Technology has enabled so many great changes to the way we work and live. It has made the world smaller and the workday more efficient. Not surprisingly, these gains have driven many of us to live an "always on" lifestyle yielding many new challenges to tackle - of which include time management, prioritization and workload management.
This post will focus specifically on using technology to manage workload. Thankfully, there is no shortage of digital tools to assist with both project and workload management, For starters, it is helpful to get an idea of the difference between the two:
Project Management - The art of managing a single project from start to finish.
Workload Management - The organization of a group of projects, processes and/or ongoing tasks. Basically, everything under the umbrella of "work".
Good candidates for digital project and work management tools can define their work using at least two of these three key elements: (1) deadline-driven work, (2) ongoing work and/or (3) a need to easily track and access work-specific references.
Below are a few examples of how to manage this type of work using my personal favorite product, Asana. Cloud-based, clean and comprehensive, Asana is rightfully one of the leading work management products out there. Let’s break it down:
Deadline-driven work. Heavy or light, large or small, assign each project and task an owner, priority and deadline. The added visibility makes it easy for individuals to stay on track and for teams to hold each other accountable.
Ongoing work. This might include a rolling list of internal or external requests, or regular department “excellence” tasks, like monthly reports, data audits and clean-up or others. Assign tasks and deadlines to just yourself or involve the team.
References to help you do work. Sometimes, you just need key information at your fingertips. Work management tools are also great for organizing items like new team member onboarding, links to references, and ongoing task templates.
No different than getting really clear about your goals and priorities and setting boundaries accordingly, it is essential to have a clean, confident way to get organized about your work and your team's work. Take Asana for a spin for FREE or sign up for a 30-day trial Premium or Business plan for more advanced views and features, like reporting, automation, goal management and integrations.
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Note: As an Asana Ambassador, I may receive proceeds from Asana for purchases made using the affiliate links in this post. If you are considering implementing Asana for your small team or organization and have questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch.