Using Automation to Better Manage Client Work
Perhaps one of the more iconic scenes from Star Wars: A New Hope (1977) is the trash compactor scene. It’s the first real trouble our heroes are in together. The first time they need to work together (and wait for their robots to save them).
If you’re unfamiliar, Leia, Luke, Han, and Chewie fall into a trash compactor (garbage masher) and the walls are quickly closing in on them; despite their best efforts, nothing they do can stop the walls from closing in. OH and there’s a monster (a dianoga) that nearly eats Luke. They escape when R2-D2 (and the behest of C-3PO) turns it off and opens the door.
Getting a lot of client work can kind of feel that way – especially if you’re a small shop. You take on too much work, and now the walls are closing in on you. Luckily, we also have robots who can save us, through automation.
My Current Process Doesn’t Scale
It all started with a realization and a tweet:
Indeed, I’m incredibly lucky to be working on a lot of projects I really want to be working on right now. That, coupled with my content projects, and this summer is shaping up to be one of my busiest summers in recent memory.
The root of my consternation is that I haven’t planned on balancing so many projects at once, either because I’ve switched to a less client-heavy model, or due to imposter syndrome. But in any case, I was blindsided by an embarrassment of work-related riches.
Planning Out How to Managing Everything
So what am I doing about it? Well, I started where I always start: with pen and paper. I wrote down all of my active projects, where they are, and the type of project. Then I wrote down each type of project, and what the process should look like from start to finish.
I Need to Use Tools I Already Use
My next step, in between projects, is to put a process in place using the tools I already use. Part of my problem is I like tire-kicking new tools, start a project there, then never use it again. It’s easy to think trying new productivity tools makes you productive, but it doesn’t. You’re procrastinating.
Here are 3 tools I absolutely use every day:
- Craft
- Airtable
- Zapier
So these will be what I build my project management empire on. I’m grateful to Andrew Davison, who spoke at our Zapier meetup recently and gave me a bunch of ideas.
Starting Small
My first task will just be to create a list of open projects. I’ll do this with Stripe and/or HelloSign, Zapier, and Airtable. So when payment or a signed contract comes in, Zapier will add an entry to my Airtable project base.
With that list I’ll be able to build a timeline and project schedule. It will ensure nothing falls through the cracks. From there, I can build out a project flow for each type of project. That will happen later, once I feel like this first automation works well.
I’m also testing how much I can do using my own projects – specifically How I Built It and my YouTube channel. I’m excited at the prospect of being more hands off with YouTube, which is very time consuming!
Client Communication is Key
The key to many of these client-facing projects will be email sequences, either through Zapier’s email/delay features, or perhaps more elegantly through ConvertKit. The more communication you can automate, the better it will be – you won’t forget, and the client will get important updated. Some think this is impersonal, but it’s just smart process.
Ultimately this is a work in progress – I’ll need to iterate to see what works and what doesn’t. I’ve been freelancing for 20+ years, but this is a bit of a growing pain in 2 ways: the number of concurrent projects has increased, and the types of projects I’m doing has changed. It’s an exciting time!
