Have you ever wondered how you could get more done without having to reinvent the wheel every day in your planning business?

It’s called systems.  Systems have radically changed my business and my life.  Trello is by far my all time favorite tool that I use to systemize my business and life.  I honestly don’t know how I did anything before Trello came into my life. 

What is Trello you ask?  Trello is a free online project management and organizational tool.  I do have Trello Gold in order to have calendars on my boards as well as the option to customize my board backgrounds, but I used the free version for over a year before upgrading and it was just as good.  I just loved the ability to customize my board backgrounds since I am an esthetically driven person as most planners are. 

Before Trello it would take me so long to find something I was looking for – a vendor’s mailing address, my company logo, photos from a wedding, my EIN number – and I would find myself wasting oh so much time looking for stuff.  Then Trello came into my life and OMG friends it’s the BEST thing I’ve ever used.

I use Trello for everything business and personal and when I say everything I mean everything.  Trello allows me to organize, manage and prioritize my days and weeks, store vendor information, organize all of my business processes, templates, documents, organize my clients and so much more. 

Here’s a peak at my Trello boards and what I use the boards for:

My Week

This is where I manage and prioritize my days.  Inside the My Week board I have a “card” for each day of the week.  A few weeks ago I shared about my themed days of the week which you can read about here.   I use the My Week board to utilize those themed days.

For some days of the week I have my daily to do’s in a checklist form for tasks that are repeated every week.  For example; on Marketing Mondays, I do the same tasks every Monday so I have a checklist template inside of Monday’s card with the tasks that I complete every Monday.  However; Client Work Tuesdays and Thursdays don’t have a checklist template since the tasks I work on each Tuesday and Thursday are going to be different since I’m working on client work.  

Here’s an example of how my Marketing Monday card looks.

Once I click on my Marketing Monday card I can view my checklist template for Mondays.

For Tuesdays and Thursdays I assign tasks that need to be completed on those days as individual tasks rather than having them in a checklist format, since I can assign due dates to individual task that are not housed inside a checklist.  I know this may be super confusing to you if you have never used Trello before, but trust me you will get the hang of it once you get started with it.  One of the bonuses offered for Wedding Planner School students is an in depth video walk through of how I use Trello and a copy of all of my trello boards for you to use inside your own business.  I would have loved to have this when I was getting started!

Business Hub

 This is where I store all things business related.  All of my processes, templates, checklists, business branding info, testimonials, swipe files and more.  This is also where I keep all of my client information.  Each client has their own card inside this board and inside each clients card is where I keep track of tasks I’m working on for each client, their checklist, client information, all of their contracts, documents and everything wedding related. 

Editorial Calendar 

The editorial calendar board is where I keep all things blog related.  I plan out my blog posts inside this board as well as keep a running list of blog topic ideas.

Wedding Vendors

This board has saved me so much time when it comes to searching for vendors for my clients.   Inside the wedding vendor board I have cards for each type of wedding vendor (photographers, caterers, bands, DJ’s, cinematographers, etc.) then under each vendor category board I have a card for each vendor in that category that I have worked with or know about in the areas we serve.  I keep their contact information, pricing, packages and documents that pertain to that particular vendor and more inside of their card.  

Wedding Decor

This board is where I keep track of everything brides may purchase for their wedding and links to all of these things along with pricing.  Guest books, napkins, toasting glasses, cake knives and servers, flower girl baskets, sparklers, gifts for the wedding party, etc. etc. 

Courses/Purchases

This is where I keep every course, template or PDF I have purchased.  No more wasting time looking for a course log in.  I simply visit this board and login to a course directly from Trello.

Wedding Supplies

This is where I keep track of all of the wholesalers I purchase wedding decor and florals from.  Each vendor has their own card inside the board with all of their information and pricing.

Inventory

This is where I keep track of all of my personal wedding decor since I am a florist as well.  Most planners wouldn’t need an inventory board unless you have rentals.

Home Base

This is where I keep track of everything personal and home related.  I have a card inside this board for maintenance, where I keep track of our personal vehicle information, home information, including sizes for everything (windows, air filters, bulb sizes, etc.), a card for recipes, home tasks that need to be done, bills, etc.

I hope this helps inspire your own Trello boards when you are trying to figure out how you can use Trello for your own planning business and personal life.  It’s been one of the biggest game changers for me and I couldn’t live without it!

To set up your own free Trello account head to their website HERE.

xo, Terrica