Task Manager of Choice

Bobby Steurer

What's yours and why?

I've flipped back and forth between Asana because it's readily available at my current job…

…and paper/pen, because it's readily available pretty much everywhere.

Faith Murray

@Bobby Steurer, well - we're just a small office of 9 people. We don't use anything fancy to track projects, just weekly team meetings and a shared Outlook calendar. Each of our bigger projects has a “production brief” document on our shared server, with assigned tasks that we review in our weekly chats.

As far as my personal task lists, I prefer the feel of my leather-bound organizer. The somewhat old-fashioned task of manually re-writing my to-do list each month (in neat, microscopic handwriting) feels comforting and helps me to mentally refresh any long-term projects and outstanding tasks.

There are so many research studies on brain activity that show that handwriting activates a much broader brain network than typing does, including creativity, memory, and sensory processing sections of the brain. Typing alone (or clicking) creates a much shallower mental process. I don't personally think that this is a bad thing - I think it only reflects the reality that typing and clicking are faster and easier, requiring less work to check off a box, which we all already knew. Isn't that the whole reason people like digital task lists? But I personally enjoy the slower, more intentional format of a paper organizer.

Lisa Tulchin

@Faith Murray I agree with you 100%!!!! I’ve used Traveler‘s Notebook for over a decade! Colorful pens, thin washi, and stickers got me through million dollar projects, software implementations, office build-outs, start of school changes, and my two teenager‘s sports and music schedules. I’ve even visited the Traveler’s Factory store in Kyoto and Tokyo Station, even though there’s a nice dealer for my stationary addiction close to my school.

Bobby Steurer

@Lisa Tulchin @Faith Murray Ok, you both are speaking directly to my heart here. I'm a big stationery boy myself. Lightning round - favorite writing tool? I've gotta go with the simple yet mighty Pilot Kakuno.

Adrienne Baumann 2

@Bobby Steurer I like Trello but nothing is ever as good as pen & paper! My current go-to is my Rocketbook Fusion with Frixion Fineliner markers. When it comes to actual paper, my favorite basic pen is the Pentel RSVP fine point!

Lisa Tulchin

@Bobby Steurer
My pen collection is a bit of a chaotic rainbow. I'm constantly switching between Pilot Frixions (multi-pens, clickers, Waaais), LePens, Uni Style&Fits multi, and my Lamy and Pilot fountain pens. (I lke the Kakunos too! I bought them for my kids thinking that it might improve their handwriting… nope) Refills for the Frixions are whatever colors I have on hand, so it's an adventure!

Carrie Powell

@Bobby Steurer, if not a Frixion product, I'm currently loving the Uni Jetstream Lite Touch

Faith Murray

@Bobby Steurer, I always buy Sharpie S-Gel fine point pens or the Papermate InkJoy colored gel pens. As long as it's a fine point gel, I'm usually happy! I love that they won't bleed, and of course you can fit so much more on a page with the fine points. Of course, just talking pens makes me happy! ?

Austen Brown

@Bobby Steurer - I like Asana because of the different views - sometimes you need a list vs a kanban board.

Currently using Jira - it's marketed for software development; it's been interesting to try out another to-do management tool. Really miss the flying unicorn though!?

Bobby Steurer

@Carrie Powell Carrie, I love JetPens. Goodness, y'all are my people.

Allison King

I use so many different ones…

• Asana for project work
• Microsoft To Do for little work reminders and following up with emails
• Pen and paper sometimes to get lists out of my head
• Finch for self-care, daily personal tasks, and other personal tasks as they come up
• Sometimes Keep notes and sometimes Google Tasks too

Hi, I have ADHD. I have lists EVERYWHERE!

Austen Brown

@Allison King - Love Finch! Helps gamify my habits and goals!

Lucy Ruiz 3

@Bobby Steurer I have started using MS Planner. It took a bit of playing with it but I have finally got it to work for my needs. For full calendar integration you do need to create a power app.

Bobby Steurer

@Austen Brown @Allison King Ok, several of you guys have mentioned Finch before. I need to check it out.

Bobby Steurer

@Lucy Ruiz Nice!

Allison King

@Bobby Steurer Would you like an invite code? I could DM it to you. It comes with a cute micropet.

Bobby Steurer

@Allison King You know what? Flick that code my way. Thanks!

Irene Hui

@Bobby Steurer I like using a small notebook, too, with colored pens and have post-its stuck throughout or I will set up recurring tasks in Outlook. Pentel EnerGel RTX pens are great for lefties since they don't smear and come in lots of colors. I've been testing out Finch, too, it's really cute!

Bobby Steurer

@Irene Hui I like the small notebook form factor, too. Like a Field Notes size. I have to adapt my handwriting to it, but they're so handy!

Sunshine Reinken Watson

@Bobby Steurer I love Asana as a central place for all of my tasks. As a contractor, I have different project managers who use either SmartSheet or Microsoft Planner. I replicate any tasks assigned to me in Asana, as I like to have everything in one place. I hope to convert folks to Asana, but that might not happen.

I also often write my tasks for the day down on paper, especially when I am feeling overwhelmed. There is just something about being able to physically cross out tasks that feels better!

Carlene Johnson

@Bobby Steurer I love when vendors give out Field Notes as SWAG at bbcon. Or Moleskine style notebooks.

Though these days I really love the Cambridge Limited (Mead) Action Planner. The inside looks like this:

I love the open column on the right to jot random things separate from all the lists I make on the right.

Carlene Johnson

@Bobby Steurer So many of us are talking about our favorite pens, notebooks, washi tape, etc… I think we should have a meetup at bbcon where we show off our favorite tools and maybe do a pen and embellishment swap!

Aldera Chisholm 2

@Faith Murray
A former employer had given us ReMarkable notebooks, and I loved it! Digital pad, but feels like paper. I loved it because you could change the “style” of pen at a tap, and do fun things like circle thoughts and move them around on the page. They are super pricey, or I'd have bought myself one by now!

Faith Murray

@Aldera Chisholm, I did see one of my former coworkers using a setup like that. It was a digital pad, touch screen with a stylus. He wrote all his notes onto it, and it “read” his writing and was able to tabulate his notes and to-do lists, move them around, etc. I always told myself that if I went digital, it would be something like that!

Aldera Chisholm 2

@Faith Murray I wouldn't like it on an iPad or similar, but the Remarkable tablet has that same “scratchy” feeling as writing on paper, so it had that visceral comfort level as a nice notebook.

Bobby Steurer

@Aldera Chisholm I think I've seen something like that. I read that it's nice for sketch artists because of the tactile feedback you get from the scratchiness. I like a little tooth to my paper.

Bobby Steurer

@Carlene Johnson Excellent idea! But alas, I cannot make it to another Con for a while, if ever. We should totally form a group though!