Personal project management software allows an individual to organize their daily workload, set deadlines for each task, monitor their progress and efficiently achieve their goals. Unlike their business-oriented counterparts, applications for private usage are not overloaded with dozens of elaborate functions. They are relatively simple, and they indeed help to sort and structure information. In this article, we will compare the most common tools for handling private projects — such as planning holidays, structuring one's family budget or sticking to a weight-loss nutrition plan.
What Is a Project?
First, let's understand the difference between work and a project. The latter has a start, an end and several stages in between. It is completed once you achieve a particular goal — for instance, you wrote a book. Writing a book is a lengthy process that cannot be completed in one go. Writing a chapter, in contrast, is not a project but a task that can be carried out in a relatively short time period. Brushing your teeth every morning is not a project either because it is a simple and repetitive procedure.
What Is Project Management Software?
People who have never used it tend to think that project management software is a set of checklists, which is an oversimplification. Checklists are static. Once you compile one, the only thing you can do is to mark tasks as either canceled or completed. Checklists do not allow you to fragment a large task into several smaller ones, regroup them and set a separate deadline for each item. If you need to add supplementary files to your checklist points, you will have no tools to manage them and you will soon drown in the abundance of information.
Solutions that allow users to manage projects are much more powerful and functional. They enable you to carry out the following operations:
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Create projects, single out separate tasks and track the accomplishment of each of them
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Invite new users to join the workflow
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Add supplements to each task (comments, upload files, links to other tasks and so on)
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Allocate resources for each project
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Check how many resources you spend on a particular task or project and generate reports
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Receive notifications when a task is about to hit the deadline — so that you can either complete, reschedule or cancel it
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And so on
Even if you are planning to use such an app alone first, eventually you might consider inviting your friends and relatives to join it. Your better half can add last-moment ticket deals to your vacation plan, your fitness trainer might correct your exercise schedule and your grandma can modify your weekly grocery shopping list when she decides to give up chocolate.
Judging by this description, you might think that project management applications are complicated. But in fact, they are sleek and genuinely intuitive. You will not need to hire a tutor to figure out how they function.
You might ask, why should you install software whose target audience are businesses to manage your private tasks? Why not download an app that was initially built for private users? The thing is that business subscriptions allow the developers to make a profit on their product and invest these funds in its upgrades. The more money the software provider makes on its solutions, the more advanced products they offer — and this is why we will focus on business-grade tools in this article.
TOP-5 personal project management tools with Apps
Whether you prefer the simplicity of a Kanban board to organize your tasks or a classic Gantt chart is more up your street, you’ll find a project planning app that will work for you in this article. Read on to find out which would work best for your needs, as well as advantages and potential drawbacks to keep in mind when choosing the right software for your personal projects.
Bitrix24 provides an all-in-one solution to all your project management needs – personal and otherwise.
You can use different tools to view, plan and manage your tasks, making this an incredibly convenient choice for pretty much any kind of project. Bitrix24 includes the full package when it comes to project management, featuring key tools such as the following:
These make Bitrix24 a great choice not just for personal project management, but all kinds of projects, including more complex work-related tasks. Bitrix24 has it all – so you can go from managing your household to running a large corporation.
Bitrix24 provides you with multiple view options for your projects. The Kanban board gives you a simple bird's eye overview and organizes your tasks – so you can forget about those pesky post-it notes when planning projects. And if you want to visualize the timeline of your projects, as well as specify any dependencies between the tasks within these projects, you can do this with the help of the Gantt chart. Switching between list, calendar, Kanban and Gantt views is easy, so you can use the one that works best for you.
Bitrix24 will never let you miss a deadline, and you can rely on it to keep you organized and on track. You can be sure all your important projects will be completed on time thanks to reminders.
Best of all is that it's free to use, and for those looking for personal project management software, the free features provide more than enough functionality – you get totally unlimited access to tasks and projects. You can add up to 12 users to your account, should you have the need to invite more people to work on your personal projects.
Here are just a few of the great features that you’ll get with the free version:
Bitrix24 is also available as an app on iOS and Android, so you can keep your personal projects exactly where they need to be – on your person.
Asana
This is not only a project but also a task management solution. Its target audience are both individuals and businesses. Launched in 2011, it’s undergone several upgrades since then as well as built handy applications for Android and iOS. Uber, Dropbox and Pinterest are just a few examples of its prominent users.
It is very easy to work in Asana:
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In the left bar, you can keep track of multiple projects.
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Feel free to organize your milestones and goals in a checklist format. Sort them by their start date or estimated deadline. Create dependencies — that is, link the completion of certain tasks with their sub-tasks.
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Add comments, tags, links and notes to tasks or other items. When your collaborators introduce changes to projects, they will be displayed in real time.
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Set deadlines, upload files and use multiple shortcuts to save time and effort.
Solo users and teams that consist of less than 15 people do not need to pay anything. They get access to unlimited projects, messages and activity logs, and can handle up to 1000 tasks simultaneously and enjoy almost all the vast functionality of Asana.
Paid plans for this project management software start from $10,99 per user per month and can be tested free of charge. They feature such privileges as the ability to invite an unlimited number of guests for free, create goals and portfolios or resort to priority support.
Azendoo
Just as the previous one, it is hybrid task and project management software. Azendoo is focused on teamwork but you can use it to cope with your personal workload as well. Originally, it was built as a web service, but now you can download its iOS or Android app too.
Azendoo enables you to perform the following operations:
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Monitor the progress of a project from a downstream perspective
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Upload files to projects
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Assign tasks to other users, control their accomplishment status and leave comments
Evernote
This is an exceptionally powerful and versatile piece of project management software. It relies on a vast ecosystem of applications that includes its Android and iOS versions. Here are just a few of the competitive edges of this product:
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You can effortlessly convert your handwritten notes to digital format and combine them with other files and documents in a single project
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Add basic notes in a couple of clicks
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For multiple projects, create notebooks
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Quickly search across the content that you created
Thanks to the cutting-edge search function, you can stop worrying about cluttering. In Evernote, you can create as many notes as you wish, being sure that you will never get lost in them.
The free plan allows you to sync up to 2 devices, clip web pages, use the handy search option and format your notes. The maximum size of a note will be limited to 25 MB and the monthly upload limit — to 60 MB. After switching to a paid plan that starts from $7,99 per user per month, you will be able to access the notes offline, sync up an unlimited number of devices, customize your home, create custom templates, increase the upload limits and enjoy many other perks.
Microsoft One Note
This one was not initially built as project management software. As its name suggests, it was designed to work with notes and does not offer a convenient downstream perspective of the tasks that you add. However, you can use its functionality to handle projects too. Consider linking it to SkyDrive, where you can keep your files, or the OneTastic plugin.
OneNote can be downloaded as a component of Microsoft 365 or Office 2019. If you install it as a standalone app, its functionality will be limited. With its full version, you will get access to useful monthly updates.
Trello
This piece of project management software is organized as an individual Kanban desk. It is fast and flexible, which is why the teams of Tumblr, The New York Times and The Verge love it so much.
It will take you just a couple of minutes to organize your project in the form of cards and post-it notes that are easy to drag around. After that, you will be able to carry out the following tasks:
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Create separate boards for diverse projects
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Set deadlines (time and date) for each card or set of cards
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Comment on tasks and add auxiliary items to them
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Assign a task from user to user
Just as the other services described in this article, Trello is available both in the web version and as a mobile app for Android and iOS. You can join it for free — in this case, the maximum size of your file attachment will be limited to 10 MB, and you will be able to use up to 10 boards per team. After upgrading for a paid plan that starts at $9,99 per user per month, the maximum size of the attachment will increase to 250 MB, and there will be no limitations regarding the number of boards. The number of cards or lists is unlimited for all plans.
Conclusion
Hopefully, this overview of reliable and forward-thinking project management software came in handy. All the solutions mentioned in the article can boast a sleek interface and intuitive navigation. You can try them all for free, starting right now. After you select the one that you like the most, you will quickly get used to it. It will facilitate your workflow management and will enable you to always remain efficient, never miss deadlines and achieve greater life satisfaction.
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