One of the most difficult things about creating an online course is the ability to synthesize everything you know into a well-structured course outline.
When you sit down to plan out your course there’s a good chance your heads going to feel like a cluttered mess.
The best way to combat this is by being super organized with your thoughts.
Instead of scattering your ideas across Evernote, notebooks, and random napkins…
(I’m totally guilty of this!)
… let’s get a system in place to keep your sanity in check.
Today I want to show you my absolute favorite tool for outlining online courses and it just happens to be free!
I’d like to introduce you to my good friend Trello.
Trello is a simple project management and collaboration tool that organizes your projects into lists called boards. Here’s a few reasons why it can be such a powerful tool for course creation:
ORGANIZATION
There are a ton of moving pieces when it comes to creating a course and it can be easy to get overwhelmed. Disorganization just adds fuel to the fire. Trello allows you to keep all of your course content in one place.
FLEXIBILITY
Trello’s drag and drop functionality makes it easy to refine the flow of your course until you have it exactly how you want it to be.
COLLABORATION
You can invite other people to collaborate with you on your course. Members of the board can add files, leave comments, and receive notifications when things are updated.
VISUALIZATION
The way Trello organizes information makes it easy to see your entire course from beginning to end in one glance without it feeling overwhelming.
HERE'S EXACTLY HOW I RECOMMEND USING IT TO OUTLINE AND ORGANIZE YOUR ONLINE COURSE:
Step 1: Create a Trello account, then create a board and name it the name of your course.
Step 2: Create a list for each of your modules.
Step 3: Add a card for each lesson within that module
Step 4: Create a checklist within each card for the 3 main topics you want to cover in each video lesson.
Step 5: Upload everything that pertains to that lesson to the card. Examples of files you might want to upload are scripts for the video lessons, worksheets, and other references.
Step 6: Assign due dates for each card so you know exactly what you need to do each day.
Trello integrates directly with other systems like Google Drive, Dropbox, Box, and OneDrive. All you need to do is copy and paste the link to the file you’d like to attach and it’ll automatically fetch the file for you.
After you’ve completed these steps your board will look something like this…
I hope that helps you get on your way to creating one of your most valuable business assets! If you want to learn exactly how I structure online courses for myself and my private clients I teach everything you need to know in Online Courses Academy.
After going through this course you’ll have complete clarity on how to organize your course and have confidence knowing you’re structuring it the RIGHT way. Lean more here!
Pro Tip!
Create a checklist for all the things you need to complete for each lesson. Check off the items as you finish them and track your progress. The satisfaction you’ll receive from crossing things off your list may be all you need to keep you motivated to follow through 🙂
