If you love making lists (perhaps you add already-done tasks just to cross them off? I’m in your head!), then today’s post is for you. There’s nothing our team loves more than maximizing our productivity and using the best productivity tools possible to get our jobs done (we even did an entire YouTube episode on improving productivity – check it out!).
That’s because having your to-do list as organized as possible is crucial to maintaining organization, especially as you add new clients to the mix. Our first recommendation? Make sure your to-do list is in one place. It’s all too easy to have your must-do tasks scattered across emails, sticky notes, notebook scribbles, various calendars … that’s how things get lost.
And while en and paper to do lists are certainly appealing, what about electronic lists, color coding and sizing by priority? There are some great productivity programs, but every program is going to fit with every person. So, in the spirit of experimentation, here’s a list of some of the most interesting and useful new task management apps/programs.
Todoist
The free option of Todoist allows for five active projects, with paid options if you need more projects and space. We like the subtasks feature that lets you break up all the teeny-tiny steps related to your main task, making it easier to take action. And, because you know a deadline is sacred, the ability to set due dates, reminders, and notifications is a life saver!
CARROT
This app makes accomplishing items on your to do list even more exciting than the thrill of crossing items off: It makes it into a game. Complete tasks to earn points (though how many you earn depends on the app’s “mood”) and get rewards like additional functionality. On the downside, Carrot is only available for iPhone right now.
Trello
If you’re overwhelmed with multiple groups of multiple task (different projects for various clients, for example), Trello may prove to be a big help. Allowing you to maintain multiple lists on one page, you can easily add, modify and add information to tasks. Might it be overwhelming to see everything you have to do on one page? Sure, but knowledge is half the battle. (Yes. That was a G.I. Joe reference. I told you I used to write copy for Hasbro, didn’t I?)
Ayoa
Ayoa (formerly Droptask) creates a graphic representation of your tasks and projects with circles of different colors and sizes. You can mark the task’s priority, note its due date and adjust the size of the circle based on the effort it will take to complete it. You can also group your tasks into larger circles to keep track of bigger projects. Other screens let you see a list view, but the “group view” (circles screen) is just so pretty. And you thought crossing an item off a list was fun? Wait until you make a task circle disappear. You’ll be hooked.
Your turn! What other productivity/to-do list programs have you found helpful? Let us know in the comments below!
Last Updated on September 1, 2021 by Nicki Krawczyk
What about free team productivity tools, like Bitrix24 or its clones? Do you use any of these?
Hi SteveO,
I haven’t, but I’d love to hear what you think of it/them! (DropTask can be used by a team and is free, though they just introduced a premium version.)
Nicki
There’s TeamTodoList (http://teamtodolist.com), which is good for managing tasks for teams, and is currently free.
Good to know, Chris! I’ll check it out.
Thanks for commenting!
Nicki
Thank you so much for this article. It was greatly appreciated!
PS. That first part about writing completed tasks on a list just to cross them out made my jaw drop. I didn’t know there were others out there…
🙂
Thanks for writing, very helpful!
Hi Collette,
Oh, I do that *all* the time! My productivity would be so much less impressive if I didn’t! 😀
Nicki