Manage Internet Business Projects


Internet Entrepreneurs are notorious for chasing down new ideas compulsively.

New ideas can energize your work and propel your business forward, no doubt. But unfinished projects can create an unmanageable number of loose ends and lots of frustrated mental energy.

My approach to managing projects is specifically designed for entrepreneurs and is based on David Allen’s GTD system.

Here are the steps:

1. Create lists for general “project areas” in your business.

Open up your word processor and create new document files for every area. As GTD advises, it’s immensely important to manage different areas of your system on separate sheets and in separate files.

Think of these “project areas” in terms of MAJOR sectors of your business. In internet business, areas might be associated with the web properties you’re developing, backend product development, etc.

2. Identify the key objective for each project area.
Step number two is crucial. Your key objective is the long-term goal you’re shooting for with that area of your business. Getting clear about your ultimate objective will help you focus on the following steps.

Write your key objective at the very top of your document. Put it in bold, italics, larger font – whatever you need to do to get your attention each and every time you open that file and start planning.

3. List your mini-objectives for each area.
Now it’s time to make lists in each document file. Here’s an example of how steps one and two relate:

One of my major project areas is building and maintaining this website. So, I have one word processor file titled “MindfulEntrepreneur.com Project.”

At the very top of the document, I have my key objective in capital letters.

Below that header, I have a list of my mini-objectives. One objective, for example, is “Create an attractive two-column theme.” This is something I am working on at the moment and, eventually, will fall off the list.

On with step four…

4. Describe the specific next task associated with each mini-objective.
I’ll continue with the example from above to explain this step as well.

Under each mini-objective in the “MindfulEntrepreneur.com” file I write the exact next step I will need to take to move closer to completion.

For the mini-objective I mentioned in Step 3, I listed “Pick a Wordpress Template online.”

This next step helps break down the mini-objective into a quantifiable action and, as David Allen explains, makes it far more likely that I will focus my attention on the easy steps in-between instead of the overwhelming bigger picture.


5. Update and review the list every business day.

Once you have these lists going, you will need to work with them every day. Let your business be guided by organization and planning – not the other way around.

Try this system out and let me know how it works for you!

Related Articles: