Going Beyond Pad and Pen to Track Marketing

It’s time for me to track my marketing options by creating and maintaining an organized project management program rather than listing project tasks on a to-do list.

What’s the difference? I bet that the change will increase productivity and revenue. It will certainly streamline my methods and remove the clutter of “What do I do next?” from my head.

There’s also another difference. I’ve become accustomed to taking a pad of paper, writing down what I want to accomplish during the week, and eliminating items as they’re done. It sounds efficient enough, but it’s not. This process doesn’t let me evaluate results. As a solo business owner, I need to document:

  • Each project’s name and reason for the project
  • The objectives to be completed
  • A timeline showing each project step
  • A maintenance plan to update the project as needed

    • Last night I downloaded a project management program called Project Engine 2007. It’s a free program available through CNET.com, and it can also be found through most search engines. I’ll try it this week and share the results.

    I’d like to know if any of you use a project management program and how it’s worked for you.

    My decision to ditch pen and pad for a better system came last week after attending the BlogHer Conference in New York. I met many powerful people who work at Google, Yahoo!, AOL, Hewlett-Packard, and a host of other firms.

    I learned new ways to enhance my sites and blogs, and I want to implement these methods as soon as possible, but to do so I must create a streamlined process that breaks down each project’s mission and timeline for implementation. There’s so much to do, and the process can no longer be written in grocery list format.

    We’re called solo business owners because we work alone. One person can only do so much before exhaustion takes over. I don’t want that. That’s why I’m going to test Project Engine 2007. Tell me what project management software works for you.

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    March 27, 2007 | Filed Under Offline Ideas, Recent Entries, Solo Housekeeping, Technology 

    Comments

    4 Responses to “Going Beyond Pad and Pen to Track Marketing”

    1. Regina Thomas on March 30th, 2007 12:41 pm

      For marketing projects– my email program Thunderbird– tracks most of my efforts here.

      For work projects– I am still using pad and pencil along with digital text files. I have MS Office on several PC’s but I am on a Mac most often and have found that digital storage of text files to be quickest way to plan and update projects.

    2. Shirley George Frazier on March 30th, 2007 1:46 pm

      Hi Regina,

      I’m in agreement with you about pad and pencil being high on the list as project tracking tools.

      There’s something about seeing the project on paper that continues to be a comfort zone. It’s similar to reading a book in traditional form rather than reading it on a computer screen.

      I’ve never explored Thunderbird and will check it out this weekend.

    3. Flora Morris Brown on April 3rd, 2007 11:27 am

      Managing projects is a challenge whether with paper and pen or using a technology solution. I must admit that I still manage mine the old-fashioned way. I will take a look at Project Engine 2007 now, however, to see if I can incorporate it into my life.

    4. Shirley George Frazier on April 3rd, 2007 1:43 pm

      Hi Flora,

      Pen and paper are also more my speed. I’ve tried, without sucess, to incorporate Project Engine into my business life, but it hasn’t worked so far.

      I just received a $10 gift card to an office supply store. I’ll see if they have some type of system that fits my need to track projects.

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