
This is my process that I use to keep track of all the books and projects that I am working on.
I use Asana as my project management software to track the big and small project tasks and assign myself deadlines. But I still make use of good ole fashioned pen and paper notebooks for my day-to-day processes. I have been asked by people if all of this is redundant, and I’m sure I could put every single thing into Asana. But there are some micro and macro processes that I keep offline. I am going to go over each and tell you a bit about how these processes have evolved. For those of you who are creative entrepreneurs who are looking for a better way to keep track of everything that you are working on, I think this can help you.
Big picture/big projects/big notebook
-Back at the beginning of 2019 when I started really treating my business like a business and not a hobby, I started doing a weekly business review with my husband. This was a retrospective of the previous week and what I accomplished and what I missed on. And it was also a look ahead to the upcoming week for what I knew needed to happen as well as what I wanted to move forward. I started using my 8.5 x 11 lined notebook for this and then I ran out of pages and got a new one. In addition to continuing to use this for my weekly business reviews, I also use this for big picture planning. A few months ago when my computer died and I had more than a full work-day without a computer, I used that time to brainstorm and plan what I wanted for the year ahead. My notes on my revenue stream and structure for how I would accomplish those goals, go in the big notebook. As I talked to peers to learn from them or when I was taking a Masterclass I would put all of those notes in the big notebook.
Agendas and Project Call Notes
-My second notebook is for agendas and project calls. I am working on a lot of projects and I work with different clients so I put my call notes in this notebook. I always try to plan ahead for every call. If they set the agenda, I review it and make notes. If there is no distributed agenda, I am still writing down what I want to go over so that we can make the most of that time. I will have my agenda at the top of that given page with the date of the call and then below I will have my notes for the call. Back when I was in middle school we all had to do a learning assessment about “what kind of learner are you?” I found that I learn best when I hear something and then write it down. So even if the call is to update me on something that I will later capture in Asana, I still write it down here because I know I am more likely to remember it.
Process and Daily Checklists
-I live and die by my checklists. I have said before that you can tell how stressed I am by the level of detail in my checklists. When I feel like I have a lot going on I will write down a daily checklist that is separate from Asana. Asana has all the little tasks and sometimes I will put something in there for marketing or research that I know I should do and I need to put a date on it so it pops up. But when that day comes around I may have other priorities. So my daily checklist becomes a priority list for that day. I also use this as process checklists. When I need to be thoughtful in my reviews or edits I know I can put 30 minutes of dedicated focus in before I need a break so these checklists help me to stay focused and get the next chapter done.
Book ideas
My very tattered, very chunky book ideas notebook is always with me. If I get a bit of scenery or character dialog I will write it in here. That way I don’t lose that idea. I always always always have this with me so I’m not stuck trying to remember something. The few times I have forgotten it and had to email myself a reminder, those reminders get lost in my inbox. I always have a separate book ideas notebook.
What is your process for staying organized as an entrepreneur? Let me know, maybe it will help me pare down this stack.
Music from: E.R.F.
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