Choosing the Task Manager for You

This month I am working on a self-directed project. It is the first time I have intentionally set my own goals to learn and accomplish something within a strict time frame. That being said, I needed a strategy for how to approach this if I want to get the most out of the month. Like so many before me, I am turning to project management apps to help me set goals and stay on track.

The question is, which app to use?

There are tons of highly-rated (and free!) options for task/project management apps, and it would be counter-productive to compare them all. I decided to compare a few that were already on my radar and choose the one that I felt best served my project.

1. Notion

Notion is an excellent do-all tool for note-taking, collaboration, and project management. I use Notion for writing notes but haven’t used it for tracking tasks.

Features:

• Task management and notes/pages on one platform
• Allows for viewing multiple projects at once, also has various sort by/view options
• Easily collaborate on projects as a team and assign tasks

Asana

Asana is a project management system that is designed with teams in mind but is basic enough for anyone to use.

Features:

• Easily sort created tasks into pre-set categories, and group tasks into projects
• View timeline and workflows for each team member on a project
• Advanced options for automation and communication to streamline a team-based project

Trello

Trello is a more basic task manager that is intended to be easy and accessible for all users. I currently use Trello to keep track of my weekly tasks.

Features:

• Kanban view for easily visualizing and organizing tasks +Calender view
• Very easy to create tasks, add details and attachments, and color code
• Flexible enough to use for any type of task/project

My Pick

Ultimately, I decided to stick with Trello for planning my project. This is a solo project, and my goals and tasks are fairly straightforward. Mostly, it revolves around doing research and write-ups on a topic and learning some of the associated tech tools, among a few other things. For those reasons, I think the simple features of Trello are the best fit in this case.

Honestly, I might be biased since it is also the system I already use. I also don’t require any of the more complex features of Notion or Asana, so it doesn’t seem justified for me to spend the time learning a new system if the pay-off isn’t there. Either way, the important part is being able to pick what will work for me, and what I am confident sticking with to get this done!