Staying on Track with Scheduling & Planning

One of the best ways to stay organized and keep on track with your projects is to create a monthly plan. Your monthly plan can be filled with notes about when to do your various tasks so you can smooth out your workflow (no more rushing to write that blog post at the last minute!). Here are a few pointers to get you started… Make a List of Recurring Tasks Take some time to think about what recurring tasks you must do each week. Do you login to your blog and delete spam comments? Do you schedule your social media content? Do you post a training video to Facebook or pictures to Instagram? There may also be tasks you only do once a month—like backing up your website or assigning work to other team members. Add these tasks to your list, too so you won’t forget them. Schedule Recurring Tasks Now that you know what you must do each week or month, make space for it on your calendar. You can use a physical or digital calendar, depending on what you prefer. Digital calendars do give you a slight advantage since you can set reminder alerts so you never forget an important task again. As you fill up your calendar, think about how long each task will take and build in some buffer time. For example, if you think you can write a blog post in twenty minutes, give yourself sixty instead. Now, you have extra time if you realize you need to research a fact or interview a source. Create a Checklist Some recurring tasks may be big and complex. Maybe you’re a virtual assistant who uploads products to her client’s website. There’s a whole list of things you must do to make this happen—you need to upload the product to a website, set up a form, create a landing page, take a picture of the item, create an autoresponder series, etc. ​ With all of these tasks, it’s hard to know where to start. Use a checklist to help you stay organized. The next time you’re doing this task, write down every step you have to take along the way. Now, doing this task in the future will be easy since you just have to open your checklist and get to work. When you schedule recurring tasks on your calendar, you’ll be more likely to remember them and impress your clients. You’ll also feel less stress since you know exactly what to do to stay on track each month.