The Basics on How to Get Started with Trello

Trello has been a lifesaver for me and how I manage my workload! I am able to manage my client information, social media calendar, projects, events, and more. I also use it for my personal life in planning my week, as well as, planning events, such as my daughters high school graduation party. The options to manage your workload and personal life are limitless with Trello!

There are a few basics you need to know before getting started. You have the option to build your own boards, or you can search the internet for Trello Templates by searching "Trello Boards for (whatever your need is)." Whichever you choose to do, the concept is the same. You create individual Boards for what you want to manage, add Lists inside the Boards to break down your processes, then add Cards to break it down even further. I know that might be a bit confusing, so I'll break it down step-by-step for you.

Trello Boards

In Trello, you can have an endless amount of Boards to organize your workload and your life! When you first set up your account, you will have an empty board, as shown below. You can then create Boards for anything you need. Some examples would be:

• Client Information

• Project Management

• Social Media Calendar/Planning

• Daily Schedule

• Event Planning

• Vacation Planning

• Personal and/or work budget

• and anything else you need to organize!

You can personalize your Boards by naming them, changing the background, and you can even add others members to your Boards, whether it be team members, clients, or family members.

Lists

Within your Boards, you create Lists to break down the processes for whatever the Board was created for. For example: I create a Board for each client as a way to manage their information and stay on top of our tasks and goals. So, within my Client Information Board, I create the following Lists:

• Client Information

• Goals and Strategies

• Notes

• Links and Login Information

• Payment Information

• Doing

• Future Projects

• Done

You can name these Lists however you want and you can have as may lists as you want in each Board. You can also add others to these individual Lists. Whether it be teammates, clients or family members, Trello allows everyone to stay on the same page while managing or planning anything!

Below is an example of what your Board will look like once you add some Lists.

Cards

Once you have broken down your processes into Lists, you're ready to break it down a bit further by adding Cards. You can customize the Cards to be used as a To-Do List with check boxes; manage daily activities by adding a comment for each day of the week (this is great for Social Media Management!); and you can also add images and documents to the cards. Here are some examples:

Below, I have added some Cards to the To-Do List.

When you click on the Card, a dialog box will open up, as shown below. You can customize it as follows:

• Change the name of the Card at the top.

• Add a description - this would explain what the Card will be used for. The description in this Card is to remind me to send follow up emails.

• You can add a Checklist - I added checklist for who I need to send emails to.

• Add attachments - images, documents, ect.

• Add comments - this is great for breaking down information. I use it to break down my daily social media posts. It's also very useful when you are working with a team or client so they can leave a comment instead of emailing or texting it to you! If you have added other members, you can tag them by putting "@" before their email address, their name will pop up, and they will receive a notification that they were tagged in a Card.

• Set a Due Date for when an action is needed.

When you have completed the tasks on the card, you can then either Archive it or drag it over to move it to the "Done" List. You'll see below that I have moved the "Mail Invoices" Card from the "To-Do" List to the "Done" List, since I completed that task.

That pretty much sums up the basic uses of Trello. You are going to LOVE the functionality and how you can customize your Boards for any use!

What are you considering using Trello to help you manage or organize?