Ever since elementary school, I've had various pens and highlighters, notebooks of various sizes, and post-it notes to create the ultimate method of organization. Never caring for store-bought planners, each of mine were designed in a fashion which worked for me - how I mentally divvy up information to have the maximum retention. It's grown from composition books and Bic black and blue pens to Moleskine's with Micron pens and Copic markers (these are a few of my favoriiiteee thiiinggss).
Task, project, and overall life planning continues to be an exercise in handwriting for me where a hybrid of traditional versus new (i.e. phone calendars and online project management tools) takes place only in the workplace. Basecamp, Unfuddle, and Confluence have all made a presence but nothing quite compares like the grace and ambiguity of ink dashing across the 68 lb. ivory slate of glory that is my notebook.
Until I met Asana. Finally, a tech savvy match to my method has been found. The web interface is easy enough to work through albeit some of the UI could be enhanced for a sleeker feel which personally provides me with more clarity with information hierarchy. The methods of organization with sections and sub-sections to categorize tasks is one of my favorite features. Thus far, I've created projects for my design work, business docs, and specific meetings (weekly check-in is my favorite). The ease of inputting ideas, to-do items, and methods of labeling objects have greatly affected my work flow in a positive manner. The iOS app is very well done with a simple UI that allows you to focus on the tasks at hand. Not to mention the color palette is quite rich which is a nice variant compared to many apps out there right now which focus on a stark white or near black theme.
What I enjoy most about Asana is the information sharing and interaction features for other team members. Thus far, my only team member is my fiancé, who is the other half of our company. We are easily able to share ideas in the conversations tab which allows for not just text but also image uploads. Emails are sent when these are started to help notify you and keep the conversation in real-time. Most importantly, this keeps my thoughts and ideas in an accessible place providing for the utmost transparency regarding vision and product development, something my lovely Moleskine can't provide unless I physically open and show it to another person.
Thank you Asana for finally providing a tool that allows for tailored organization, increased productivity, and overall, a way to track the progress and excitement of an idea coming to fruition.
The notebooks and Asana lived happily ever after...
