Does your to-do list feel like it’s running away with you?
Having your own business means you’re juggling so many different tasks and keeping on top of them and prioritising is a job in itself.
This can cause stress and overwhelm and this week on the podcast I’m chatting to Amy Mitchell, a systems expert, on how to overcome this.
Amy specialises in helping small businesses use Asana, a project management tool or ‘second brain’ which can help you manage your work so you have more time to do the things you love.
Listen in on the player link below or you can read the key points as a blog post.
Amy, can you tell us about you background?
“I support online business owners to leverage tech and systems to get more done in their business.
“One of the key tools I use is Asana and I’m an Asana Services Pro. Around seven years ago I decided I wanted to start an online business.
“My background was in marketing and communication and I worked as a copywriter, and I wanted to take my business online so I could travel.
“I followed a woman called Natalie Sisson, who is the Suitcase Entrepreneur, and she helped me start an online business that wasn’t location dependent.
“I went to a retreat in Bali and I met Osmaan Shariff, who is a business coach, and he introduced me to something called Wealth Dynamics.
“It’s a tool that helps your find your strengths, and I went to the retreat as a copywriter and left as a systems expert and was hired by Natalie to help her.”
One of the things with writing is having a system to get it in front of people isn’t it?
“Yes, you can get copy on a page, but you need to have systems to get traffic to that page. By creating content and getting it out, you start to realise what system you need to support you.
“That might look like putting a lead magnet in place, because maybe you have traffic but you’re not able to get people on to email list.
“It’s thinking, ‘Which area of business do I need to troubleshoot?’ Is it really getting new eyes? Or is it getting those eyes that are on your stuff onto your email list?
“Or is it getting the people on your email list into a sale of some sort? The idea is to get started and let the system unfold.”
Can you tell me about Asana and how you started to work with it as a system?
“I’m pretty organised, but I couldn’t figure out how I’m meant to get all of this stuff done that we have to get done as online business owners.
“When I learned Asana, it something just clicked where I realised, ‘Ok, this is a tool that allows me to hold not only my task list, but also my projects, and any ongoing everyday tasks from buying toothpaste to changing oil in my car.
“I could centralise all my ‘to-do’ prioritise what needed to be done and have a system that was like a hub for my business. It was like I had a secret, it was too good!
“I’d created a system for myself and I wanted to show as many people as possible. Instead of post-it notes everywhere I had one place where everything was organised and prioritised.”
How do you use Asana for yourself?
“I do 90 day planning so I have a high level roadmap for each quarter. I pick the top projects for the quarter and allocate them to each month.
“Another thing I have is Monday Morning Magic where I reflect on how I got on with my priorities in the week before.
“Then the week ahead, what I want to accomplish, how I can get the most important things done and how I can enjoy my time, rather than just getting through.
“I also have an SOS task that lists anything that inspires me, YouTube video, a quote, there’s a lot of Beyonce in there and it’s to help get me into a better headspace.”
Do you have any tasks around publicity and visibility?
“Yes, so the visibility board is where you outline exactly what actions you want to take and you’re able to track that over time.
“What’s important is creating the strategy, then also making sure that in your system, there is some connection to why you’re doing that.
“Because these task require some bravery with putting yourself out there, it can be easy to just move it to tomorrow, so you want a reminder of why you’re doing it.
“And keep some stats in there about famous people who were rejected hundreds of times too!”
What do you find is the emotional impact of feeling more together?
“For me it was about truly believing that by giving myself that space was better for the work that I’m doing for my clients for everyone.
“If I can model this way of being then everyone benefits; my loved ones, my clients.
“I started to really see my overextending wasn’t helping anyone. When I really embodied that by taking care, it’s a higher service I could really get behind it.”
How can people get started with their systems?
“Keep it simple and have as much systems and structure as you need to work for you. People have this idea that there’s this ideal perfect system that exists.
“The most comprehensive system might not actually work for you, I’ve found that sometimes systems can be too rigid, where I actually can’t thrive within them.
“I teach figuring out the level of structure that truly supports you. You might be a Monica with tonnes of structure, or a Rachel who just wants the things that need to get done.
“Then there’s the Phoebe, who just needs a few high level bullet points. If you put something in place, and it works. And it helps you get more done, then great.”
Where can people get started with support?
“With the mini training, you can get your account set up, you can brain dump everything into Asana that’s rolling around in your head.
“Then I help you kind of sort and prioritise it. And then I teach the system that I’ve been talking about that allows you to compartmentalise your to-dos and the things you want to work on today, front and centre.”
Find her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heysystems/
Found this episode helpful? You might like to learn more about my Pets Get Visible membership that helps you get organised with your forward planning. Listen to Your invitation to join Pets Get Visible, or How to get out your way and put your pet business out there with Osmaan Shariff
