
The reality is that as my freelance business grows, and as I continue building my own brand, I’ve had to learn how to work with contractors and teams. Additionally, I’ve gotten an inside look at how some of the companies I’ve written for use their own project management systems like a boss.
Here are just some of the ways to make sure you are getting the most out of your project management system so that you can do great work, delegate to your team and build a freelancing empire.
Eliminate email.
I admit that my team and I are currently working on this. One of my goals is to eliminate as much email as possible and communicate within a project management system like Basecamp or Asana .
I’ve become tired of having a cluttered inbox and have had to get in the habit of communicating via chat or messages from within the project management platform. The best I’ve seen for this so far is Asana. I’ve also seen some clients using Slack with their own teams.
Create timelines.
I’ve learned that nothing gets done unless you put a date on it. While I was really good at giving myself deadlines, I admit I haven’t been so good about giving my team deadlines for some of our internal projects.
With Asana I’m able to create a task, assign it to someone and then put a date on it. It then shows up on my calendar so I can get a get a good visual of what needs to get done.
Actually delegate.
There’s no point in having a team if you don’t actually delegate to them. I sometimes still have to ask myself “Is it better for me to let someone else do this?” When inputting tasks into a project management system. If the answer is yes I make sure to assign it to someone else.
Create to-do lists for your clients.
This is actually something I learned from my web designer. When we’ve worked together she makes sure to put together a to-do list not just for herself, but also for me as her client. The to-do list includes anything she needs from me including copy and photos. It also says the date by when she needs it so that we can launch on time.
I’m at a stage in my business where I’m currently learning how to do this, especially for company sponsorships and those I’m consulting when it comes to getting more media mentions. Normally I was used to hunting down clients, but I’ve realized that I can just add them to a project management system as a guest and give them their own tasks.
Sync everything.
The best thing you can do with project management systems is make sure they sync with other applications such as Google Drive, your involving service or anything else you may use in your business. They key is to have as much stuff in one place as humanly possible, that way you and your team can see how it all works together.
I actually take it a step further and sync Asana to the Sunrise App on my phone. This allows me to see everything that’s going on and who is working on what even when I’m on the go.
Final Thoughts
Project managements systems can be a lifesaver as you begin to expand your business, build your team, take on more clients and work on your own internal projects. By learning how to use a project management system like a boss, you’ll be able to keep everything in one place and stay organized.
