12 Creative Ways to Boost Your Productivity With Trello
You can use Trello for anything and everything
Once I started using Trello, I didn’t want to go back to any of the other project management programs I was already part of. Trello is a great task app and organizer. You can do a lot with it for free, as explained in my guide for using Trello.
Trello allows you to have unlimited boards in which you can organize different projects and ideas such as task management or team management.
You can use Trello however you want for whatever you need. To get you started with some ideas, let me share some ways I use Trello.
General task management
All of my boards are different projects or jobs but they all have one thing in common: I have general task management cards.
I use the labels Trello provides for cards and typically use the red label for “not started” tasks, the orange label for “in progress” tasks, and the green label for “completed” tasks. I use the other colors for other things, depending on the project.
This is such a great way to visually keep track of your to-do list. You can also set up the labels by priority as well. Trello allows you to add due dates so you can also keep track that way.
A quick tip: depending on what each board needs, the cards can add up leaving you scrolling through your board for a long time. I set up another board at the end of my boards titled “Completed” and when I finish a task, I move the card to the completed board. This way my other boards don’t get cluttered because, for the most part, once a task is finished we don’t typically go back and look at it again anyway.
Freelance work
If you’re an entrepreneur with many clients then Trello is a great way to keep all your jobs in one place.
Each board (or a couple of boards) can be used per client. You can add their information, your job description, any tasks you need to do for them, as well as keep track of deadlines and invoices.
Alternatively, you can give your jobs their own board. For example, I’m a book publicist and also a content writer for blogs and websites. If you have a lot of clients, this might be an easier way to set it up.
Under each job, you can list your clients and the work you do for each one keeping track of everything mentioned above.
A quick tip: if you categorize your jobs by the board and not by client, then a great way to keep it organized for you to have easy access to each client within the same board is to assign your clients their own label color. Or you can create a card with a cover and list everything for that client underneath it, making it really pop.
Website and blog content
Website setup
My church switched its website hosting and I’ve been the one to set it up and design it. I have a Trello board with a list of website tasks to set it up as well as deadlines, pages, design ideas, login information, details about the hosting (such as our plan and the payment), and everything in between.
Blog content
Most websites have a blog and others are simply a blog. You can use Trello to keep track of all your blogging needs.
From content ideas, deadlines, publishing schedules, traffic stats, and more, you can keep track of it all.
You can have each task as a board and the cards can be everything that falls under it. For example, if you’re keeping track of your stats, you can have a stat board and each card can be assigned a different month of the year.
Podcasting
My friend and I started The Merry Writer Podcast and it takes a lot of work, dedication, and coordination. So, we use Trello to keep track of everything. In fact, she was the one who introduced me to Trello and set it all up for the podcast.
You can use Trello to keep track of episode ideas as well as which ones are in the recording stage, editing stage, and so on. You can use checklists for cards such as general tasks to do for each episode.
We also have a section where we have a list of guests and use checklists and labels to keep track of dates we’re meeting with which guests.
Overall, Trello makes running a podcast pretty simple and organized to the max.
Creative writing
All authors (or any writer, for that matter) know how much time and work it takes to put together a book. If you’re working on multiple novels at once then the use of Trello boards is a must.
Personally, I have a timeline set up in stages for my novels. This includes outlining, writing, revising, rewrites, editing, publishing prep, marketing, and so much more. I also have a board that’s just a master list of all my novel ideas.
Each card is its own book — not series — its own book. I utilize the labels to show which novels are currently being worked on as well as the checklist to show what I need to do for each stage.
Then I simply move the cards to whichever board they need to be part of based on my progress with the book.
Setting up shop
Have you ever tried to set up an e-commerce website? It’s a lot more work than you think it is and that doesn’t even pertain to the products you plan on selling.
Spilled Ink Press Shop has been a work-in-progress for a hot minute (it’s been longer than I care to admit).
I use Trello to keep track of my products, prices, inventory stock, and anything else that goes into running a shop.
I also have boards that keep track of the website itself as well as design, branding, colors, and the like.
Some other ways to utilize Trello
Those are just some examples on how I use Trello with a few more quick examples below.
- Volunteer work
- Homework
- Fundraising
- Event planning
- Reading list
- Recipe list
- Travel log
- Lesson plans
A recap
You can use Trello for so many different things. Whether it’s for work or for pleasure, Trello allows you to have some flexibility with their free plan and stay as organized and on top of your work as you need to be.
What are some ways you use Trello? Let me know in the comments and let’s chat!
I’m an indie author offering book marketing help and more services for writers at all stages during their creative journey. My goal is to make the process easy for you so you have the time to do what you do best: create.
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