How to Use Trello to Organize Your Small Business

We’re a week into 2018 and I’m feeling oh-so-much-more-organized than I was at this point last year.

Last January, my mind was racing with “the next thing,” struggling to organize everything I needed to do for my business, and overwhelmed at the thought that there were additional tasks I didn’t yet know about!

"As a business owner, it's very easy to fall into the trap of being busy, and being busy is not necessarily productive." -Tim Ferriss

Yeah, that. That was me. (Please tell me I wasn't alone!)

As a female entrepreneur or small business owner, it’s easy to keep busy jumping around between big projects, content development, responding to emails, posting on social media, prospecting, and managing finances (along with everything else I didn’t mention!). But that doesn’t mean you’re actually getting stuff done!

In this recent blog, I shared with you how that ongoing frenzy I felt last year lasted for too long and how I was determined to ring in the New Year with calm, clarity, and focus. And knowing that so many other solopreneurs feel the same way, I created a goal-setting guide and productivity planner to map out big picture goals for 2018 and to have a simple-to-use tool to break them down into smaller, actionable steps.

One of the most frequently asked questions I get from clients is this: “Now that I have my big picture goals and respective action steps in place, what do I do next?”

If you’re like them, you want systems to manage everything.

You want to know how to organize all those bite-size to-do’s in a way that makes sense and reduces that lousy overwhelm.

You want to be ahead of the curve rather than behind the eight ball.

The answer? TRELLO.

Trello is a web-based project management application that has completely revolutionized my workflow and improved my ability to manage everything effectively. In their words: “A Trello board is a series of lists, with a bunch of cards attached.”

Sounds simple enough, right?

Now that I’ve gotten deeper into using Trello effectively, I’m so excited to share with you the way my productivity is sky-rocketing and how to use Trello to revolutionize your workflow too!

Keep reading to learn some of my favorite Trello features that streamline my workflows, allow me to track and follow client progress, improve business productivity, and organize #allthethings. I’m sharing all of this with you in the hopes that the way I’ve structured my workflow and organized my business will inspire yours.

How to Use Trello for Business

BOARDS

Trello boards are so intuitive and represent each of my big projects.

LISTS

Each board contains lists (which are the column headers). In order to most effectively manage your workflow, these lists are commonly named “To Do,” “In Progress,” or “Completed” (as an example). And then within each list are your Cards, which are the bite-sized action steps (or tasks) that coincide with your bigger goals and strategies. I’ve taken mine directly from my planner and put them in this digital platform where they have entered a fluid, living workflow.

LABELS

Do you love color like I do? Whether I’m using the post-it notes system on paper or labeling my Trello lists, I love using color to segment tasks or assign special categories. Trello has a handy tool that allows you to filter your cards to view cards with just a certain label. Labels can help you track anything you want: sub-categories, projects with varying levels of difficulty, assorted price points, etc.

CHECKLISTS

Another awesome feature: Checklists! Within each card (or action step), you can create a checklist to break down your work even further. It’s simple to copy and paste into a checklist or create it one item at a time.

DUE DATES

Assign due dates to each task and then organize your list to see that list flow by due date. If you add the Calendar Power-up, Trello will enable the calendar view and display your cards in a weekly or monthly format for a time-based overview of where you’re headed. This feature is so useful for time-sensitive or complex projects with multiple due dates, and all your board Calendars can be integrated with GoogleCalendars or iCal.

POWER UPS

What are Power Ups, you ask? They are external integrations and apps that take your Trello experience to the next level. From that Calendar view (mentioned above) to Custom Fields (which allow you to add customized data fields to your cards) to integrating with Dropbox, Power Ups add an additional and dynamic layer to managing your business. And the number of options is huge.

COLLABORATIONS

Want to work on a specific project with a colleague? Have a team of people planning an event? Trello makes it easy to collaborate by sharing boards and lists with the group, and then keeping everyone up-to-date and on-task.

This is just the beginning! The possibilities for customizing your Trello user experience are endless; it’s just a matter of determining your business needs first.

Are you using Trello for business? Would love to know in the comments below how you've organized all your small business activities!

Trello for productivity and project management

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