Awhile ago I was busy building products and a shopping cart in Infusionsoft*.  While I’ve worked in Infusionsoft for about six years, and I’ve worked in the shopping cart area previously, this was the first time building it from scratch.

The client did have a shopping cart in 1 Shopping Cart and had an organized spreadsheet of his products, both made organizing and building in the new system easier.  Before starting this project I didn’t have a checklist of steps, but since I anticipate having other similar projects, I made notes and created questionnaires and checklists that I can use the next time.

I also use checklists for multi-step tasks that I do on a regular basis for all my clients — and myself.  In fact, I even have a checklist I use when I write my e-newsletter.  After it goes out, I have to archive it, post a link on Twitter, Facebook and Linked In, and post to my blog.  In addition, there is the article marketing that comes with each article I write and a checklist to make sure it’s posted on every article marketing site.

Checklists can be created in Word or Excel, and sometimes can have more than one per page.  For instance, I have several checklists that I have four per page.  I print these off and keep them in my client’s file.  Then when I do that particular task, I date the checklist and either check off or even put the date the task is completed.

I encourage you to make your own checklists — even for those tasks you do on a regular basis.  These lists serve as a safety net for routine tasks and an organizational tool for larger projects.  It’s too easy sometimes to forget a step without the list.

So the next time you do a multi-step task, write down the steps you take to complete that task and create your own checklists.

And if you’re finding it harder and harder to do everything on your list, what can you delegate to a virtual assistant?

*Infusionsoft is a web-based program that handles contact management, e-mail marketing, and e-commerce, to name a few.