How many times have you looked at your to-do list and had no idea what to tackle first?

Should I start with social media because it could bring in money?  Or should I take care of some client projects because I don’t want to lose their business?  But wait. . .what about writing content for the next module in the course I’m creating?

Sound familiar?

Do you wind up feeling so overwhelmed that you just head off to Facebook to look at pictures of your friend’s wedding last week or tweet to all your online business friends about how you can’t focus?

Guess what?

You need to set your priorities!

You’re losing out on potential clients, cash, and valuable time because you lack clarity.

 Your Online Biz needs to Prioritize Tasks

Tip 1 – Know where you’re headed

How can you know what to do each day if you don’t know what the end destination looks like?

I’m sure you’ve heard this analogy before: not having a plan in your business is like getting into the driver’s seat of a car and driving around without knowing where you need to go.

Don’t waste your precious time.

Choose one key goal to have in mind for your entire year.

Examples of goals:

•  Break six figures in revenue from coaching services and programs
• Increase media presence
• Launch first monthly subscriber program
• Build my list to 1,000 subscribers

Having this one goal enables you to prioritize all the tasks related to it.

 Tip 2 – Create a weekly task list

Put an end to the madness with your task list of core things that need to happen every week and your rough schedule for getting them done.

The schedule doesn’t need to be strict, but it needs to exist.

Creating a template is the best place to start.

If you use a project management system like Asana, you can easily create templates. Learn how to do so by reading this article.

You can also make this list by creating a Word document that lays out your recurring tasks along with the time required for each one.

Here is what a sample weekly task list might look like using Word.

Your weekly task list empowers you to start your day by going straight to your list, instead of feeling overwhelmed and unsure of where to start.

 Tip 3 – Evaluate your daily tasks

Many business owners tell me that they don’t get to the most important tasks because they start with the easiest tasks first.

While it can feel productive in the moment, it’s a mistake you can avoid by choosing three top-priority tasks for your week.

In the weekly task list from Tip 2, you’ll notice that a “Top-priority task of the week” is scheduled for Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday.

I recommend having no more than three top-priority tasks.

If your goal was to launch your first monthly subscriber program, then during one week your top-priority tasks might be:

•  Schedule interviews with two clients to know exactly what they want in a subscriber program
• Outline the content that will be released throughout the year for the program
• Brainstorm ideas to keep subscribers engaged throughout the program

Instead of being reactive to what’s happening in your business and never getting anything done, you’ll become proactive and accomplish the most important tasks first.

 Tip 4 – End your week with a review.

It’s likely that even with the best planning, your week won’t always go as scheduled.

At the end of your week, conduct a weekly review where you ask questions like:

•  Which tasks weren’t accomplished last week?
• • Why not?
  • Can I avoid letting these tasks fall through the cracks by scheduling less to do each day?
• Are there tasks on my list that could be delegated to a team member?
  • How can I set them up for success in that task?
• Which tasks did I accomplish?
  • How am I going to celebrate?
• Which projects did I have challenges with?
  • Do I see any immediate solutions to those problems?

At the end of your weekly review, take a look at the upcoming weeks, evaluate your workload, and, if necessary, make any adjustments.

You can ask questions like:

• What are my three top-priority tasks for next week?
• Is my schedule realistic? Did I over-schedule myself?
• Do I want to delegate any tasks to team members?
• Did I make time to solve some of the challenges I’ve been having with projects so I can move forward?

With a weekly review, you’ll be able to evaluate your workflow and habits, which sets you up for success to stay on track next week.

 Tip 5 – Know Your Personality.

Not all of the suggestions above will work for you, and to find a method that you can stick with you need to know your personality.

• Do you tend to procrastinate?
• Do you love the feeling you get when you check off items from your to-do list?
• Do you like taking on projects in one big batch or in small chunks?

Don’t try to change your personality to fit the systems that work for other people. You can find success by taking those systems and molding them around who you are.

When you know your personality, staying on track with tasks feels more natural, and you’ll be more productive.

Back to You

Which suggestions are you excited to put into action? Which one does your business need the most right now?