Trello: A Project Manager

     Writers whether indie, traditional, or hybrid have more tasks on their plates these days. Trello is a great app to organize all things writing. This cloud-based program allows users to create a project board, add dozens of tasks, and share them with others.

The format is visual. Multiple projects can be seen on the screen and each board/card can have several layers to it. The system is similar to Google Keep but with the ability to shuffle the cards into larger projects.

Trello is Google Keep on steroids. It goes beyond the simple list-keeping capability. Options on Trello include checklists, due dates, labels, team members, sharing, and attachments. Then there are Power-ups and links to more apps!

Many writers today work with partners in co-writing, editing, critiquing, and brainstorming. Trello allows users to update projects in real-time. Due dates, new tasks, and other items (docs, pics) can be shared with the group with a few clicks.

It’s the digital planner you didn’t know you needed.

And the best part, it’s free.

How I use Keep 3/3

I use Google Keep almost every day. I’m over forty, and my memory is not what it used to be. Keep helps me remember important things like grocery lists, story ideas, and when to go get my kid from that thing…

I put everything simple on there, whether it be a list, reminder, or just a sentence or two.

Cloud Use and Hands-free Options

The best feature of Keep is the cloud-based data. I never lose a plot bunny anymore. I can be in my car (or woken from a great dream), get a story idea, hit the mic, rattle off my thought to my phone, and instantly, it’s on my PC. (Yes, I’m a PC person.) Anything I list, note or mention will be on all my devices linked to that Gmail account. Being able to quickly and easily access data keeps my writing, my life, organized.

Organization and Lists

Keep works great for the holiday lists. With nine nieces and nephews, I can make checklists on the phone for gift ideas and then cross them off after purchase. I also get tons of book recommendations, that I never remember if I don’t write it down. Working in a library and being a writer, everyone has a book for me to try. I grab my phone, open Keep, and jot it down.

More Organization

I also label and color coordinate my notes. Story ideas get one color, books another. I have labels for WIP, Inspiration, and TV shows. This helps me access everything quickly. With two teens on the go, a job, and my writing, I don’t have time to dig through thousands of little notes to find what I need.

Searchability

If I’ve made a note and forgotten what I wrote, Keep allows me to search all my cards for the data. I can find things by due dates, keywords, or categories. I’m not sure they can make this app more user-friendly.

Reminders

But they do! The due dates go on my Google calendar! I can see them on my phone and on the computer. It even reminds me with a pop-up when my item is due. I use this feature for writing deadlines—editing due dates, reminders to myself to add the name of that hotel in chapter 3, etc.

Pictures/Drawings

Honestly, I don’t use the picture feature much. But I’m old. I could see a younger user playing with the feature for lists, reminders, and all that.

Keep is my favorite app. It’s usable, easy to learn, and accessible. I hope you love it too.

Next month, I’ll introduce you to Trello, a project management app that is also cloud-based.

Google Keep: How to Use it

Google Keep, whether used on the phone or computer, takes notes.

It’s that simple.

Here’s how to do it:

Take a note:

• Click on the + sign to make a new note. 
• Then type. 
• Or hit the mic on your keyboard (on your phone) and record. 
• Then do nothing. The data is added to a card and saved to the cloud. You can retrieve it on any device.

Make a Check List:

• Press the checkmark in a square to make a new list. 
• Hit enter after each entry to put a box in front of each item. 
• To cross them off later, click the box. 
• When items are finished on the list, Keep only crosses them out. It does not erase them. You can double-check yourself if you finished that item. (I never do that…more than once or twice.)

Create a due date:

• Press the little bell to add a due date to the note or checklist. 
• Add both a date and a time like “Doctor apt Monday at 9.” A little clock will appear in the note. AND it will sync to your Google calendar with a blue note (on mine, it’s blue) and a little finger with a string tried around it. (No, not the middle finger!) 
• FYI: It also has Location available as additional information on the note. It’s not sophisticated enough to map your destination…yet. Click back from the Calendar to Keep to see that info. And even then, it’s not readily available.

Add a Pic:

• Press the square with the tiny triangles (mountains) on it to add a picture above your text—maybe something you snapped and something you want to look at it over and over (a book, a dress, your kid, Evan Peters, etc.) 
• Do the usual searching through your phone, laptop, files to find the pick and click Okay. 
• You can even draw your own pics! Great for entertaining toddlers. (But too advanced for the blog today.)

Organizing your data:

• Click and drag them to change their order on the screen. 
• Click the palette to color notes to group them.
•  Once in the note, click the three dots in a column for more menu options like Add a Label. Label notes to group them further.

Removing Notes:

• Click on the box with the down arrow to Archive a note. Which is wonderful if you’re like me and hate to throw away anything. Old lists can be archived and retrieved to bring up that story idea that now sounds awesome after a few months of not thinking about it or the Christmas list from last year for that hard-to-buy-for Aunt. 
•  Trash the card entirely by three dots in a column and hit Delete Note.

Hopefully, this list can get you started using Google Keep. 

Next time, I’ll share some ways I use Keep for my writing.