I have received several questions about how I organize and keep track of what I have written about, and am going to write about. Some have asked if I keep my notes on a piece of paper, with a word processor, an Excel spreadsheet, sticky notes, in my head, or wherever. Well, first I am a geek and do not use paper and pencil much any longer. And the last one, “in my head“…definitely not, or I would forget what I was going to work on before breakfast. I have many readers that are business people, others that are retired, and everywhere in between. And from the questions I get, I know everyone can use help to stay organized.
Over the years, I have changed some processes. I have done all the ones mentioned above. I found that using some of the project managers or organizational tools online worked better for me. For instance, I have tried all the following. Asana.com, Basecamp.com, Evernote.com, Google Keep (keep.google.com), OneNote.com, Todoist.com, Trello.com and a few of the other hundreds which are available online. I have now arrived at the one I like best. Make that two.
Most all of them have a free version and, of course, a paid version. They all excel in areas and are found lacking in other areas. They all have a learning curve. One that you can use easily from the start is Google Keep. It is not the best project manager, but a great note taker with many other useful features. You can check the following link to learn more about Keep, ghtech.site/KeepInfo.
Back to my choice, which is Trello.com. I recommend it to help you become more organized. It has helped me at my job, my to do lists, my online writing, my radio show, my YouTube videos, and more. I use it where I need help keeping my projects and tasks on track.
Trello is free, for almost all user needs. It is comparatively easy-to-use tool that helps you organize anything you need and even share them with anyone. It’s a visual representation of your projects and tasks. It is easier to use than many others, but you will have to spend some time with it to help you the most.
Whether you want to plan your day, manage your team, or get organized at home, Trello has the features for you. It has been around for years and has a great user base that helps. They have training at Trello.com, many YouTube videos, and a group of users that can answer most any question. The company has created a product that doesn’t require much training or experience in order to get started, but to attain total management of it, you may need guidance.
Trello reminds me of a cross between notebooks, index cards, and sticky notes together in one package. But they call them boards, lists, and cards. A “Board” contains related information to one project. I have a board for Articles, one for Podcasts, one for future Videos, and House projects. Each board contains “Cards” for specific information on each projects/board. And the “List” is a collection of cards with more detailed information on what needs to be done. For instance, I have a Board for articles I want to write. There is a List of “Research Articles,” “Column Ideas,” “Emailed Requests from Readers,” “Working,” and finally, “Published.”
With these, I can move each card from one list to another. For instance, after I research an article, I can move it to Currently Writing. Once finished and it has appeared online or in the newspapers, I move it to Published so I can keep track of it. I can also search for items within all the Cards for more information for me. It is very convenient, and I encourage you to become more organized and coordinated with your projects and endeavors using Trello.
Write to me with questions about organizing online.
