Are you tired of hopping from one project management tool to another, feeling like you're spinning your wheels and getting nowhere fast? Trust me, I have been there too. So today I'm pulling back the curtain on my journey through the tangled web of productivity tools and sharing the game changer that revolutionized my business Mondaycom. Picture this a tool that doesn't just track tasks but actually empowers you to streamline your entire workflow, boost your team's productivity and elevate your business to the next level. Sounds like a dream, right? Well, it's real, and today I'm going to show you how you can tap into its full potential. Plus, I'll share how you can cut the learning curve in half and start seeing results in no time in your business.

Welcome to the Mind your Time podcast. I'm Shannon Baker, your coffee-loving host and business strategist. Each week, I will share practical insights and bold strategies for six-figure entrepreneurs looking to clean up their back office and create streamlined systems. The weekly episodes will help you take control of your time, scale your business and create success on your own terms. So grab your cup of coffee or your favorite beverage and let's dive into today's topic. Well, today we're diving into a topic that is near and dear to my heart, and that's finding the right tools to streamline your business operations and boost your productivity. Now, if you're like me, you've probably spent time and maybe a bit of money, or a lot of money, trying out all sorts of project management tools, each promising to be the ultimate solution. The problem is, sometimes these tools don't live up to the hype or they only get you part of the way to where you want and need to be. And, let's be honest, who hasn't felt a bit overwhelmed by all of the options out there? But I want to share my journey through this landscape, highlighting the wins, the frustrations and, ultimately, let you know why I chose to go with mondaycom as my really go-to platform for managing almost everything in my business and why I set up and clean up Monday for my clients.

Today, we're diving into a topic that's near and dear to my heart: finding the right tools to streamline your business operations and boost productivity.
If you're like me, you've probably spent time (and maybe a bit of money) trying out all sorts of project management tools, each promising to be the ultimate solution. The problem is, sometimes these tools don't live up to the hype, or they only get you part of the way to where you want to be. And let's be honest, who hasn't felt a bit overwhelmed by all the options out there?

I want to share my journey through this landscape, highlighting the wins, the frustrations, and ultimately, why I chose monday.com as my go-to platform for managing many things in my business and why I set up and clean up monday for my clients.

Let me start by telling you a little something about me if you are new to this podcast. I am a total tech geek. But I make it a point to learn the ins and outs of whatever tools are in my tech stack so that I can help the members of The MY-T Society be more efficient when using these tools. And I definitely help my clients and their teams use their tech tools more efficiently.

Personally, I feel it’s very important to work with someone who knows the tools you use inside and out before you hop from one to another, missing out on their full potential. I am not one to recommend a tool to anyone just because I can earn a commission off of it. That’s a perk! When I recommend a tool, it’s because I know what you want to accomplish, how you currently operate, and what you need to do to get to where you want. I make recommendations based on that.

Now that I have gotten that off my chest, let me take you back a bit. When I first started exploring project management tools, I began with Asana. And at the time, I loved it! I loved it so much that I became certified as a Workflow Specialist! While Asana was great, it had some limitations. I became frustrated by the rigid columns—I couldn't adjust them to match my business needs. It felt like I was trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, and as my business evolved, this just wasn’t gonna cut it.

Not being one to give up easily, I turned my attention to Trello. Honestly, I was drawn to it because you could make it pretty! I loved the visual aspect, and it seemed like a perfect fit at the time. I even invested in mini-courses to make sure I got the most out of it. And for a while, Trello and I were a match made in heaven. But again, as my business grew and my need for automation increased, I realized that Trello wasn’t the solution I needed.

Now, there are quite a number of automations built into Trello if you know how to use them. But everything I needed wasn’t available. Sure, Zapier was there to save the day, but it was like putting duct tape on a leaky pipe. You know it's only a matter of time before it all comes crashing down. Sometimes it can be hard to update a step in your Zap recipe, and that can have a domino effect. So I started searching for another solution.

Enter Airtable—the lovechild of Trello and Google Sheets. It was very functional, and, let me tell you, I was hooked. But it also came with its own learning curve, which was frustrating. Fortunately, I stumbled upon a course called "Airtable Like a Boss," and it was a game-changer. After completing just 20% of that course, I felt like I was finally in control and jumped into creating a ton of processes that included my workbases!

And when I launched my podcast in 2020, Airtable was a lifesaver. With a podcast, you're juggling a lot of moving pieces: scripts, schedules, guest details, editing timelines—you name it. Airtable allowed me to bring all of that chaos into one organized space. I was even able to import all my Google Sheets and set up automations using Zapier that connected my online scheduler to Airtable and organized my data, sent messages based on triggers, and so much more. But despite all the love I had for Airtable, something was still missing.

Enter my podcast mentor and strategist, Stacey Harris, who kept raving about this tool called monday.com. Stacey's dashboards that her agency uses to manage her client’s podcast are something to envy. She had this way of making everything sound so easy and efficient. So, naturally, I had to see what all the rave was about.
I signed up for a trial to kick the tires. And let me tell you, my initial reaction was mixed. On one hand, I loved the versatility and how seamlessly it could integrate with my existing tools. On the other hand, I had invested so much time into Airtable, it felt like I was cheating on it, and I didn't want to have to start over!

But the more I explored monday.com, the more I realized that it wasn’t just a project management tool. It was an operating system that could transform my entire business. It was like discovering a secret weapon that no one else knew about. Imagine having built-in automations that streamline your communication, cut down on emails, and track your progress in real-time. Imagine integrating all your favorite tools in one place, creating a powerhouse of productivity. That's exactly what monday.com offers!

One of the things that really stood out to me about monday.com is their Work OS philosophy. monday.com Work OS gives everyone the power to build and improve the way their organization runs. It’s not just about tracking tasks—it's about empowering yourself and your team to create workflows that fit your business like a glove. Whether you're managing projects, running marketing campaigns, tracking your sales pipeline, gathering data through forms, monday.com adapts to your needs, not the other way around.

This adaptability is a valuable feature for business owners who want to optimize their operations without being confined by the limitations of rigid software. With monday.com, you have the flexibility to customize your workspace, ensuring that every aspect aligns with your strategic goals. It's like having a digital workspace tailored specifically to your business. And really it is because you build it that way.

We all know how important it is to be intentional with your time so you can show up at your best when and where you need to, especially when leading a team. monday.com boosts productivity by centralizing all your data, tasks, projects, and communication in one place. No more hunting through endless email threads or trying to find that one file buried in a sea of folders. Everything you need is right at your fingertips inside of monday.

Let’s talk about some of the benefits. One of my favorite features is the automation capability. monday.com allows you to automate repetitive tasks, freeing up your time for more important work. Whether it’s sending reminders, updating statuses, or notifying team members of changes, the platform handles it seamlessly. Imagine setting up a workflow once and watching it run on autopilot. That's the kind of efficiency that saves you time and brainpower and eliminates things falling through the cracks.
Another game-changer is the real-time collaboration feature. monday.com makes it easy for teams to stay connected, no matter where they are. You can comment on tasks, share files, assign team members to tasks, enter and track deadlines, and @mention teammates, ensuring everyone is on the same page. This kind of instant communication reduces bottlenecks and keeps projects moving forward without unnecessary delays. And all of the communication can take place right inside of your monday board on the individual task. And if you have emails associated with a task, those can be sent to the task and stored in monday as well.

monday.com is also known for its visual appeal. The boards and dashboards give you a clear, at-a-glance view of your projects. You can customize the column types, colors, and statuses to match your preferences, making it easy to track progress and identify potential roadblocks. This visual aspect is not just pleasing to the eye—it’s a powerful tool for managing complex projects with multiple stakeholders. One thing I love about the visual workflows is the ability for automations to kick in when you change the status of a task. All you have to do is set up the workflow, and it kicks in. And if you need to change the person in a particular workflow, you can easily do that!
When it comes to team collaboration, monday.com is definitely in a league of its own. The built-in features are designed to enhance communication, improve transparency across your team, and foster a collaborative culture. Let’s talk about this a bit more.

One of the biggest challenges in team collaboration is keeping everyone informed without sending a bunch of emails that just get lost or missed. With monday.com, all your project details, updates, and communications are centralized. Team members can access the information they need without having to sift through multiple emails or messages. This ensures that everyone has the latest updates and can make informed decisions quickly.

monday.com promotes accountability by allowing you to assign tasks and responsibilities clearly. Each task is linked to a specific team member, and everyone knows who’s responsible for what. This transparency reduces confusion and empowers team members to take ownership of their work.

In today’s digital age, integrating with other tools is essential for seamless operations. monday.com offers a wide range of integrations with popular tools like Slack, Zoom, Google Workspace, Outlook, Gmail, and more. This connectivity allows your team to use their favorite tools while benefiting from the robust features of monday.com.
For teams looking to streamline specific workflows, monday.com offers customizable templates. Whether you’re onboarding new employees, planning an event, or managing a product launch, there’s a template to guide you. These templates provide a solid starting point, and you can tailor them to fit your unique needs.

Let me share a real-world success story to illustrate the power of monday.com. A client of mine was using a PDF to accept applications for their membership. Notice I didn’t say a fillable PDF either. Right away, I was able to identify a number of inefficiencies in this one process. There was a delay in getting the applications along with the other documents that were required. And because they were tracking members in monday, that opened up room for human error because the information would have to be manually entered. And we all know the room for error increases when you have to read someone’s handwriting. Even after this step, there was a delay in the approval process because everything was communicated through email.

So I created a form in monday that asks for the data on the original application. The new member receives the application link to complete the form, which also asks them to upload some very specific documents. All of the data is automatically synced and entered, removing the human error element and no more wasting time manually entering the data. In addition, there is a complete approval process that happens once everything is submitted, and it happens automatically right in monday.

With the built-in automations, everyone involved in the approval process receives an instant notification to complete their part of the process. This streamlined approach improved their response times, improved member care, and saved them a ton of time, ultimately boosting their revenue. By automating this one process in monday.com, they gained clarity and control over their operations.

Now, you might be thinking, "This all sounds great, but how do I get started because I don’t know how to use monday.com or set any of this up?" That's where partnering with a certified monday.com expert comes into play. As someone who has gone through the Admin and Core Builder Certifications, I have the knowledge and experience to help you leverage monday.com to its fullest potential.

I can help you shortcut the learning curve and get up and running in no time by providing a personalized setup tailored to your business needs. I'll ensure your monday.com workspace aligns perfectly with your goals, saving you the hassle of trial and error. I offer customized training sessions for you and your team, covering everything from basic navigation to advanced features, so you can confidently harness the full power of monday.com. Plus, I provide custom templates specifically designed for your workflows, allowing you to hit the ground running and streamline your processes efficiently.

Whether you're new to the platform or looking to clean up your current setup, I can guide you in creating workflows that align with your business goals. Not only do I help businesses use the tool, but I help them leverage it to its maximum capacity, aligning with their unique needs and goals. From automating workflows to creating dashboards that provide clear insights, the possibilities with monday.com are endless. I can help you clean up your existing setup or start fresh, ensuring you’re using the platform in a way that saves you time, money, and stress.

As many of you know, I’m passionate about helping business owners like you achieve success by creating systems that work seamlessly. That’s why I created The MY-T Society—a membership community designed to empower purpose-driven women with the tools, resources, and support they need to thrive in their businesses.
In The MY-T Society, you gain access to a wealth of resources that make using tools like monday.com even more impactful. Here’s one of the biggest features inside:
Access to a library of resources tailored to help you streamline your processes and maximize productivity. From process maps and checklists to marketing matrices, these tools are designed to save you time and make your life easier.

I’m thrilled to announce the addition of a new section called monday.com Mastery. This section is dedicated to helping you discover how monday.com Work OS can empower you to build and improve the way your business runs. Whether you're just starting out or looking to refine your processes, these resources will guide you in leveraging monday.com to streamline operations, enhance productivity, and drive success.

Being part of The MY-T Society means you’re never alone in your entrepreneurial journey. You’ll have access to a supportive network and the guidance you need to achieve your goals and make a lasting impact in your business.

So, if you're ready to stop spinning your wheels and start working smarter, not harder, I invite you to schedule a consultation with me today. Together, we’ll explore how monday.com and the resources within The MY-T Society can revolutionize your business operations and unlock your team’s potential.

By joining The MY-T Society, you gain a partner who is committed to your success. You'll benefit from my expertise, customized solutions, and a community that supports you every step of the way. Imagine what you could achieve with a streamlined, efficient operation that runs smoothly and effectively.

Don't wait—take the first step toward transforming your business. Visit the link in the show notes to schedule your consultation and see how we can tailor monday.com to meet your needs. Plus, as a bonus, you'll get access to a free 14-day trial of monday.com using my referral link, allowing you to experience its capabilities firsthand. But if you want to kick the tires on your own, a link to that trial is in the show notes.

Remember, having the right tools is essential, but knowing how to use them effectively is what truly sets you apart. Let’s work together to create the business of your dreams and leverage the power of community through The MY-T Society. Thank you for tuning in today. I'm excited about the possibilities that await you when you fully embrace the power of monday.com and The MY-T Society.
Until next time, keep calm and streamline!