Task Management

As a freelancer, you will likely have a lot of balls in the air at any given time. From project deadlines to client meetings to administrative tasks, it can be a challenge to keep up and get everything straight. That's where task management comes in.

Task management is the process of organizing and keeping track of the tasks that need to be completed, both big and small. This can be done with something as simple as a to-do list, or a spreadsheet, or with a more sophisticated system like Trello, Asana, Base Camp, or ClickUp.

A good task management system will help you prioritize your tasks, set deadlines, and track your progress. It can also be helpful to share your task list with your team or key stakeholders. This will hold you accountable and help you stay on track. Whether you're just getting started as a freelancer or you've been at it for years, implementing a task management system can help you stay organized and be more productive.

Here are a few tips to help you choose the right task management system for you:

• Features. Decide what features are most important to you. Do you need a system that can handle multiple projects? Do you need to be able to track billable hours? Make a list of your must-haves before you start looking at different systems.

• User-Friendliness. Consider ease of use. You don't want to spend hours setting up a complicated task management system. Look for something that is user-friendly and easy to learn for both you and your colleagues/client.

• Integrations. If you use other productivity tools, make sure the task management system you choose can integrate with them. This will make it easier to keep track of everything in one place.

By following these tips, you can find a task management system that will help you boost your productivity and manage your freelance tasks effectively.

• Spreadsheets (Excel and Google Sheets)

• Trello

• Asana

• Base Camp

• ClickUp

A spreadsheet can be a helpful tool for managing tasks and projects. It can help you keep track of deadlines, calculate progress, and spot potential problems before they escalate.

Here are a few tips for getting started with using spreadsheets:

1. Create a column for tasks needed to be completed. Then, create columns for the start date, due date, and completion date. As you work on each task, update the corresponding cells in the spreadsheet. This will help you track your progress and keep you on schedule. This will also be helpful, especially to those on time trackers.

2. Add columns for status (e.g., not started, in progress, completed, for approval, approved, rejected) and priority (e.g., high, medium, low). If creating for a team, add a column for ‘assigned to’.

3. Regularly update and save your spreadsheets. This will help prevent data loss in the event of a power outage (hello, brownout!) or other unexpected incidents.

4. Share with your team or client for visibility and progress tracking.

The use of spreadsheets is suitable if working with clients who are less tech-savvy. Remember, the tools you use should ideally be something the whole team will be able to get accustomed to and will use a lot.

Trello is probably the simplest tool to use, next to spreadsheets. Trello is a web-based tool that uses the principle of Kanban to help you organize your work. Basically, Kanban is all about visualizing your work tasks and progress so you can see what needs to be done and track your progress. Trello makes it easy to set up Kanban boards for your different projects and then add tasks to each board. You can also invite collaborators to join your boards, which makes it a great tool for team projects. To help get you started, here’s a webinar from Trello’s YouTube channel that walks you through the basics. Don’t forget to take notes and try it out for yourself!

Asana is another task/project management tool that helps teams keep track of to-do lists and ensures that nothing falls through the cracks. It is designed to make your life easier, and it does this by allowing you to create tasks, set deadlines, and assign them to specific team members. You can also add notes and add attachments to each task so that everyone has all the information they need to get the job done. This is a little more complex than a spreadsheet, and not as user-friendly as Trello, but its features are fit for teams working with a more detailed and structured task.

Base camp is another tool that provides a central location for managing your or your team’s projects. It allows users to create and track tasks, share files, and communicate with team members. Unlike other project management tools, Base camp integrates with a variety of popular software programs, making it easy to use for teams that are already using multiple apps. It also offers a free trial and competitive pricing for premium plans making it an attractive option for small businesses and startups that are looking for an affordable way to manage tasks and projects.

Now, this one’s my favorite, so I’m going to be a bit biased! Anyone who has ever tried to manage a project knows that task management is essential to success. There are a million and one things to keep track of, and it can be all too easy to lose sight of the big picture. ClickUp is a task management tool that helps you stay organized and on track. You can create tasks, assign them to team members, set due dates, and attach files. You can also create checklists, leave comments, and add tags to help you keep everything organized. It integrates with a variety of other productivity tools, so you can stay on top of your game no matter where you are. It also has mind mapping, whiteboard, wiki, and workload dashboard! Yes, you heard it right, the team can get an overview of the team’s workload. Because of its integration with Gmail, you can even send out emails within ClickUp’s comment section! Talk about having everything in one place, huh?!

What I love most about ClickUp is that they listen to their users. So they always come up with new features.

The majority of these productivity tools are not only web-based but are also mobile so you can get and give your project updates on the go. Except for the sheets, which you can of course access on the phone but are quite challenging to edit or update.

Let’s dive into these tools, shall we? The best way to learn is by actually doing it, so let’s start exploring! Read through the 2 scenarios and create your boards.

You have 2 clients with two different roles for each. You are a General Virtual Assitant for Client A and a Social Media Manager for Client B. You need to be able to track your tasks, share them with your client and the team and have an approval system in just one place.

Choose from any of the Project management tools above

GVA for Client A

• Create a Board / Workspace / Project where the whole team (Marketing, Operations, Finance, Human Resources) including yours will be visible to all. The client will also need to see the status of each task

• Create 2-3 tasks for each business area

• Put deadlines

• Assign tasks (add your peers to your project or assign them to yourself)

• Indicate different statuses for each task created

• Add attachments to some tasks

• Tag someone on 3 tasks

• Add a comment on a pending task and remind the person assigned to of the deadline

• Change the view of the board

SMM for Client B

• Create a kanban style board for your content plan

• Create categories according to content types or pillar

• Create a category for reference guides (branding i.e. colors, fonts, tone of voice, client avatar, posting times, etc.)

• Create 2-3 content production tasks for each content type or pillar

• Add deadlines for each task

• Create statuses

• Create approvals

• Create tags or labels for the type of social media channels to publish content

• Assign team members or self

• Change status of some tasks

• Archive 2 tasks

• Delete 2 tasks

• Share the board with someone

• Add attachments (photos)

• Add drive links

• Comment on a task

• Change your project’s view

Take a screenshot of the sample Project management board you have created. Upload to Google Drive and get the shareable link.

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