Task management

Lighter than project management, on purpose

Task tools optimise for capture and personal throughput rather than plans and dependencies. If you need scheduling that recalculates, look at project management instead.

The good ones are fast to add to, quick to reorder and forgiving about structure.

Where they differ

Recurring tasks, subtasks, ownership, and views. A tool that cannot do a repeating task properly will be worked around within a week.

Views matter more than they look: the same list as a board, a calendar and a filtered set is the difference between one tool and three.

Price and seats

Most are cheap per seat and stay cheap. Watch for limits on file storage, automations per month and guest access, which is where free plans usually end.

What to test

Put a week of your real work in, including the small recurring things you currently keep in your head. If the tool survives that, it will survive a project.