Like (I suspect) a lot of freelancers relatively new to the working world, I often struggle with setting and recording tasks for myself. This problem was exacerbated when the Pixel Foundry was formed… suddenly tasks and goals had to be shared between 2(+) people.

Now, I don’t really like using little cutesy apps for my task lists. I find I have an initial liking for the software, then gradually use it less and less until I’m back to writing To Do lists in my ubiquitous sketchbook.  Let me go over some simple things I’ve tried for project/task management:

1. Writing To Do lists in my sketchbook. I keep reverting to this like an old, old friend. Recently, I mistakenly left my sketchbook at a clients’ in North Van, and was unable to pick it up for a week. Obviously this system has flaws.

2. To Do lists in iCal. This works very very well ‘cos I can set reminders in iCal as well as deadlines, colour code categories, etc. iCal’s printed lists of weekly tasks and events are, easily, the best I’ve seen for free or OS software… they’re formatted, attractive, and readable. However, iCal will sync events to your iPhone, but not the To Do list. This needs to be remedied before the iCal app becomes useful to me.

3. EasyTask. This is an iPhone app I installed once I realized my poor iCal To Dos were AWOL on the iPhone. It gives you a great sense of satisfaction to be able to press a huge red (COMPLETE TASK) button. Like iCal’s To Dos, it lets you set deadlines and categories. This is probably the best of the iPhone (free) apps I tried for tasks. However, it’s on the iPhone only (for free), and my phone likes to run out of batteries. Clearly, I need a solution that works on more than my mobile device.

4. Various trials for paid software. I have a real aversion to paying for things, I have to admit. Hence my love of open-source code, bars without cover charges, and tasting samples at Costco. Of the paid software/systems out there for project management, the Action Method looked the most promising (for those of us who love paper and hate trees, they offer printed notebooks and pads that use the method.) Since my track record for actually using these things is pretty sad, there’s little to no chance I’m actually going to pay for task management software.

5. A whiteboard checklist. This is actually in use at one place I’ve worked at… similarly, this office didn’t accept that emails are better/more efficient than faxes, that computers have to be newer than 5 years old to run new software, and that floppy disks really weren’t the best way to backup data. I think I might’ve convinced them to switch to iCal, however.

Lately, I’ve been trying something that seems to work for me. Most importantly, it also works for Kelly and the Pixel Foundry. It’s Workable. That’s the name of this web-based project management software, currently in beta.

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