Next month, I’ll be taking on a project where I design a video tutorial series. Check out the blog post for more information here.
In the past, when I started any project, I struggled to see it through to its completion. These half-baked projects were more like spontaneous bursts of creative, skill-building exercises.
As I’ve honed in on my interests, it’s become important to thoroughly plan out my projects. Without a plan, goals seem to become unattainable.
a goal without a plan is just a wish”
My approach as a freelancer is to use a combination of online tools to enhance my workflow. These tools include Trello, Google Calendar, and my planner. This is how I use each of those tools:
Trello
- I use Trello to organize a massive amount of ideas and goals into a series of categorized lists. Whenever I complete something from the list, I move it over to the “Completed” category. Not only does this prevent me from getting overwhelmed, but it also helps me prioritize tasks.
It’s more organized than it looks. 🙂
Google Calendar
- Google calendar is what I use for time management. This helps me spend less time figuring out what I need to do, and more time doing those things. I’ve configured it to send me email reminders and notifications to my cell phone an hour before each event, to ensure I’m as reliable as possible.
My Planner / Notebook
- Sometimes I have an idea or I need to remember some information and I don’t have access to my phone. I keep a pen and notebook in my bag at all times. This is just in case I ever have a fleeting thought about how I could go about a certain aspect of my project.
- My notebook is also useful because sometimes I get tired of using computers, and I want to go outside and do some work. I’ll bring my work to the notebook and later on I’ll transcribe into onto a computer.
My project management strategy helps me regulate my mental energy, make progress in reaching my goals, and produce actionable possibilities.
