Centrallo

Whether you’re running your own business, a department, or a team, or even just working for yourself, it can be difficult to manage all of the tasks on your to-do list.

This is especially the case where you might have multiple deadlines to work with, and managing the priorities for these tasks can become a challenge as your workload increases.

Luckily there are a number of software packages available that are dedicated toward task management, making it easy to prioritize, organize deadlines, and generally ensure a much smoother workflow.

The result is the improved ability to manage complex tasks, especially for individual projects with multiple needs and requirements, as well as for dealing with multiple projects that each have their own demands.

Here we’ll therefore look at the best in task management apps and software, to help make it easier to manage your workload.

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    If you’ve got lots of things happening in your work and personal life at the same time, you should definitely check out Centrallo. Described as a simple and elegant organization app, its main aim is to ‘catch everything life throws at you’.

    That may sound like an ambitious goal, but the software certainly has a good crack at achieving this. With Centrallo, you can create as many notes and checklists as you want, and share these private or publicly.

    You can also add photos, videos links and voice notes to the lists you create and store in the app, as well as due dates so you never miss a deadline. There’s also the ability to collaborate with team members on tasks within the app. What’s more, you can edit lists from a smartphone or tablet while on-the-go. That way, you should never fall behind with your work (hopefully).

    Centrallo offers a free version of the app, but it comes with restrictions: you’re limited to a maximum of 100 notes, small attachments, and only a relatively small amount of cloud storage. That said, you may find 1GB of storage is enough – at least for personal usage. However, if you plan on using this throughout your company, it’s likely you’ll need the premium option. It costs $4.99 monthly or $44.99 annually.

    Image Credit: Easynote

    Easynote is another easy-to-use task management tool which is nicely affordable. It provides you with the tools to create, assign and track tasks. Targeted at both everyday users and businesses, the app can be used to organize everything from shopping lists to multi-platform projects.

    In terms of features, the software allows you to collaborate on tasks, and share files. You can also set deadlines, task dependencies, alarms and reminders, as well as providing feedback to colleagues, and asking for amendments on tasks. What’s more, if you plan on using the software in your business, you don’t need any training. It works straight out-of-the-box.

    Easynote claims that the app is used by tens of thousands of people and companies across the globe, including the likes of Samsung, Yamaha, Siemens, Barclays, Unicef and Pfizer.

    Just like Centrallo, there’s a free option of the app available, but you only get 1GB of storage and a limit of 10MB when it comes to file uploads. To expand both of these limits, and get better customer support, you can upgrade to the Business plan which offers 5GB of storage and 50MB of file upload for $5 per month, or the Extended product which gives you 10GB/100MB for $10 monthly.

    Trello

    Image Credit: Trello

    When it comes to business productivity software, Trello is no doubt one of the most popular and widely known offerings on the market. Available on both desktop and mobile devices, the app lets you organize personal and professional tasks. The company lists homework, shopping lists and work projects as a few examples.

    The user interface is very friendly and based largely on boards that you create to organize the things you’re working on. You can categorize these based on different topics and tasks, and invite co-workers, friends and family members to collaborate on tasks. Similarly to Centrallo, the app makes use of checklists and to-do cards.

    Once you’ve created a board, you can create tasks and assign them to different people. From here, you can comment or receive feedback to ensure you’re on-track with everything. You also have the option to add photos, videos and files to cards, and to look at your lists in a calendar view to monitor deadlines.

    Trello is a cloud-based platform that works across a range of platforms and devices, including Windows, Mac, iOS and Android. The app is free to use, and you can create as many boards and lists as you’d like with the free version. However, there are premium products with more features and the ability to attach bigger files, with a Business Class plan costing $9.99 per month and an Enterprise offering running to $20.83 monthly.

    Monday.com

    Image Credit: Monday.com

    Should you want a task management tool that’s geared more towards business teams, Monday.com is vying for your attention. It’s a more visually-oriented piece of productivity software that lets project managers delegate tasks and keep an eye on the steps their team members are taking to complete tasks successfully.

    Using the app, you can generate comprehensive task and to-do lists, share files and communicate with colleagues. The software provides a great deal of insight into projects, letting you add details such as owner status, prioritization and timelines. What’s more, there’s a built-in chat function which allows you to discuss tasks and updates with individual team members and groups.

    Taking design cues from Trello, this tool comes with a calendar function as well. This puts all your tasks and deadlines into one place. And to ensure crucial business information doesn’t get into the wrong hands, all data stored in the app is encrypted. Other security features include two-factor authentication, single sign-on and audit logs. For a five-member team and 5GB of storage, you’ll need to pay $25 monthly.

    Accelo

    Image Credit: Accelo

    Marketed as an automation system for businesses, Accelo is a cloud-based platform that lets you manage all your client work from one place. It combines all aspects of a business – such as sales and project management – within a single piece of software.

    You can make use of drag-and-drop charts to manage projects, and there’s a project tracking feature that considers outcomes, resources and budgets. You also get a team scheduling tool to delegate tasks among appropriately skilled employees, along with mobile timers and automated timesheets.

    Other goodies include an invoicing function that automatically syncs to Xero and QuickBooks, and automated notifications. Accelo offers a free trial so you can test out the service, and the base plan starts from $34 per month billed annually.

    Other task management apps to consider

    We’ve only featured five platforms for task management, but there are plenty of other options to consider. This is not least because different software will do things differently and you need to find the one that does this right for your team. Below we’ll suggest some alternatives to the ones above, to see if they can help you manage your tasks better instead:

    Slack is probably the first to add to this list. Built primarily as a collaboration hub for work, Slack works as a general communication platform. A particular advantage is that as a web app it’s accessible from any device regardless of operating system, and its especially geared to use on mobile platforms. This means if organizing your team and bringing them together better can help you get the job done better, then Slack is a definite contender.

    Xenforo is a messageboard platform, which may initially seem a little old hat by comparison to more modern apps. However, Xenforo comes with a lot of features installed by default, not least Push Notifications, plus the ability to create separate areas viewable only by staff with the relevant permissions. There are also a wide range of customizations available in terms of looks and functionality, so it’s easy to create a center for task management.

    Samepage is another good option to consider if you’re looking at collaboration to improve efficiency and task management. Centralizing communications in one place, it aims to bring all chat, comments, and coworkers together into manageable teams for whatever projects you need to handle. You can also invite guests into the discussions, as well have walled private areas.

    Basecamp aims to go even further than that, providing a range of additional tools such as communications, task schedules, documents & file storage. The aim is to keep everything not just in one place but streamlined as well. By highlighting due dates, upcoming deadlines are easier to find and manage to ensure that multiple projects are completed on time.

    Asana is another platform that aims to bring all workflows together in a simple and easy manner to get tasks done. This is helped by the really simple and easy to use GUI which makes it easy to see what needs doing and organize it. As a work management platform it works very well with teams, and allows for the easy scheduling of goals and projects.