Task Management Tips: How to Make the Most of Your Software

Using the right task management software helps keep you and your team focused on big picture goals while providing manageable steps to get there. After all, getting to the finish line of a project isn’t always fun or easy. Whether you’re working from home or in an office, there will always be distractions that can make the trek seem even harder. Using a great task management software is like having a coach or trainer at your side: you have access to the best support, tools, tips, and motivation to move towards your goals—despite the obstacles.

How Task Management Software Impacts the Big Picture

Task management is not something you can skip or ignore. Someone or something has to do the heavy lifting to keep workflows, deadlines, and collaborators organized. As task management software becomes more sophisticated and reliable, using these tools gives managers the option to focus their attention in more critical areas such as strategic planning and big-picture thinking.

When everyone on your team is familiar with a single task management platform, small efforts along the way keep everything in check. Workflows become streamlined and seamless, and each team member can manage their own to-dos in the way that works for them, making progress on a project as smooth and enjoyable as possible.

More specifically, the right platform can: 

• Increase productivity—teams know exactly what to do and when.
• Minimize time-consuming searches with everything consolidated in one place.
• Improve collaboration—team members can create, share, and discuss tasks proactively.
• Track the progress of workflows in real-time with task notifications.
• Make the transition to remote work effortless with cloud-based storage.

Any team can benefit from using the right task management software, but it’s important to know how to take full advantage of it—as you would if you had a great coach or mentor. With that in mind, we’ve listed several task management tips below to help your team gear up for their next sprint or marathon project.

Task Management Tips to Leverage Software Solutions

Now is the time to start working smarter, not harder. By using an all-in-one project management system, you can leverage these 12 tips to optimize your task management:

1. Use succinct but clear language to name tasks and create tags such as “client-ready” or “unassigned.”
2. Add supporting materials, such as notes and links, directly to your tasks.
3. Set start dates, due dates, and urgency level for quick sorting by timeline, priority, and status.
4. Bookmark important tasks to stay organized and focused on priority work.
5. Subscribe followers to tasks to encourage your team’s input and notify them when a task is changed or completed.
6. Create private tasks for individual to-dos. Get them out of your head and attached to a deadline, or delegate accordingly.
7. Schedule recurring tasks to repeat daily, weekly, monthly, or annually.
8. Set a task view that works best for you, whether it’s lists, kanban, or a visual timeline. 
9. Filter tasks based on relevant tags, such as “feature request” or “bug fix.”
10. Attach files to keep everything in the same place under a single task.
11. Mute notifications to minimize distractions and stay focused. 
12. Break large tasks up into smaller subtasks—and use the same task management tips above to create, organize, and track them.

Achieving More with Easy, Intuitive Collaboration Tools

In combination, these task management tips will help your team achieve more in less time. Still, it bears repeating that your software has to provide the right tools in the first place—and be a platform your team can easily navigate. If the software you choose isn’t robust and intuitive, your team will continue to run into roadblocks. The right all-in-one workspace can inspire collaboration and motivate your whole team to work hard toward those big-picture goals.

Without the right tools, empowering your team can feel like a perpetual uphill battle.  Flow solves that problem with an all-in-one workspace that is a joy to use on a daily basis. Try it free for 30 days!