I’ve seen it before: Post-it notes stuck to your screen, a half-used notebook on your desk, random to-dos floating around in your head – or worse, scattered across three different task tools that don’t really work for you.
Maybe you tried a digital task manager but gave up because it felt clunky or too complicated. So you’re back to scribbling ideas on the back of notes, trying to remember what you promised a client… and kicking yourself when something important slips through the cracks. And let’s not forget the classic trap: writing out 14 tasks for the day and completing two – cue the overwhelm and guilt spiral.
It doesn’t have to be this way. You can run a simple, humane system you can keep up with – not another productivity sprint. So I’m going to break it down for you in this blog post.
Task management is the last blog in my daily admin management series, and I’m sharing exactly how I set up and manage tasks. It’s simple. It’s efficient. And it works. I spend about 15 minutes every week and five minutes at the end of each day planning for the next day. It’s one of several systems I use and recommend to optimise the operations of your nutrition business.
Want the other parts of my daily admin system? Check these out: Email management, Calendar management and File management. With these 4 systems, you’ll have everything you need for a productive day in your nutrition business.
Why You Need a System to Manage Tasks
When you don’t have a system, the symptoms pile up: over-committing, duplicated work, team deadlines slipping, late nights, decision fatigue about what to do next, and the kind of procrastination that means nothing seems to get actually done.
What “good” looks like: a calm calendar, a clear list of priorities, a team that knows exactly what they’re doing, and work that gets done on time. Who doesn’t want that?
When I follow my system, we publish on schedule, I finish work as planned, my personal life doesn’t get missed, and my workout routine actually happens.
I run two businesses, support multiple clients and teams, and I use the same task system everywhere – and they love it. I love it so much I use it at home too: travel planning, grocery lists, what I’m reading next, Spanish practice – if it matters, it lives in my task management system.
The 5 Biggest Task Traps I See (And The Quick Fixes)
Before we get into the details of the exact system I use, I want to share some of the things I commonly see. These aren’t “you problems” – they’re system problems. They quietly derail even the most organised nutrition business owners. But once you spot them, there is a quick fix to solve them.
1. Using your inbox as a task list
What it looks like: You keep emails “unread” so you don’t forget them. You scroll up and down to remember what tasks are in each email – a food diary analysis, a blog post to be approved, a journal paper to be reviewed. And you’re not really sure when you need to complete them by
Quick fix: Use an email triage system which includes turning email tasks into tasks in your PM tool with owner, due date, and a copy of the email and any relevant attachments. All your tasks are now in one place.
2. Large pieces of work disguised as tasks
What it looks like: ‘Write blog on gut-friendly foods.’” It sits there for days because it’s actually 8–10 steps and you know you can’t complete it in one morning.
Quick fix: Create micro steps such as research topics -> create outline → write first draft → edit → source images → upload → repurpose.
3. No owner, no deadline
What it looks like: “Update website services page” floats from week to week. Everyone assumes someone else has it – Is it you? Your VA? Or did you agree to outsource it?
Quick fix (1-1-1 rule): Give every task 1 owner, 1 deadline, and 1 definition of done.
4. Tool-hopping
What it looks like: Tasks live in Asana, ideas in Notes, quick to-do’s in a notebook, deadlines in your calendar… and you spend 20 minutes just finding the thing.
Quick fix: Choose one task management tool and keep all tasks in one central place.
5. Reinventing the wheel every month
What it looks like: You add the same tasks every month – content creation, invoicing, monthly planning – by memory each time
Quick fix: Turn repeatable workflows into recurring tasks.
👉 Download my free guide: How to Hire Your First VA (for Nutrition Business Owners) – I share a list of 50 tasks you can start delegating from your task list now – and a simple hiring and onboarding checklist I personally use, it’s an essential guide for any nutrition business owner looking to free up their time.
My Favourite Task Management Tools (& Why)
Use one central tool. Track everything in one place. That alone is game-changing.
Here’s a shortlist of my faves:
- Asana: My #1 and the tool I use daily. I share my exact setup in this Asana post. Want a quick video walkthrough? Drop me an email and I’ll send it.
- Google Tasks: Perfect if you’re all-in on Google and want something ultra-simple. Best for solo operators; not ideal for teams.
- Trello: My gateway tool. A great first step into task systems, but Asana has my heart for scaling with teams and simple workflows.
Want a deeper comparison of these? Read the full guide to task tools for nutrition business owners.
Setting Up the Task Management System – The Foundations
- Set up your projects/hubs: Think in business buckets – your active categories. Examples: Business Foundations, Business Planning, Content, Offers, Learning & Development, plus any one-off projects you’re running now.
- List out your tasks (in sections): Inside each project, use sections. For Content, you might have Blog, Social Media, Newsletter. Make tasks clear, simple, and actionable. “Write a blog on gut-friendly foods” is too big; break it into Research topics → Create outline → Write first draft → Source images → Edit → Upload → QA → Publish → Repurpose.
- Add an estimated time: This stops over-committing and makes your daily plan realistic.
- Set a deadline: Deadlines drive prioritisation for you and your team.
- Create recurring tasks: For anything repeatable – content planning, weekly check-ins, invoicing – make it recurring.
- Delegate inside the tool: Assign the right person to the right task inside your platform so everything’s tracked together (no more chasing on email, Slack, and WhatsApp).
💡Top tip: Integrate your task manager with your calendar so tasks appear in your schedule. If it’s on the calendar, it gets done.
Weekly Routine
Every Sunday (or Friday afternoon), I review my task list combined with my calendar events, look at capacity, and allocate tasks to each day of the coming week. Time estimates keep me honest; having everything in one place means nothing gets missed. Anything that hasn’t been checked from the week before, either gets rolled over or a serious review of how important it really is.
Daily Routine
I plan at the end of the previous day (you can do first thing in the morning if that suits you).
1. Reschedule anything unfinished
2. Review my task list to check if it’s realistic for the day ahead; if not reschedule some tasks
3. Choose my 3 Most Important Things (MIT’s) for tomorrow
4. Allocate tasks into my time-blocks in my calendar so every task has a home
- Run deep work first when I’m more focused before opening my inbox or checking my Whatsapp messages.
- Keep lighter work for the afternoon.
5. Shutdown ritual: close the laptop with a clear head.
Action Plan
You don’t need a perfect system – just one you’ll use. Try this simple action plan to get you started!
☑️ Pick your tool
☑️ Braindump your to-do list
☑️ Categorise into projects/hubs
☑️ Break down bigger tasks into simple micro-tasks
☑️ Add an estimated time
☑️ Assign each task a deadline and owner
☑️ Schedule your weekly recurring planning session in your calendar
☑️ Use my 5 minute daily routine to keep yourself accountable to your task list
Final Thoughts
Small, consistent moves beat big, once-off overhauls. In a week this will feel easier; in a month it will feel routine.
Once your task list is tidy, it’s time to lighten your load. If you haven;t already hired a VA to delegate those tasks that are wasting your time and really don’t need your expertise, then the time is NOW! Having a streamlined task management system paves the way for building a small team.
👉 Download my free guide: How to Hire Your First VA (for Nutrition Business Owners) – with a list of 50 tasks you can start delegating now and a simple hiring and onboarding checklist, it’s an essential guide for any nutrition business owner looking to free up their time.
