I know this isn’t animation related, but it’s business related, so it’s topical.

For the past couple of years I’ve been trying all sorts of project management and productivity apps to help me stay organised. All the ones I tried out just seemed really confusing and I found I was spending a lot of time just keeping the app organised. In the end, I actually started to use Stickies on my desktop. You know, the thinks that look like little virtual Post-it Notes.

Well, I had about 15 of these Post-its of all various sizes cluttering my desktop. They outlined all the various projects running and ideas that were randomly popping into my head. It was easier to organise than using one of those web apps that had it’s iPhone counterpart, but a little messy.

Well, I think I’ve finally found the app that’s going to make my virtual Post-it notes redundant. And ironically, it somewhat resembles a screen covered in Post-it notes..

It’s called Trello. Find it at Trello.com. Imagine lots of Post-it notes(or cards as they are called here) under all different headings, laid out on different boards. And the boards can be placed into Organisations.

So in Trello, I have an organisation called The Magnificent Itch. Inside here I have a few Boards. Jobs, Misc Business Stuff, and Short Film Ideas. Inside the boards, there are separate Lists that contain Cards. The Cards are things to do or notes. Inside the cards, you can have check-lists, assign people, put Due Dates etc. You can drag the cards and lists around easily too. I’ve also got boards dedicated to home projects, and my tech frightened wife actually finds it quite easy to use.

Have a look at the Trello Development Board to see a working project using Trello.

I’m loving it. It’s real easy to slap in a new idea or new task and assign it to someone. But the thing I love most about it, is that I can see whole projects on the screen at once. It’s like looking at a white board with all your tasks and ideas pinned to it.

I can imaging this could be a great tool to organise a movie script with…

Did I mention Trello is free?