Meet My Virtual Assistant
As a Virtual Assistant, I need to be super, super organised. So what do I use to keep “organised”? Allow me to introduce you to my PERSONAL VIRTUAL ASSISTANT, Trello!
Colleen E Wall
Trello works just as well managing major projects as it does looking after the simplest of tasks.
What I’m trying to say is that you don’t have to have a major Project to manage to take advantage of the benefits of Trello.
I have a favourite saying, “if it’s not scheduled, it won’t get done” & Trello allows you to get it ALL done.
Don’t miss another deadline or forget something on that all important “to do” list. Trello has your back.
Where My Trello Journey Began
About 12 months ago, I was participating in a planning session for one of our projects & I soooooo wanted to go buy a whiteboard. I loved the good old whiteboard days. I relented & decided to get with the digital age & research an on-line whiteboard. After all, I have a very large 27” iMac so why wouldn’t I take advantage of that size & pop on a whiteboard.
Urgh! That didn’t work. They were clunky & hard to manage so I soon lost interest.
Then, several months ago, I was introduced to Trello. Oh, you beautiful thing! Happy days & guess what, it’s FREE.
Before I give you a little introduction into Trello, I’d like to let you know that there are a couple of ways to use it. In fact, the experts out there will probably tell you there’s more, but here’s what I know in the little time that I’ve been using Trello.
Trello : The Kanban Way
There’s The Kanban Way of managing your Board (more about the Board soon) or there is what I best like to describe as a more “Traditional” method. I’ve provided a link to a great blog by Sonya Siderova on The Kanban Way but let me talk to you about my personal preference, a more Traditional method, which is just an adaptation of how I would use a whiteboard but with motion.
My way ….
Let’s start with a Board. A Board is where Projects get organised. You could use the name of your Project or the name of your Company if you have many projects, or even the name of your Client, as the Board name. On the Board you create a List and then Cards within that list.
With my method, my lists are the main topics or headings within my Project. For example, if I have a Project called The Admin Angel (my client, that’s “me”) and my brief is to develop a profile to promote my client’s new business, I would obviously pose a series of questions. Those questions would form the topics on my Board, or the Lists, and the tasks would be the Cards within those lists.
Let me explain further
You can create unlimited lists with unlimited cards however, be mindful when creating Lists & Cards to keep it “on subject”, not too generic that it doesn’t mean anything & not too segmented that you have too much going on.
A little hint here, Checklists can be created within Cards so maybe you would be better off combining some of the Cards & using the Checklist to further segment items to be checked off. This provides both accountability & an easy to view snapshot of where you are at with your subject.
Your Board can be customised with a nice pre-loaded background or load one of your own.
Invite your team members to participate or family members to collaborate on that big family reunion or Christmas Lunch.
Add a cover image, a label, checklists, due date for each step along the way & even attach a link or file. You can move it around, copy it, make a template, watch it, archive it & share it.
Wooo Hooo! You are in business!
Taco @TacoTrello
One of my favorite things is that when you sign up to Trello, you get all these cool tips & blog posts from “Taco”, delivered right to your email IN Box. Stay tuned because if you miss Taco in your IN Box, I’m going to make sure we spread some “Trello Love”, right here on my website, by sharing some of Taco’s treats that I love the most.
With 50 million registered users, they must be doing something right, so here is my special gift for you this week. Your introduction to Trello . Click on the link to go directly to Trello & open your FREE account now.
Signing off for now, Colleen E Wall, Virtual Assistant, The Admin Angel
