The following is a guest post by Amy Mitchell, a Systems Coach, based in Victoria, Canada. If you’d like to contribute to the House of 334 blog and share your expertise, shoot us an email at houseof334@gmail.com.

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I know you didn’t start a business to work 80 hours a week and be bogged down with all the wrong things.

And I know you know systems can help but it can be hard to get them in place.

So, here’s the thing…

We ALL use systems and the better our systems, the more in control we feel.

The more stuff our systems catch for us, the less we have to worry about things we need to remember, do, and follow up on.

And when it comes to running an online business there are a million and one things to do every single day.

So many talented, passionate entrepreneurs are drowning in to-do’s and stuck in overwhelm.

Without a system to manage and prioritize all the moving parts – business feels chaotic and stressy.

And I don’t mean to ride in here like a knight in shining armour but…

(Ok, maybe I do).

Let me save the damn day.

I swear I would have probably quit my business and got a job as a barista somewhere by now if it wasn’t for Asana. #superfan #nerdalert.

Asana will transform the way you work in your business and my goal is to help you use it in a way that frees up that beautiful headspace of yours for more joy, creativity, and fun.

Taking control of your day-to-day is one of the most powerful shifts you can make to change the way you feel in your business and Asana is a super-tool when used to really harness your hustle.

If your to-do list is overflowing, you’re drowning in post-it notes and you just don’t know where to start with everything on your plate – this, my Love, is for you.

Step 1: Go all in with Asana

The #1 thing I see when people first come to me to get Asana set up in a way that ACTUALLY works for them is that they sort of use it.

Maybe they have a few lists or keep some ideas.

Or they check it every so often and are reminded of a thing they once wanted to do.

But, the MAGIC with Asana happens when you go all in.

When you go all in, you can have a system that works for you, that you trust, and that REALLY frees you up to do more of what you love.

If we can’t trust our systems, they’re not serving us.

If we have to worry about them catching everything then our brains don’t rest.

Half-used, half-working systems are a liability.

If you know your system is solid and it’s got your back, you get to focus on bigger, better things that actually light you up.

When you go all in with Asana, it’ll bring to your attention the things you need to see WHEN you need to see them (see Step 2).

Step 2: Use “My Tasks” like your business depends on it (spoiler alert: it just might)

Ok, this is hands down the #1 thing that I put in place for people that transforms their work and their relationship with their business.

The “My Tasks” function in Asana pulls all the tasks across all the projects in your workspace into a “My Tasks” list that can be organized in sections called “Today, Upcoming, & Later.”

This allows you to then have everything that needs to happen across your projects / life / business – pulled into one spot where you can prioritize things in among all the other things to be sure you’re working on first things first.

The genius of this is hard to explain – let me show you how it works in the video below.

[VIDEO] Using “My Tasks” in Asana

Step 3: Make Asana your Mission Control

Now that you’ve committed to going all in Asana and you’re using My Tasks like a boss, the next step is to really think of Asana as your Mission Control.

What do I mean by this?

Make Asana the place that you go to put EVERYTHING.

Let it be the one place that houses all your tiny to-do’s to your biggest hopes and dreams and plans.

Make it one of the tools that’s open in a browser all day and that houses your priorities for the day / week / month / year.

Step 4: Set up everything you need at your fingertips

One way to make Asana as valuable as possible is to treat it like a portal to your business.

Within each task and project in Asana, you can effortlessly attach files, live links to document storage, and information to ensure that you have what you need at your fingertips when you need it.

Make it as easy as possible to do the work by having Asana do the heavy lifting for you.

[VIDEO] Here’s a quick video showing you exactly what I mean.

Genius, right?

Step 5: Integrate your big dreams and plans

I know you’ve got a business plan sitting on a drive somewhere that you’ve barely looked at since you created it (#guilty).

But Asana can end that.

As entrepreneurs we have two big jobs: DECIDE the work and DO the work.

Deciding the work is the goals, strategies, tactics and action plans and doing the work is executing said action plan.

I often see people create awesome goals and decide on awesome strategies but never break them down into actionable steps and integrate them into their day-to-day so that they can actually move the needle on those goals.

So, they’re spending their days deciding (read: reacting) what to do AND doing the actual work.

Bringing your big plans into Asana allows you to keep your goals at the forefront while making strategic, aligned action as easily as possible.

[VIDEO] Here’s what that looks like in practice.

So.. long story short.. Asana CAN serve as Mission Control in your business and help you actually get more strategic, take aligned action, and cut the fluff in your business.

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Amy Mitchell helps service-based solopreneurs and small businesses go from scattered and reactive to streamlined and in control so they can spend more time doing what they love. She’s s a Systems Coach, Asana Certified Pro and Certified Business Performance Coach who loves to work and travel her way around the world. Follow her on Instagram @AmyR_Mitchell. And for tips on how to start using Asana as your Mission Control, you can check out her step by step worksheet + mini training.