The best preparation for good work tomorrow is to do good work today… and the best preparation for doing good work today is two-part:
- Set and track goals, and
- Use a project/to-do tool to keep track of things.
I'm going to describe how I do this work using Asana.
But I'd also love to hear your approach and favorite task/project management tool.
Here's how my process goes. I start by setting quarterly (90-day) goals. For example: my goals this quarter were:
GOAL #1. Add new module and printable planner to the Teach What You Do eCourse Blueprint and relaunch.
GOAL 2. Announce changes at Get It Scrapped and put extended membership mechanism and emails into place to go through year end.
Once you've got those goals, detail out the projects and tasks that will have to be completed to achieve those goals. I like to use Asana to do this.
For me to hit Goal #1 above, I created 3 projects: 1.Create Bonus Module, 2.Create Printable Planner, 3.Relaunch
That first project (Create Bonus Module) had tasks like: Script Lessons, Create Slides, Record Lessons, Edit & Render Lessons, Make Transcripts, Upload and Link in Classroom.
I repeat this for each project that will get me to my goals.
Now I've got several project to-do lists.
And I need a way to get them onto my radar daily. .
For this I like to use a “Kanban” approach to tracking things. That means I've got an Asana project board with three columns:
1. On Deck
2. Do Next
3. Done
On Sunday night, I refer to all those projects and figure out what I'm doing this week. All the tasks I'm doing this week go into the ON DECK column.
Now I look more closely at the ON DECK column and choose the tasks I'll do tomorrow and move them to the DO NEXT column.
Throughout the day as I work, I move completed tasks to the DONE column.
At day-end, I look at ON-DECK and choose my work for tomorrow and move it into the DO NEXT column.
That's my process for doing good work daily (or most days!).
What's your best tool and/or tip for getting it all done?
Click here for “5 Key Procedures (+ 10 Tools) I Use Daily to Manage My Online Teaching Businesses”