SELECT A SYSTEM

WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

It can be easy to get caught up in the details of what system is right for you. There

are SO many different systems out there! Lucky for you, I've reviewed many of them

and I certainly have some opinions.

In this document, I'll share a simple flowchart to help you select your system, and I'll

also provide more detailed info on my favorite systems.

Please note that the task management method I teach will work with almost any

system, so as long as you commit to using your system with discipline, you don't need

to worry about choosing the "wrong" system.

Paper or Electronic?
If you are a "paper person" you may bristle at the idea of using an electronic task

manager. But hear me out. I'm a "paper person" too, but I can't live without my

electronic system. You can marry the two seamlessly.

The problem with paper only is that you have to do A LOT of writing and rewriting, it's

difficult to keep track of anything that has next action dates farther out than the end

of the year, it's not possible to search, and you lose a lot of info in documentation

because there's just not enough room on the page, Finally, if you are using a paper

planner, it's possible to lose it! (The horror! I'm scared even thinking about that

possibility.)

If you are a "paper person", I'm going to suggest that you use an electronic system as

your primary system, and that you use your paper planner as a secondary system. The

electronic system then contains EVERYTHING and on a daily basis you can transfer

your top priorities, appointments, etc. to you paper planner.

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 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Do you want me to Choose

Yes
choose for you? TickTick!

No

Does your company/do

your colleagues use a Choose that

Yes
task app for task one

collaboration?

No

Is ease of use the most Do you need to view Choose

Yes Yes
important criteria for tasks in multiple views Asana!

you? (list, board, etc.)?

Choose
No
No TickTick!

Is customization Is a low price Choose

Yes Yes
important to you? important to you? Podio!

No No

Choose Asana Choose Wrike!

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 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

There are myriad choices out there for ways to manage your tasks, and I’ve vetted

lots of them.  Here are some of the best of the best. All of the apps below will allow

you to leverage next actions, next action dates and task documentation:

TickTick.com
Overview:

If you are looking for ease of use and simplicity, TickTick might be for you.

Cost:

Free version provides up to 9 lists with up to 99 items on each

Premium version (expanded lists and items, additional features) is

~$3/user/month

Platforms:

Android, iOS and Web

Pros:

Ease of use/simplicity

Drag and drop for prioritization or to reschedule

Great recurring features

Good email/calendar integration

Templates tasks

Voice entry

Cons:

No custom fields

Only 1 date field (just use date field for next action date, and put deadline

with the task in the name field)

If you'd like a coupon code for

a free month of TickTick
Premium, email me directly at
alexis@alexishaselberger.com

www.AlexisHaselberger.com
 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Asana.com
Overview:

If you like to view tasks in multiple formats (list, kanban boards, Gantt) and/or

need collaborative task management with your team, Asana might be for you.

Cost:

Free version with limited features

Premium version for $9.99/month

Platforms:

Android, iOS and Web

Pros:

View tasks in list, board or timeline view

Great calendar integration

Can set up templates

Color coding

Good email integration

Cons:

UI can get a bit slow

Subtasks are confusing

Customization around sections can get confusing

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 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Podio.com
Overview:

If you want customization on the cheap and are willing to put in the time to

create your perfect system, Podio might be for you.

Cost:

Free version for up to 5 users (under 500 items)

Basic version for $9/month

Plus version with automated workflows for $14/month

Platforms:

Android, iOS and Web

Pros:

Endlessly customizable, all fields can be custom fields

Ability to track not just tasks, but people, budgets, goals, anything you can

think of

View tasks in list or board view

Integrated chat and video chat (must have multiple people on your team using

it to use this feature)

Cons:

Must build your own framework

Longer learning curve

Not very pretty

Mobile app is not great

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 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?

Wrike.com
Overview:

If you are looking for a robust solution for your team, and don’t mind spending

for the ability to customize, Wrike might be for you.

Cost:

Free version for up to 5 users, limited features

Business version, with full customization for $25/user/month

Platforms:

Android, iOS and Web

Pros:

Tasks can be multi-homed

Very easy to create template tasks/projects

Custom fields

Multiple views (list, table, board, Gantt)

Can create forms and workflows

Good email integration

Cons:

You need the paid version to access custom fields

Longer learning curve

Mobile apps are not the best

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 SELECT A SYSTEM
WHICH SYSTEM IS RIGHT FOR YOU?
Popular apps I don't recommend (and why)
If you've spent any time in the task app world, you may be wondering about a couple

of very popular apps that I haven't recommended here. And lest you think I've

forgotten about them entirely, I want to let you know WHY I'm not specifically

recommending them.

Why I'm not recommending Todoist.com:

Todoist is a wildly popular task app. It has great natural language date features and

people really like the mobile app.

For me, however, the primary issue with Todoist is that there's no description field for

the tasks (in the free version), meaning there's no place to easily store next actions or

other relevant task info. Yes, you could store this info in the comments field, but

that's a bit clunky.

Also, many of my clients who have used Todoist in the past felt that the user

experience was a bit clunky and they felt like they were losing their tasks.

That said, if you feel like you want to use Todoist, go for it! The system you should

use is the one you like, and that you'll consistently use.

Why I'm not recommending Trello.com

Trello is one of the most popular task apps of all time. It has lots of great features, is

great for collaboration and integrates with lots of other apps.

The issue for me with Trello is that the only view available is the board view (kanban,

cards) and if you have A LOT of stuff on your plate, then Trello quickly becomes difficult

to look at and sort, because each card takes up so much space.

If you love using kanban boards, and are only working on a few projects at a time, Trello

could work for you. But I find it difficult to manage if you have lots of tasks and want to

be able to sort by next action date. Also, every app I do recommend offers the board

view option.

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