Managing your time and energy effectively is essential for online entrepreneurs. We're juggling so many things that it's easy to let things drop unless you have a good system in place. So, are you using project management software in your business to help manage all these things you have going on? Personally, I use Asana in my business. Do I love it? Dang, right, I do. But do I recommend it to everyone? Nope. You might be wondering why I don't recommend one project management software to all of my clients.

Why I Don’t Recommend One Project Management Software

Well, we're going to talk about why I don’t recommend one project management system to all my clients. There's a reason we have so many choices when it comes to project management software. Heck, that's just software in general. There are always so many options to choose from. As entrepreneurs, we have different needs and different goals for our lives and our businesses, and not everybody is going to want all the bells and whistles that some project management software offers. Those bells and whistles may be downright overwhelming.​

How do you get stuff done?

Now, this is important: the question you need to ask yourself is, how do you work best? Somewhere in your life, you get things done. Right. I know you do because things are happening.

How do you do that? How do you stay consistent with it? What process do you actually use? Is it pen and paper? Do you schedule time on your calendar? Or do you set aside dedicated days or blocks of time to get those items done that are necessary for you? We all have systems for getting things done. I promise you do, even if you don't realize it. You're likely doing things in the same order from point A to point D.

Our brains like that repetition. They also like to know what to expect and what is coming up next. If you did know how you get things done, what would that be? Let your mind chew on that for a little while to come up with an answer.

Is it a good fit?

When selecting your software, don't be afraid to kick the tires a little bit. Pick a couple and try them out for a small bit of time. Does it work for you? How do you feel when you're using it? Start small. Don't go crazy by adding all the things until they feel like, oh, yeah.

This is a good fit for me. I can handle it, and it doesn't feel overwhelming at all.

Consider Your Goals

What are your goals as a business owner? This is an important piece of the puzzle. Do you want to get to the point where you have an Online Business Manager (OBM) who directs you and your team with all the tasks that need to get done?

Are you more interested in just having a small and mighty team? These things also play an important part in your decision-making. When you're an entrepreneur balancing a family and a work-from-home business, it is critical to focus on the features that aid in your efficiency, flexibility, and clarity.

Three Things to Consider When Picking Your Project Management Software

Here are three things that I want you to consider when you're picking your project management tool. Yes, there's a wide range of different things that come into factor, but just think about these three things right now.

First Thing to Consider: Do you think it is user-friendly?

Is it intuitive and user-friendly for you? Remember, the key question always is for you. When you're juggling multiple roles, you need software that's easy for you to use, and does it make you feel overwhelmed at the thought of using it? If that is the case, it's the wrong software for you.

Is it easy to check those items off your task list? There is a reason why so many options exist.

You want project management software that has the ability to be flexible with task management and scheduling. Unless you need things to be rigid, then you don't want flexibility, but 9 out of 10 times, you're going to want a system that's flexible for you. A big benefit of using project management software is the actual task management capabilities. Am I right with that? The software must be easy for you to create tasks, set your deadlines, and assign responsibilities if you have a team member who's in there doing tasks as well.

Second Thing to Consider: How do you need to look at your task?

Do you need to limit what you see from your tasks, or do you want to know everything that's coming down the pike for you? You want to have flexibility that works for you and your team members. Does the software have the ability to view tasks on a daily, weekly, or monthly basis? This helps in planning and prioritizing effectively.

How do you need to look at your task? This is something you need to answer for yourself that is not overwhelming for you. Do you need to have that Kanban board style, like in Trello, where it has the columns with the boards and the cards that you can move around? Do you need a Gantt chart where it has like the little lines with all the tasks that are on a calendar view? Or, do you need a simple to-do list that you can check things off as you go?

Third Thing to Consider: Collaboration and Communication Features

Finally, the third one is, does it have collaboration and communication features? This one, again, is going to be important for those entrepreneurs who work with teams or want to work with teams in the future. Software should have a way to easily communicate and collaborate with your team. Do not overlook this.

I was an OBM for an entrepreneur that assigned all tasks through either email or Slack. It was overwhelming for me. It was overwhelming for the team, and too many things were missed in this manner. Plus, I spent a lot of my time and resources looking through emails and Slack, to figure out if there was a task we were missing. Don't do that to your team.

The project management tool should include the ability to communicate in that project or task when you're working together as a team. Think comments, attaching files, adding your links. This keeps everybody on the same page and working in the same direction, which adds up to efficiency for everyone.