How Do You Stay Organized?

23 replies
How do you keep your projects organized? When you have 5 or 6 different things that you need to work on, how do you keep them prioritized and make sure that they get done?

Whiteboard?
Software?
Mindmapping?

What helps you the most? I really need to figure out how to do this myself, because I have several things going on and want to make sure that they all get done.

Thanks!
#organized #stay
  • Profile picture of the author talfighel
    You first make a decision that they will all get done in a curtain time period.

    2nd: Start working on the most important one and don't get off it until you finish it. It is so easy to start the next project when you didn't even finish the first so make sure that you finish the project and then move to the next one.

    3. When you are done with the 1st project, take a few mintutes off and refresh. Then move to the 2nd and so forth.

    Tal
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    • Profile picture of the author Edward Green
      I think that Mindmap Manager is a fabulous tool for getting organised. It helps you think laterally and has so many other tools that help organisation.

      I even exported a Mindmap into Powerpoint and used it for a weekend seminar for offline businesses.

      I also believe in dare I say it.....

      Pen and Paper.

      Ed
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  • Profile picture of the author ArthurRose
    Banned
    [DELETED]
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    • Profile picture of the author Jamie Iaconis
      Hi,

      Here is what I do, and it works very well...

      WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!!

      Make a list of everything that needs done and
      knock them off one-by-one, 'til you're done!

      Works great for me and all you need is a pen and paper!

      HTH

      Jamie
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      • Profile picture of the author ttippmann
        Originally Posted by Jamie Iaconis View Post

        Hi,

        Here is what I do, and it works very well...

        WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN!!!

        Make a list of everything that needs done and
        knock them off one-by-one, 'til you're done!

        Works great for me and all you need is a pen and paper!

        HTH

        Jamie
        And rip people off on Warrior forum.
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  • Profile picture of the author TinaS
    I work with someone on most projects, so we keep each other in line.

    When I am working sites they get a folder on my desktop - and the folders are name *1_SITE NAME, *2_SITENAME etc. when a job is finished, I zip up the folder - delete it from my desktop and put the zip on my external
    And i try to write down EVERYTHING too.
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    • Profile picture of the author Rachel Zaouche
      You could try www.stayonfocus.com

      Its not my site and there is an opt in - simple but it helps.

      Charles Swab once the richest man in the US used a formula of writing the 6 most important things that would move his business forward. He ignored everything else and concentrated on these six things until they were done. He paid $25,000 to the person who gave him this idea at a time when the monthly wage was about $200.

      Simple but effective.

      Best

      Rach
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  • Profile picture of the author flashgordon
    I have lists going. Some lists are things I need to do that week or day, while the list that sits on my desk is more general (i.e., overall tasks). Still, it is hard but seems to be working for me. I wish there was a better way, but so far I have not found a techie way to keep on top of everything.
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  • Profile picture of the author Debbie Songster
    I use dotproject to stay on top of client projects.
    It sends an email out to me when things are due plus it keeps the client up to date when tasks are done.
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  • Profile picture of the author billnad
    I have tried two different things and they seem to work well together.

    I work in the basement of my house and I have a big roll of paper that I will unroll to make mindmaps and big todo lists (what is important in any niche).

    I have mindmaps for niche research, article submission from idea to posted, keyword research....Lots and easily editable when I think something is missing.

    As for individual niches I have a folder for each niche on the computer. The folder has the name of the niche and inside I have more folders called: Articles, articles to write, footers for articles, giveaways, keywords, and text files. I think that this covers everything that I need to get started to finished in a niche.

    One of the big problems that we run into very easily is having a big folder full of articles, pdfs, audios, and bookmarks to lots and lots of IM stuff that is more a distraction than anything. Right now I am working on cleaning this up with a special IM folder that has sub folders for Future product ideas, Mindmaps, Page Templates, Plugins and Wordpress themes, software and stuff to read.

    I think that I have covered everything but this is only organizational. Not a to do list. Many of the people on this thread have given us lots of ideas for prioritizing what needs to be done at any one time. Thanks for those great tips guys.
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  • Profile picture of the author Rhia
    I keep a spreadsheet of each site, with information about what has been done and what needs to be done. I have a master list that I keep so that when I create a new site, I can start a new spreadsheet and I know right where Im at.
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  • Profile picture of the author tess47
    I find that a daily planner type book works for me. I write down everything I need to do, usually days ahead of time. For example, if I am writing articles for several clients at one time, I write down each of their names and how many articles I need to write for each client. I then mark them off as I get that days work done.

    I also write down messages for my other business, such as "update blogs", write articles (for MY OWN business), update squidoo lenses, etc.

    Physically writing them down using pen and paper works best for me. This way, it's right in front of me. If I were to put it on my computer somewhere, I wouldn't see it often so I would tend to get off track.

    Hope this helps!
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    • Profile picture of the author Cynthia Mosher
      A timely thread for me. I keep everything in my head and finding it's getting way too crowded in there.

      Has anyone tried http://basecamphq.com/ ?
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      • Profile picture of the author Bishop81
        Originally Posted by Cynthia Mosher View Post

        A timely thread for me. I keep everything in my head and finding it's getting way too crowded in there.

        Has anyone tried Project management, collaboration, and task software: Basecamp ?
        Heh, that's my problem too. That is why I'm asking for better ways.

        So many great ideas. It seems that most people still prefer to just write things down around their office.

        I would love to get a whiteboard that I can use, but I'm in the middle of some things and don't exactly have an office set up at the moment.
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        • Profile picture of the author azurews
          I use the Task list in my Gmail account since I am usually logged in anyway...makes it fast, easy and convenient to stay up-to-date.

          I copied and pasted the steps to enable Gmails Task list if anyone is interested.

          Tasks adds a to-do list to Gmail. After adding the lab, click the Tasks link above the chat box on the left-hand-side of the page. Your task list will appear on the right - click anywhere in the list and start typing to add a task.

          You can also create a task from an email: from the More Actions menu, choose Add to Tasks when viewing an email, or press shift+T if you have keyboard shortcuts enabled. For more shortcuts, explore the Actions menu at the bottom of your task list.
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  • Profile picture of the author warner444
    The first thing I do is Less. Get focused on one project and do enough of it until I see real progress.

    I have so shot myself in the foot working on too many things at one time.

    So for me prioritizing is key. Whether by making a list, or taking a break and thinking over which to do is most important, then do that one, a lot of just that one, before anything else.

    Next, outsource more. To have a business you have to outsource. Start with small stuff and build up. Never give a new person too big a task, try them on smaller stuff first, check references and ratings. Ask for recommendations. Research available places for outsourcers. Make sure you explain exactly what you want done. If it is a more complex task, show them with a camtasia video.
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  • Profile picture of the author RebeccaL
    I've finally bought myself a diary and good notebook A4 size.

    The diary is for daily task checklists and the notebook is for ideas and long term plans.

    Certainly having it all written down makes you more productive and organised - as long as you actually read what you've written
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    • Profile picture of the author Jamie Iaconis
      Originally Posted by RebeccaL View Post

      I've finally bought myself a diary and good notebook A4 size.

      The diary is for daily task checklists and the notebook is for ideas and long term plans.

      Certainly having it all written down makes you more productive and organised - as long as you actually read what you've written
      Exactly... that's the way I do it...

      Then when the task is complete, a BIG FAT line through it!!!
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  • Profile picture of the author kumisi69
    I must be the most disorganized person on the world and if i didn't right every little thing down and put every thing into a plan i would never get any thing done at all, i loose track of time very badly so it's a must to have a to do list with the time beside and work to a limited time frame for each project

    Does anyone know were you can get software to organize your projects and tasks you have to do
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  • Profile picture of the author DanGTD
    If you'd like a tool for managing your time and projects, you can use this application inspired by David Allen's GTD:

    Gtdagenda.com

    By the way, here is how a forum member uses Gtdagenda to run his business:
    http://www.warriorforum.com/main-int...-business.html
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  • Profile picture of the author Adrianne_
    I am not too good with list. They pretty much get buried under other list I've made so at the start of each day, I make a decision to work on a particular thing for that day. For example, today I will make 10 forum post, or today I will write 1 article, or send out emails, etc.

    It doesn't take much to get overwhelmed, even with a small list of 3 or 4 things but by focusing on just 1 thing to do for that day, I can manage a lot better and consistently move my business forward.
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  • Profile picture of the author Trieu
    I would really like it if there was a report showing me how to organised and manage my files, websites etc. My desktop is so messy and sometimes I dont know where everything is.



    Here is a picture of how I recently organise my daily marketing chores. Everyday I generate traffic, so I visit each website organised in folders which is bookmarked on the toolbar. It be interesting to know how other marketers do things, or whether there are better ways
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