Systems to Help Stay Organized In Business

This week, I am here to share the tools I have found that work for me in my business, to keep me organized and on track to meet my goals. Not only do I use these systems, most of my team members use them as well, so we all can stay on top of our work together. Just because I use these tools, does not mean you have to use these tools, but it's important to find one that works best for you!

ASANA | Project Management Software

I have used many different project management tools from Podio to Trello, but I found my true love in Asana. I work with a team of contractors, so finding a program that would allow me to setup areas for all my clients, schedule tasks, and communicate with team members was the main requirements I needed for a project management tool.

Asana allows you to set up unlimited boards and teams on their free account and helps to keep everything organized with their menus. The tasks list and inbox areas allow me to scheduled tasks and communicate with my team as well as see when items are completed.  I love that they have a gmail plugin that I can schedule tasks right from my email into each project board.  Definitely check it out if you are in need of a robust project management tool that will grow with your business.

GMAIL CALENDAR - Calendaring, Note Taking, and Small Task Organization

I cannot live without Google Calendar. My whole life is in it, with 3 kids and their schedules, a husband that travels 40% of the time and running a my business, it helps me stay on track and sane. I combine my personal calendar with my business so I can make sure things don't overlap. I also follow a time block method where I block out time to accomplish the items I have scheduled for myself that day and even schedule daily self care. It keeps me on the straight and narrow and makes me look like a superwoman.

I don’t always get everything done, so it’s important not to overbook yourself and then that leads to overwhelm.  Once you understand how long a project or tasks takes, you will get better at being able to block out the appropriate time.

17HATS -  Client Invoicing, Quotes, Billing, Accounting, Workflows & Automation

I know, you are thinking 17hats? We all know that Honeybook and Dubsado are the popular kids on the block, but I urge you to do your research on all the systems out there and take advantage of their free trials before your committ. I have tried them all, even paid for year subscriptions and then had to turn around and cancel. It  came down to 17hats because it had all the features I needed in my business.

Every business has its individual needs so find the one that works best for you. 17Hats has been a game changer in my business. It take a little time to get everything setup, but once you have everything in place, you can’t place a value on the time it saves you. I am going to go more in depth about this in next month’s post. I no longer have to chase clients for payments because it automatically does it for me. I can stay on track with automations and workflows, easily send out quotes, track time on projects and organize my accounting and expenses all in one system.  If you want to checkout 17hats for yourself, click the link here.

Using tools in our businesses is something we all do, but these are the ones that I have found best for me. I’d love to hear from you, do you use any of the tools I mentioned above? Will you be switching? Let me know in the comments section below.