Episode 8: Asana: The Best Tool for Streamlining Your Workflow as a Bookkeeper
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In this solo episode, I cover the hot topic everyone wants to chat about… project management systems. We dive into the project management I’ve been using for years, the benefits and my experience testing other softwares along the way.
In this episode you’ll hear:
What project management system I love, use and recommend
Why bookkeepers and accountants need to have a project management system in place no matter what stage you’re at
The benefits of using Asana for bookkeeping firms
Solution to getting your project management system set up quickly
Resources mentioned in this episode:
⚙️ Asana
💻 5 Day Free: Workflows Made Simple Challenge (3/27 - 3/31)
💻 Kickoff with Asana for Bookkeepers & Accountants
📝 Free Asana Guide: 10 Simple Steps to Managing Your Clients in Asana
⚙️ Keeper
Listen to the Full Episode here 👇🏼
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If you’re anything like me, you’re obsessed with your firm. You want the best for it, and you’ll do what it takes to see it thrive!
Part of that means choosing the software and tech. When I first started out, it felt like sensory overload trying to choose the right tech stack to support my firm.
How am I supposed to choose? What software was actually worth the subscription? Have I considered allllllll the options?
Since my bookkeeping and tax firm was growing quickly, I started to lose track of my tasks and began to miss deadlines. It turns out, keeping track of everything with a desk full of sticky notes wasn’t the most efficient way to run a firm. Imagine that!!!
So I set out to find a project management system that could support me, but wasn’t too cluttered with bells and whistles.
That’s how I found Asana! Just like any other new software, it took some time to get the hang of using it effectively. I often hear stories from other bookkeepers and accountants about how they tried one project management system, but switched because it was confusing. Then they repeat this pattern until they’re frustrated and back at square one!
If you can relate to this, you’re NOT alone! My advice to you is this: Pick one platform and stick with it for a few months. Chances are, you’ll get used to it and find your own rhythm. But keep in mind that there’s no platform that can “do it all” - at least not well!
For me, the right fit was Asana (I loved it so much, I built a whole course around it!). But it wasn’t love at first sight! I took some time to get the hang of it and learn how to customize it for my firm.
Next thing I knew, I was implementing bookkeeping workflows! I was meeting my deadlines! I could start delegating tasks to contractors with ease!
To say that using Asana to manage my bookkeeping firm was a gamechanger would be the understatement of the century. Using Asana totally transformed my LIFE!
If you want to learn more about how to transform your firm with the magic of Asana, keep reading this blog!
We’re going to cover:
What Asana even is
Why bookkeepers and accountants need a project management system
The benefits of Asana for bookkeeping firms
How to create workflows in Asana for all aspects of your business
Let’s dive in!
Our Favorite Project Management System: Asana
It’s no secret that we love Asana, and we’ll shout it from the rooftops if that’s what it takes!
Asana is robust enough to handle all of the daily, monthly, quarterly, and annual workflows we use as firm owners. But it’s also simple enough to use so there isn’t too much of a learning curve.
A project management tool is essential for keeping track of tasks and managing teams (remote or in person)!
[SCREENSHOT OF CALENDAR VIEW IN ASANA]
Here’s a little more info to help you understand the hierarchy of Asana:
Teams
Teams are used to separate each department of your company. You might run your firm solo now, but I HIGHLY recommend building your Asana and practicing the habit of organizing your system into teams so you can easily scale in the future!
Pro tip: In order to create multiple Teams in Asana, sign up for an account using your business domain email instead of a personal email address. This will allow you to create multiple teams inside of an Organization. Signing up with a personal account will create a Workspace, which only lets you have one Team. Don’t worry if you’ve already signed up! You can always switch it later.
Setting up your Teams is the foundation for success in Asana! You can learn EXACTLY which Teams I recommend by downloading this free guide!
Projects
Within each team, you can create projects to keep your tasks nice and organized. By creating a project for each client, you can easily add tasks and set them to reoccur within the project so you never miss a due date!
That’s the power of reoccurring tasks and my signature method of templating projects based on the type of work you preform - so you’re not reinventing the wheel with each new client!
Here’s a bonus reason that I LOVE Asana for bookkeeping and tax workflows: Projects are so customizable, you can create ONE project for a client and use it forever (or as long as you serve that client!).
When you create a new project, you even have the option of which view works best for the type of work you’re doing.
On the free version, you can choose between:
List View: Just like it sounds, but you can create sections within the list!
Kanban View: Think Trello cards on a board that you can move around.
Calendar View: Great for seeing a high-level overview of due dates within a project
The best part is that you aren’t forced to commit to one view when you create the project, because you’re free to toggle between all three if you want!
Tasks & Subtasks
The third level of organization in Asana is Tasks, followed by Subtasks! This is the fun part, where you get to list out everything that needs to get done in order to execute the work for a client.
When you’re building out a workflow for a bookkeeping or tax client, I suggest you start by brain dumping the list of tasks you need to complete. Don’t worry about getting them in the right order! You can go back and reorganize once you’ve listed out everything you need.
It’s important to get down to the granular details, which is where subtasks come into play! If your task is to “Run Payroll”, you can’t just leave it at that! Use subtasks to list how HOW to actually accomplish that mission.
Want to learn more about how to build bookkeeping workflows from scratch? Check out our workshop series: Workflows in a Weekend!
Once you’re ready to start putting these tasks into action, you’ll need to complete a few more steps to maximize efficiency:
Assign due dates to all applicable tasks
Begin each task name with a specific verb to help you describe exactly what to DO to complete the task
Assign active tasks to someone (even if it’s just you)
Give plenty of information in the description box of each task, including helpful links
[CAN WE INCLUDE THE ORG CHART FROM 5DF?]
You Need a Project Management System Like Asana ASAP
Like I said before, implementing Asana was an absolute gamechanger for my firm. Since I mastered it (and became a Certified Asana Pro), I’ve helped over 1,000 other bookkeepers and accountants learn to use the powers of Asana to streamline and scale their firms.
Asana is more than just project management for client work. It’s also a CRM to keep track of your clients and sales funnel. It’s a place to plan your social media content. It’s a perfect spot to plan and organize your next trip - for work or personal time off!
Many bookkeepers have asked me if using Keeper.app replaces the need for Asana. We love and use Keeper alongside Asana in our firm, and they play together nicely!
You can read more about how the two work beautifully together right here!
Three Benefits to Using Asana in Your Bookkeeping Firm
Obviously, there are sooo many more benefits to using Asana to manage your bookkeeping or accounting firm. But if I had to narrow it down, these would be the top of my list!
You can customize the hell out of your Asana to make it appealing, functional, and fun! I can’t tell you about the joy I get when I complete a task and a unicorn flies across my screen! Choosing specific colors for certain types of tags and projects helps me get a high-level overview of what kind of work I’ll have to tackle each day!
You can create actionable steps to reach your goals faster. By creating a project around each of your goals, you can create tasks and assign due dates so you don’t have ANY reason not to move the needle closer to your dreams!
You can outsource work and scale with ease! Once you have solid workflows in place, you’ll be able to assign tasks to a team member and get more off your plate. As long as you’ve given them all the important information up front, they’ll be able to execute the task without help!
The Fastest Way to Implement Asana and Organize Your Firm
If you’re sold on Asana at this point, but you’re thinking you don’t have the time to sit down and create all your workflows from scratch...
We’ve totally got your back!
It’s for this EXACT reason that I created my signature course, Kickoff with Asana for Bookkeepers & Accountants!
I was the time-poor firm owner who didn’t have a clue how to dig myself out of the vicious cycle of constantly feeling behind in my work. I saw myself falling into a pattern that meant I’d never be able to grow or scale my firm, and I was desperate for a way out.
Kickoff with Asana for Bookkeepers & Accountants is the program I WISH someone had created when I was at this phase of my journey. I created it so that other firm owners could use the workflow templates and video lessons as a light at the end of the tunnel. And finally take a deep breath of relief!
Don’t worry if Asana isn’t your jam! The workflow templates can be applied to other project management systems if you prefer something else.
Our signature program is the fastest way to kick overwhelm to the curb for good. Just ask the 1,000+ bookkeepers and accountants who we’ve welcomed into the course! Join now and get instant access to the entire course for life!
Thanks for listening. If this episode inspired you in some way, take a screenshot of you listening on your device and post it to your Instagram stories and tag me, @workflowqueen For more information about the Conquering Workflows & Systems for Bookkeepers & Accountants Podcast or interest in our programs or mentoring visit our resources below:
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