Planning your tasks as an entrepreneur

Mattias shared in an earlier episode that he's wearing a lot of different "hats" throughout the week. He obviously operates as the CEO, but he is also the marketing manager, the HR person and occasionally he is involved in sales as well. In today's episode, he is talking about how he keeps track of his tasks and meetings and shares why being more intentional helps him to stay on track.

Inconsistency vs. routines

When Svea asks Mattias if he has any specific routines throughout the week he answers by explaining the difference between an operational role (like his) and a more task-driven role (like Svea as the video editor). He talks about how it is rather hard to have routines and rhythms throughout a specific timeframe, due to the inconsistent nature of his role. He compares his everyday life as an entrepreneur to boxing by saying "everyone has a plan until they get punched in their face".
Every day looks different and you never know what will happen next. Maybe you were planning to do one thing but then another, completely unexpected thing happens. In that situation you have to adjust and focus on what's more important.

Digital tools for planning

The tools Mattias uses to keep track of all the things he needs to do are mostly digital. Google Suit being the backbone of iGoMoon, it was a no-brainer for him to utilize Google's calendar and email tools for him and his employees. He also liked to use the app "Todoist" which helps him to plan out his tasks. He empathized that the tools are one thing, having processes and knowing how to use them another.

Every time he gets an email, a message on Slack, a phone call, or alike, he considers if that task is something he could do right away or if it might be something that needs more planning and is more time-consuming. His approach is to solve everything that just takes a handful of minutes and he can solve without planning right away. He likes to have these things "out of the way". Everything else that needs more time, he collects in a to-do list. Usually, once per day he goes through that list and sorts everything after its priority. He tries to have a maximum of two "big" priorities to solve for each day. About once every week he looks into all the things he didn't manage to take care of and reprioritizes or deletes them accordingly.

Focusing on one task at a time

Another aspect he mentions in this regard is also his way of being intentional when he does certain things. He tries to always only focus on one thing at a time. A good example is e.g. when he opens up LinkedIn to check his messages. In this case, he would only focus on the LinkedIn message he is working on and pays no attention to emails popping up or text messages coming into his phone.
Speaking of emails: Mattias also explains that his goal is to always get his email inbox down to zero new emails every day. An important part of being able to do that is sorting your emails. Here he has the same approach that he has with all his other tasks: can I do it right away, or is it something that needs more time? Additionally, he also moves unimportant emails and spam to the trash immediately.

💡 EPISODE TAKE AWAY
How to stay organized and stay ahead of your tasks:

1. Be intentional with what you're doing
2. When something comes in, either solve it right away or put it onto your to-do list
3. Go through your to-do list once per day and prioritize the things you need to do
4. Keep your email inbox at zero new emails at the end of the day

Which tools do you use when planning your daily tasks?