About what I wanted TODO list, and how this dream became Asana

Yesterday, I went through my notebooks in OneNote in 2009. I, when I was five years younger, was a different system of note taking, differently formulated ideas. In one of these notebooks I showed up a list of requirements for a potential project under the name "Online Todo List to work together." Invented it was cool, but I did not realize this project. And I will not.

"Why?" - you ask. Because three years after the writing of this list, I started using Asana.com. Even before that, on our website was a little review of this service. Currently in Asane already have all the pieces that I wanted five years ago. What kind of chips and how they are implemented - this will be discussed in this article.

Yesterday, I went through my notebooks in OneNote in 2009. I, when I was five years younger, was a different system of note taking, differently formulated ideas. In one of these notebooks I showed up a list of requirements for a potential project under the name "Online Todo List to work together." Invented it was cool, but I did not realize this project. And I will not.

"Why?" - you ask. Because three years after writing this list I started using Asana.com. Even before that, we were on the site little review this service. Currently in Asana already have all the pieces that I wanted five years ago. What kind of chips and how they are implemented - this will be discussed in this article.

The list itself, written five years ago, looked like this:

• Online service with simple registration.
• The presence of the mobile version.
• Hotkeys.
• User-friendly visual interface.
• Joint work on the invitation.
• Planning style Now / Tomorrow / Later.
• Hierarchy: nesting tasks, projects, contexts, tags.
• The possibility of conducting the affairs of notes with formatting.

Online service with simple registration

In 2014, it seems natural to an online service, rather than desktop software. This is especially evident when we talk about the service, initially imprisonment for collaboration. In Asana.com your to-do list will be accessible through any modern browser. The creators of this service attributed to him:

• Chrome;
• Safari;
• firefox;
• Internet Explorer 10 & 11;
• Fluid for Mac.

Unfortunately for my friend - Opera fan, the browser did not get into this list. I feel sorry for him, which I can not say enough about the people still using older versions of IE. Another worth noting that, as in any complex web applications at Asana conflicts may arise with already installed on your browser extensions. See the complete list here.

With regard to the registration, then it has the opportunity to link a standard Google Account or Facebook.

The presence of the mobile version

Now every quality site has a version for mobile phones and tablets. Somewhere, this is achieved by adaptive page layout, where some original interface optimized for the small screen. Asana developers have gone by the second. Add to that an application for iOS and Android, and you will understand my pleasure to work with this system.

Hotkeys

I was insanely annoying when the routine takes a long time. Tools need to be comfortable, so I can spend two hours reading all the intricacies of the new program. But then, when after pressing two keys I hear: "And what did you do such a thing" - you feel like a magician. In Asana hotkeys there, a lot of them. And they are intuitive and points directly at the bottom of the screen. To tell you the truth, I really miss them in the application on the iPhone.

User-friendly visual interface

Unfortunately, not 100% in Asana interface is made as I would like. Firstly, there is the possibility to choose the interface language. Some people that I work with through this service, English causes difficulty. They can advise translation plugin interface for Chrome. Secondly... no second. By the interface really quickly get used to. Then other schedulers annoying extra clicks and inconvenient filter systems. Try it yourself. I am sure that the opportunity to focus on the task, different tasks and filters section you like.

Working together at the invitation of

Invite the person to work with you on a project is very simple. It is enough to send him an invitation to the email. Without waiting he agrees, you have to put him to task or mention in the text of the problem or comments using your favorite Twitter icon @.

Planning style Now / Tomorrow / Someday

One of my rules: first, do everything that you can not put off for tomorrow. Therefore, the principle of issuing business priorities, I prefer to do in the form: Today / Tomorrow / Someday. In Asana when viewing your tasks, you can set precise deadlines or dates, or to put them to one of three: Today / Upcoming / Later. This is worth doing for your colleagues can see when you begin the project. And, of course, for these actions have hotkeys.

Hierarchy: nesting tasks, projects, contexts, tags

The hierarchy of tasks in Asana is implemented in several ways. Firstly, it is possible at the end of the task to put two points at the task list - it will be a section. Compile a list of tasks with them is very convenient. All the more so then from section to section of the task, you can simply drag and drop.

Secondly, in any task can be subtasks. For example, I do not want the client to get to the heart of how I optimizes the speed of operation of the site. It's just one of the tasks on the list of the project affairs. Making subtasks I familiar tool to plan the optimization of up to three-minute affairs.

Third, it projects. Each case may refer to more than one project. So it's both a label and a folder for your application.

Fourthly, this workspace and organization. They do not differ much in terms of hierarchy. By the way, I deliberately did not translate the term wokrspace into Russian. Agree, "workspace" in the context of to-do lists sounds like a strange way. So, wokrspace - is bringing people and projects that have nothing to do with each other. Move tasks from one to the other can not wokrspace. If you do well, it will be very necessary, it is possible to use here this service. But first to the desired workspace, add all the participants, who will be in a portable design. It took me to do this when I'm out of personal affairs borne projects freelance in the new workspace.

The possibility of conducting the affairs of notes with formatting

Notes the existence of a problem today few people are surprised. And here's what I just love Asana, it comments. Instead of each task to write email or fetus in an email chain dialogues can discuss the issues for each task separately. It turns out this kind of forum. Add to this the Like button, and it will be really easy to work together. It is worth noting that the Asana is actively developing. For example, just recently added the ability to use formatting directly comments and notes to tasks.

Something that was not on my list

In my list of requirements were not many things that you find in Asana. This binding is cloud storage of your choice: Dropbox, Box, Google Drive. And convenient filters, and print selected to-do list and task templates for example, an existing project, and work with duplicate cases. There are many services that are integrated with Asana. The full list here. Be sure to mention the well-done help. For such a powerful tool as Asana, this is a mandatory thing.

Tools of Asana a really convenient. In him we were planning the wedding of my friends last year. It was there I planned out and made more than one project on freelancing. In any of these projects, I easily and quickly worked with other people. When it comes to my personal projects, I somehow use by another program. Only it's a different story.