The easiest way to get rid of brain clutter and to organise projects is something you’ve probably heard a thousand times, but it deserves some repeating here.
Getting organised can be simple; just grab a notebook and a pen. No Microsoft Word or Notepad, either. While these programs may be reliable for writing quick blog posts or reports, there’s something about the physical act of putting words to paper that make it stick out in your mind. Plus, you’re free of the distractions that come with being on the computer.
Write as fast and furiously as possible. Think about every current and future project you plan to implement into your business. Don’t edit, and don’t erase any mistakes. Do not restrict any part of your thought process and you will have a better grasp on how to organise projects more effectively. This is what we call a “Brain Dump”.
Once your pen has run dry or after you’ve run out of paper, read over your writing and organise projects under one of three categories, such as: Goals, projects and tasks.
Goals
What are the long term goals for your business? Is it to hit a certain amount of earnings? Is it to gain a certain number of Facebook followers for your fan page? It’s more than likely that a goal will require a high level of promotion and work on your part. You want to make sure you perform a task that gets you one step closer to conquering these goals, and you want to make sure it is the very first task you take on after you’ve started the day.
The goal itself can be anything. It can be creating and sending out a fresh newsletter to clients, hitting a milestone with your company, writing a blog post, or spending time tackling customer service issues. Remember, goals come first.
Projects
Projects are duties that require just as much effort as goals, but they tend to be for a shorter time frame. Projects advance the business, but they can be tweaked and modified when needed. For example, a project could be running an Adword campaign, creating a new template for your company’s website, or even optimising web pages to appeal to the search engines.
While projects are almost as important as long term goals, they can, and are, delegated quite often. After all, these projects should be in constant motion, and when you’re stuck in the middle of the day working on meeting long term goals, it’s a good idea to outsource the work. When it comes to getting organised, projects come second in importance.
Tasks
Tasks are still important, but they should be performed after goals and projects have been taken care of. A task is usually something that needs to be done today. Tasks are usually smaller in importance, but they still need to be done in order for your business to reach a project or goal. By doing your goals and projects first and leaving time-sensitive tasks for last, it makes you feel more obligated to finish a task in order to meet its deadline. Tasks can be done when everything else is finished.
While the way you organise projects is completely up to you, this is only one of the many ways a business can organise projects. And since goals are mainly reserved for the business owner, anyone with time-sensitive projects or tasks, and anyone who is looking to get organised, should feel free to contact our team here at Virtual Elves for a consultation.
