So Many Applications, So Little Time

There are so many applications out there which help us run and grow our businesses. We can’t remember everything so we need applications to help us manage our ideas and tasks.

There are 2 kinds of people out there. Those like me who like to play with so many applications and those who just want a solution that works. The issue is defining what really does work. That’s why I like to play. You can tell me you want to track tasks and I can show you 15 applications that do an amazing job of tracking tasks. Then you tell me you want recurring tasks. Now we’re down to 5. Then you tell me you want good “sub-task” tracking. Now we may need to expand the list to include some that don’t have recurring tasks, but where the sub-tasks work well. With so many applications out there and many very specific feature needed, we need to see where we will accept a work around and where we will not. In any application a “recurring” task can be handled by either updating its date each time it’s completed, or copying a task to a new task, if the application allows for that. Activecollab which I mention in the video has great sub-task functionality, but no recurring task, while you can easily copy a task. It even lets you copy or move tasks between projects.

Smartsheet which I did not mention in the video has a really simple and functional layout. Great on creating sub-tasks and dependencies etc.. but also no recurring task function. Wunderlist has a great recurring task function but a very simple layout – to the point where many people will not want it. Smartsheet is laid out like a spreadsheet (and has much of the functionality of one). This makes it really easy to lay out lists and forms aimed at keeping track of things. There are so many applications, you can’t possibly consider them all.

I can go on and on with so many applications that do and don’t do so many different things. I won’t.

For now I am going to look at Trello. In my next post we’ll take a look at a use case for Trello for tracking part of your business process. Identifying your target audience and tracking so many applications that you may need to use in terms of servicing that audience.

I would love to hear from you about a specific solution you’re looking for, or a problem you’re trying to solve so I can show you more applications. Let’s make this interactive and get the conversation going. Post your questions or comments below!