Hi friends! My name is Dayna and I’m the Project Manager here at The Wonder Jam. I’ve been in a project management role for the last 8 years and even owned my own business, alongside my husband, for 2 years. Running a small business is so fun and rewarding but also SO MUCH WORK. When you run your own business you wear so many hats. Not only are you making your products or services, but you have to market them, maybe manage a team, pay bills, etc.
I’ve tried several different resources, tools, etc. to make sure I’ve kept our team and business on track. Here are a few of my favorite tips and tricks on how to manage ALL THE THINGS.
Set Up Your Work Week
For me this is key! The Friday before the following week, I spend about an hour making sure I have my calendar updated. I also like to send reminders to our team and clients about upcoming meetings. I also like to look at my to-do list and block off time on my calendar to work on certain projects. For example, on Monday mornings I create meeting agendas for the week, on Tuesday afternoons I write social media copy, etc. Not only will this help you get into a rhythm but it may help you realize where you could use some extra help and delegate your tasks. I also like to try to make sure I don’t have too many meetings in one day. You could also only schedule meetings for 3 days a week and use the other 2 days as “production” time. Remember, it’s your small business and you should be running it. Don’t let it run you.
Organize Your Tasks
A to-do list can be daunting but if you stay on top of it, it can be so helpful! Before I’m finished working for the day, I go through my to-do list from the day, check off what I’ve completed and move tasks I haven’t completed to the next day. I have a planner I write my tasks in but I also put them on my calendar. During meetings with our team or clients, I take notes and then turn those notes into tasks. Internally, we use a project management software called Asana. It helps us all stay on task, and as the project manager, it gives me a great birds eye view of everything our team is working on. I’ve also used Basecamp before and really enjoyed it!
Clean Your Workspace
This is something I also do every night when I’m finished working. When you wake up and start your work day, it’s such a great feeling to have a clean workspace. Spend some time organizing any paperwork, files on your desktop, etc. It will make your life easier if you know where everything is. Plus, who likes working in a messy environment?
Use Tools to Make Your Life Easier
There is nothing wrong with using resources and tools to make your work easier. For communicating with our team we use Slack. I like to think of it as a merge between texting and emailing. We can troubleshoot things really quickly but also have fun sending each other memes and gifs. Is social media marketing wearing you down? Try using a software such as Sprout Social, Planoly or HootSuite. You can spend an hour or two each week, writing copy and organizing your photos. You can then schedule everything out so that you’re not having to check in everyday. It’s still best to check your social media platforms daily, comment, share, etc. but it’s a good way to know that your content is being shared.
I hope this helps you and if you have any questions, feel free to reach out!
