So tell me: What are you doing today?
If you’re anything like me, it can be challenging to answer that question. It is never a simple, straightforward response.
You could easily rattle off 10-20 tasks you need to accomplish today, from prepping for this morning’s Zoom call to picking up salad dressing at the grocery store.
And the biggest challenge is not even accomplishing these countless tasks. It’s remembering to do them all.
That is where a task app comes in.
Without a solid understanding of what a task app can do and how it works, using one can feel like one more chore.
But we’re here to take this particular chore off your lengthy to-do list.
This article will tell you everything you need to know about task apps and to-do list apps, and how to use them.
What is a task app?
At its most basic level, a task app is an amped-up, digitized to-do list.
The best task management software organizes your to-do list into multiple categories and gives you reminders of approaching deadlines. And it syncs nicely to all the devices and tools that you already use.
A tool for clearly organizing your to-do list makes you more productive and can help you keep your team members on track, too.
Here’s an example from monday.com of what a good task manager app looks like:
The tasks for which you or your team are responsible (over the course of a given timeframe) are all visible in one convenient view, along with the member assigned to each one and the status of that task.
Of course, an effective list app not only tells you what remains to finish, but also prioritizes each task, allowing you to focus your efforts in task management where you need them most.
And members can easily mark items “done” when completed so you can quickly see progress throughout the week.
As you can see, a task app like this one is far more effective than your old-fashioned paper checklist. It’s flexible and dynamic, just like your work.
And more and more people are taking advantage of tools like this. 97.77% of Google Play users cite task management apps as the most dominant mobile apps, and 75% of them believe that their smartphones (whether Android or ios) have helped them become more productive.
Users spend an average of 35 minutes per week using task management or productivity apps on Windows, Mac, or iOS.
While not quite as popular as games or social media platforms, task apps are rapidly becoming an essential tool in everyday life.
If you’re ready to jump on the bandwagon and jump start your own task management, you may have a few questions about task apps and how to use them.
The best place to start? A task list.
What is a task list?
A task list is a prioritized listing of all the tasks within a project along with deadlines and the people assigned to them.
A good task list syncs all members to the same page with their responsibilities and the time frame in which they must be completed.
Here is an example of a task list for planning events in monday.com:
For a team that specializes in event planning, a task list like this one can be a task management lifesaver.
It lists out every event and conveniently shows when it happened or is happening, what type of event it is, and the status. The list displays approximate deadlines next to each event.
And you have the option of viewing the same task list in a calendar view.
It’s not just events you can track with a task list. Communication, blog posts, sales, and spreadsheets can all be added to one master plan for your next project.
How do you use task apps?
Every team or individual is different. The best task manager app (like monday.com, Basecamp, Google Task, or… monday.com) will allow you to customize the task management process so you don’t have to think about it too much.
After all, the same task management process (even the same template or tool) won’t work for everyone in the same way.
Another consideration: if you’re going to abandon your old-school pen and paper (or conference room dry erase board), you want to know that your task management solution is going to be easy to use — easy enough that you only have to show someone the steps once before they can immediately start using the tool. It should also sync easily to a variety of tools and devices (like how monday.com syncs with dozens of different apps).
Very often, it seems that flexibility in task management must be sacrificed for usability, or vice versa.
You may find that a task manager app is easy to learn and to use, but on the flip side, offers very little in terms of customization. Your team masters the list app with ease, but you quickly feel chained to using the same templates over and over.
Conversely, task management solutions that are more flexible and versatile are often cumbersome and labor-intensive, requiring an initial investment of time to set up in the way that works for your organization.
The best task app for your company will strike the balance between customization and overall usability.In some cases, your company may try out several different list apps before settling on the one that best suits your needs for task management.
If that’s where you are right now, monday.com could be a great solution.
The process of generating and maintaining task lists in the app gives you the best of all worlds: versatility, flexibility, and user-friendliness.
If you’re ready to get started, read on.
How to easily make a task list in monday.com?
If you’re ready to get started with your first task list on monday.com, you’ll be happy to know that the task management process in this app is quite simple.
One way to start is by adding the handy Todo List Widget.
All you have to do is to go to your dashboard and click on “Add Widget” in the top left-hand corner.
Next, find Todo List Widget in the list of recommended widgets, or just type it in the search bar on the top right.
Once you’ve opened up the widget, click on “Create a new task,” and begin typing in your first task. Hit “Enter” when finished.
Repeat the same process until you’ve added all the tasks you want. Once they’re finished, click on the bubble next to each item to mark it complete.
For group tasks, you can choose from a customizable weekly to-do list template to assign tasks to team members and easily track their progress.
Once you start using it, your group to-do list may look something like this:
The template brings with it a cornucopia of cool features:
- The ability to import and export Excel spreadsheets
- The choice to look at your list in Timeline, Kanban, Gantt chart, or Calendar view.
- A customizable dashboard
- Automated reminders, which make it easier to prioritize tasks
It enables you to see, at a glance, what everyone on your team is working on and how they’re progressing.
But you can also reference data from your spreadsheets, view all your deadlines at once in a calendar view, and see which have the highest priority, and which are in danger of falling through the cracks.
I mean, it’s almost like Christmas came early this year.
And that’s not all. You have the ability to break down individual tasks into smaller subtasks by using the “Checklist” feature.
Just click on the title of a task to open up an “Update” section with a text field.
At the top of the text field, you’ll see a toolbar. Select “Checklist” from the top right.
Then begin typing subtasks and click “Update” when you’re finished to save them.
Once you’ve created your checklist, a small comment bubble appears next to the item in your main task list, alerting you of the subtasks. Right-click on the speech bubble, and it displays how many of the subtasks are complete:
Whenever a subtask is finished, just click the bubble to the left of the item and watch with satisfaction as it gets crossed out and marked complete.
Here are a few other tips for using the Checklist feature effectively for task management:
- Use subtasks only with tasks that have a definite endpoint. They don’t work as well for tasks that are ongoing.
- Use subtasks as a convenient way to break down a large project into smaller chunks. Don’t use them for a recurring task like checking email or scheduling meetings.
- Keep your subtasks focused and clearly organized, in sync with the main tasks on your list. This way you can track your progress toward larger goals on your list app more easily.
If you need to edit your subtasks, click on the arrow on the top right and choose the “Edit Update” option from the drop-down menu. Then you can type within the text field of the subtask within the list app to make any necessary changes.
The Checklist is just one of many convenient ways you can customize your task lists within monday.com. And it syncs nicely to iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows devices.
If your team has a million projects going, being able to articulate something like a to-do list gets a lot more complicated.
A good task management app may soon become your best friend, giving you an easy way to track responsibilities, repeating tasks, deadlines, and priorities.
A list app like monday.com is easy to use, making the process of tracking progress on projects effortless. And it can dramatically improve your task management productivity, individually and as a group.
So if you’re ready to get more done, head over to monday.com and start creating your first task list today.
We recommend our fully-customizable Team Task List Template to get you rolling.
Get started