EP02. Back Office Diaries - Asana
I’ll be honest: for a long time, this agency ran on mental checklists and a lot of stick notess. No real system. Just my little brain, lots of notes, and hoping nothing slipped through the cracks.
Spoiler: things slipped through the cracks more times than I would like to admit lol
Deadlines were missed. Client links got buried in emails. Simple tasks turned into last-minute scrambles. I knew we needed a system that could keep up with the way we worked—clear, flexible, and fast to update.
That’s where Asana came in. And it’s been holding us down ever since.
The Command Center for Every Client
Every time we onboard a new client, we start by creating a dedicated Asana project—built from our master template. This template holds everything we need to set the project up fast, and all the tasks that needs to be completed for that client to be onboarded like creating project brief, updating assets to Canva, creating a Rella calendar… so we’re not building it from scratch every time.
The Project Overview is where we keep all the important context:
The client’s frief, notes, strategy
Links to Google Drive, Dropbox, Visual Assets
Social handles, website links, and any reference docs
Instead of flipping through folders or Slack threads, the entire team can find what they need in one place. When someone joins the project midstream, it’s all there—no one needs to play catch-up.
A Workflow That Makes Sense
Inside each project’s List tab, we’ve set up a system of sections that mirror how content moves from start to finish. Here’s how it breaks down:
To Do: Where every task starts, including all the first steps of onboarding. This is where we collect completed questionnaires, client briefs, and key links before we even touch content.
In Progress: The task has been assigned and the person responsible is actively working on it—whether it’s writing copy, designing graphics, or editing video.
Internal Review: Our internal team double-checks everything to make sure it meets our quality standards before a client ever sees it.
Edits: If something needs adjustments, the task moves here for revisions.
Client Review: The client gets notified to review the content and give feedback. We hold here until they sign off.
Ready to Schedule: Once the client is happy, the task moves here while we prep to publish. If the client requests more changes, it moves back up to Edits.
Done: The task is fully approved and complete. Time to celebrate (or start the next one).
Assign, Customize, Automate
Each task in the list has:
An owner on our team
A due date
Custom columns like “Platform” or “Content Type,” so we know exactly where the task fits
We’ve also set up Asana Rules to make the process smoother:
➡️ When a task moves to Internal Review, it automatically assigns to me so I know it’s ready for final checks.
➡️ When it moves to Edits, it gets reassigned to the original creator, so the right person makes the changes.
It’s little automations like this that save us from chasing people down for status updates.
More Creating, Less Micro-Managing
What I love about this system is it frees us up to focus on the creative work.
No more wondering what’s next or who’s got what. And if something changes (which happens a lot in social), it’s easy to drag a task into a new section or adjust the date.
It’s simple, clear, and built to scale as we take on more clients.
Final Thoughts
If you’re running your client projects through email threads, sticky notes, and brainpower alone... you’re going to burn out fast.
Asana gave us a workflow we can trust. It holds the day-to-day chaos so we can focus on what matters—creating great content and serving our clients well.
It’s not about having a fancy project management tool. It’s about giving your team room to breathe and your clients a process they can rely on.
Ps.: Cool agencies don’t gatekeep so I am sharing our very own template with you here!
Stay tuned for the next Back Office Diaries post
