Why I Switched from Asana.com

I used Asana.com for about one to two years. While it is a nice platform, it is not very intuitive. When I first started using it, I found it quite confusing. Eventually, I decided to switch to other tools.

When I first saw the interface, I couldn't figure out how to make a private list. There is an icon on top to toggle privacy settings, but even after clicking it, I was unsure if it had worked. I spent way too much time trying to figure out these minor details.

The user interface is interesting but unnecessarily complex. All I was looking for was a simple, private task list that I could choose to share with specific people by entering their email address.

A few days ago, I discovered the Microsoft OneNote app on my Windows Phone 8. A great feature of this app is voice recording. If you want to quickly jot down a task for the future, you can just record your voice. This is incredibly helpful when typing on a mobile keyboard feels too slow.

Google Docs is another excellent alternative. You can simply create a document, use it as a list, and easily share it with friends with various permission levels. The best part is its clean and simple user interface compared to other complex apps.

Another great alternative is Trello, which you might have heard about on Joel Spolsky's blog post: Trello Announcement on Joel on Software.

There are many modern HTML5, browser-based, and mobile-based task managers. Most of them are cross-platform, allowing you to access your lists from both your PC and your phone. A crucial feature is offline support: if you are disconnected, your changes should be saved locally and synced back to the server once you are online again.

The biggest problem with many task management apps is that they look attractive but have a steep learning curve. Their features aren't clearly defined, leading to user frustration. When an app isn't simple and intuitive, people quickly stop using it.

These usability issues are ultimately why I moved away from Asana.

If you prefer to keep things extremely simple, Windows 7's built-in Sticky Notes app is still a perfectly viable option for storing quick text notes.

If you know of any other great task management apps that work well across mobile and tablet devices, please share them in the comments below! With so many options out there, everyone has a different way of keeping organized.

Thanks for reading!