Next up in our Productivity Apps in Test series, we’ve tested a task management tool which is very popular with our Time Management Training participants. And who could be a better person to test it than our very own Productivity Ninja Hayley? Let’s see how she got on…
Chosen App: Trello
Available on: IOS, Android & Web
Why did you pick this particular app?
Trello is one of the apps that I find delegates on our Time Management Workshops have often used before. It’s easy to use for collaboration.
How does it work?
You create a different board for different areas of your work/ life (in fact these are the 2 boards I usually suggest clients set up). You then create lists (your projects), and add cards (your next actions) under each list. It’s a very visual tool, one I find creative people and IT & technical people seem to favor. There is lots of color, which is easy to change and the boards and lists can be moved around depending on how your priorities are changing.
Trello offers lots of functionality. You can use labels as your context, you can include notes, attachments, dates and you can see when colleagues have interacted with that card. I only used some of these functionalities, but I can very much see the appeal.
I know some organisations who use this tool to collaborate with clients, there are spaces for comments etc so I can see this being used as a communications tool in some respects too.
How did you use the app? And what changed for you?
I’ve used the online version of the tool . I’ve seen clients use it on Windows and Mac’s and it seems to work well on both.
What was your favorite feature?
The color. That’s a personal thing to me. I think most delegates that use Trello do so because it’s not a list. I like that you can easily move cards around, you can put the stuff that you want to focus on at the front. I think that really helps keep the impactful stuff at the front and center of your mind.
Nothing is perfect. What were the negatives of using the app?
The sharing functions mean that you can share boards. You can’t share just the list. This makes it more difficult to see all of your projects and use the labels functionality.
The guidance notes from Trello suggest setting the tool up in a way that doesn’t fit with the Productivity Ninja methodology. I find clients who have started using it in this way, with everything focused on tasks rather than projects, find that there isn’t enough clarity.
Will you continue using it? Why/Why not?
It’s not for me, I don’t personally like the boards layout. But it’s why many of my client love it!
Are you a Trello user? Seen an app you want us to test? Let us know in the comment section below or @thinkproductive
By Hayley Watts
Hayley is Think Productive’s Productivity Ninja for London and the South East.