Trello is a popular project and task management application. It offers an online app you can use on your desktop or laptop computer as well as an app to use on your mobile devices. Trello is a system of boards, lists and cards.
Boards are your projects. Lists are the categories in your project and cards are the tasks to complete in each category. For example this is what my daily dashboard of projects I need to keep up with looks like:
Here is another example of what someone doing a website project might have on their board:
The categories are Techie Stuff, Graphics, and Content. Each tasks that needs to be completed has a card in the appropriate list. As each card or task is completed you can simply move it to the Completed list to get it out of the way and see how far you have progressed.
The great thing about Trello is that it is very easy to use. Even those who aren't tech savvy can use it with ease. You simply drag and drop cards between lists. If you have hundreds of projects and hundreds of lists with hundreds of cards, it can be a pain to stay organized and find which card you want when you want it but it is possible.
Some nice features of Trello include the ability to change the background color or image of each board, easily add team members to specific boards and cards, label the cards with colors and tags, and set due dates. When you set a due date on a card, Trello has a calendar view that allows you to see the cards on a calendar. This is helpful when deadlines are critical.
Trello has also made it simple to copy or duplicate boards or cards. This is a must have if you want to you offer your boards as templates to others as a free opt-in gift or a bonus for a purchase. It makes it easy to share your expertise in a different format.
Very Budget Friendly
Of course, the feature that has made Trello so popular is that it is free! You get all the main and most important features FREE. That is awesome! Now there is an upgrade available for only $5 a month ($3.75 if you pay yearly). The Trello Gold plan gives you three Power-Ups per board, custom backgrounds, stickers, and emoji, premium stickers, 250MB attachment limits, and saved searches. If you love Trello and refer your friends you can earn a free month of Trello Gold for every friend that signs up.
Drawbacks
As with all things, there are negative aspects to Trello. No application is perfect for everyone. What works for one business may not for another. As I mentioned earlier, if you have a lot cards the boards can get a little messy and if you have OCD tendencies, this could be an issue. The ability to delete a card, list, or board is hidden and takes multiple clicks to find and complete.
If you need to track the time each task takes to complete, you will have to use a third party application such as Toggl or Harvest App.
If you are like many others and get overwhelmed when starting with a blank slate, you may want to find some Trello templates to help get started. Trello has a list of templates for inspiration that can be found at: https://trello.com/inspiration.
Trello is a great project management tool for anyone who likes visual representations of their projects and tasks. With its ease of use and inexpensive cost (free!), it is a great option for entrepreneurs and those running small businesses. Click here to get started!
