It was not long ago when I was new to Assistants4Hire. MerriLyn Gibbs, the Founder/Owner, was looking for foolproof ways of ensuring our little virtual team of (then) 4 pulled together and delivered on time every time.
Things did fall through the cracks a couple of times and were saved in the nick of time when we soon realized that we needed to up our game.
A team brainstorming session soon revealed that we were completely overlooking tasks, seeing them too late, and didn’t see concurrent deadlines clearly enough for us to manage our workdays.
It became clear that the platform we were on was just not cutting it!
It didn’t cater to the different work styles of 4 individuals and was not serving anyone completely either.
MerriLyn suggested that we try out Asana (www.asana.com)… and I can say that it has been all blue skies and sunshine since.
Yes, occasionally we do overrun a deadline – but we know now that it’s because of human error and not because the system chewed it up!
In how many ways can I sing the virtues of Asana?...
Too many to be sure, but let me share a few reasons why Asana makes my job role with A4H effective and efficient. This is in no way sponsored… but Asana – if you see this – you can sponsor us any day!
Balance a work week...
I love To-Do Lists. I have a To-Do List for work, my personal life, and everything. So naturally, I love the views that Asana offers by giving me a month of tasks at a glance. This can help me assess the slower weeks and then the busier weeks to help me plan deadlines ahead of time to provide more breathing space.
Duplicate tasks and create templates...
Once I have a great format going with my to-do’s and then the small subtasks, which lead to the main task in the project... there is a feeling of absolute satisfaction. Being able to replicate this setup across to the other projects is a huge plus - because why reinvent the wheel? I always have a template saved for easy replication of a task.
Details Details…
With Asana, you can get as detail-oriented as you like. I love to include processing steps on my cards so I know that my teammate has all the information he or she needs to complete the task without having to invest time in hunting for reference or links and documents in a folder. This makes it super simple for even the newest member of the team to adapt to. Information is easier to find with Asana.
Team Meetings made simple…
Yes, MerriLyn conducts our team meetings simply by looking through Asana! Our team has now grown to 7, and we function without missing a beat.
Set-up Tasks straight from my inbox!...
With an add-on in Gmail, you can turn your emails into tasks directly without having to create a card in Asana. This is awesome because... after checking emails for the day... I can confidently switch to Asana and know that all my actionable items are waiting for me there.
Not just for business…
Asana can be your best app even if you are a solo setup. Want to feel productive and free? Why not turn to Asana for help? The free version of Asana works well for personal or solo use. I use it to plan my family schedule, (love the calendar view feature), grocery list builder, habit, and goal tracker.
Curious but don’t have the time to set it up?...
If you are curious and want to learn how Asana can save you time and boost your productivity, but don’t have the time to experiment on it, then why not hop on to a quick call with MerriLyn? She can help set up your project management tool for you and your team. Trust us… It’s worth it!
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Written by Tatum De Souza
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