Whether it’s at work or at home, one should always value the importance of effective time management. One way of doing so is to list down all of your tasks in a bulletin board or you could simply make use of a free web-based visual task management tool like DropTask.

What is it and what does it do

Main Functionality

DropTask is a web-based visual task management application. Created and developed by Think Productivity, the aim of this application is to offer a more efficient way of managing your tasks and that is through the use of visual indicators. So instead of having a long list of tasks, you actually get to view them in a more visually-appealing manner. Other than this, this tool also features the traditional list view wherein each task is categorized according to their status, priority, due dates and tags.

Pros

• Neat and responsive web user interface, easy to use
• Features visual task indicators – each task or group of tasks is represented by a circle. You can manage and sort each task according to their status, priority or effort.
• Features tags – you can add, edit or delete these tags to categorize your tasks
• You can invite other people to view and edit your projects.
• You can set reminders or notifications. The notifications will appear on the top-right corner of your web user interface (besides the settings tool). If enabled, you will also be notified via e-mail.
• Has an option for enabling desktop notifications. (In order for this feature to work, you need to keep your DropTask tool on a separate tab.)
• Supports sub-tasks – you are allowed to nest your new tasks under your pre-existing tasks.
• Allows you to attach a variety of files into your tasks – supports direct file upload. You can also upload the files that you have on your Google Drive or Dropbox folders.
• As soon as you’ve completed a task, you can simply mark it as “done”
• You can access your web user interface using your mobile device. Just open the official DropTask site using your mobile web browser. No app required.
• You are allowed to create a desktop shortcut. However, this will require you to install the DropTask app for Chrome. If enabled, the app’s shortcut icon will be pinned into your computer’s system tray area.
• Offers 256-bit of SSL encryption

Cons

• The color of the task indicator is fixed. You cannot change it to a different color.
• You can set the due date for each task but there’s no option for setting the actual time.
• You cannot assign a tone to your app’s desktop notifications
• Doesn’t allow you to download a copy of your tasks and projects
• Browser dependent – you cannot view, edit or delete your tasks directly on your computer plus it doesn’t work offline.
• The mobile version needs a lot of improvement.

Discussion

As a visual task management tool, the main asset of DropTask is its ability to present your tasks in a visually-appealing manner. Come to think of it, it is easier to recall something that you can view rather than those that you can only read. It appears that this is what this tool is trying to do. It helps you organize your tasks and activities by giving you a clearer picture of the things that you are supposed to do. This is because the said app uses visual indicators which means that you get to place your tasks inside those color-coded circles. To get started, all you need to do is to drag and drop these circles into the tool’s white area.

Furthermore, DropTask lets you create an unlimited number of projects. In each project, you are free to create, sort and edit your tasks according to their priority, due date and effort. Since this tool supports collaborative projects, you can easily invite your colleagues or team members. You get to invite them via email and once they approve your invitation, you can easily delegate your tasks to all of your team members. You can even monitor their progress.

What I also like about this tool is that it lets you sort out your tasks by groups and tags. So it is very easy to organize your entries. You can also make use of its search tool and filter button. It’s just that when it comes to creating tasks, you can only specify the due date and not the time. You cannot even set a specific date range so it’s difficult to schedule things properly because the options are limited. Furthermore, the notifications aren’t that helpful at all. You cannot even set a sound for the desktop notifications and when it comes to the email notifications, you can’t rely on them either.

The other features of DropTask are quite okay and all in all, its web user interface is very responsive. I didn’t have any trouble using it. As for its mobile version, it seems that there are lot of things that’s missing. You cannot really do much when you are using the web app’s mobile version. It could have better if there were more options. Fortunately, the DropTask team is currently working on the development of the web app’s tablet and smartphone applications so there’s still hope.

To be honest, I am not really fond of using web-based to-do list and task management tools. This is because you need to keep them open like 24/7. Besides, most of them do not offer offline support. As for DropTask, it has the potential especially because it offers a unique way of managing tasks. It also supports user collaboration. Still, I would prefer to have it as a desktop application. After all, a cross-platform task management tool is way better.

Conclusion and download link

Considering its features, DropTask is a reliable visual task management tool but it still has a lot of room for improvements. Since it is web-based, you do not need to install anything so that is already a plus but on the downside, you won’t be able to access your tasks if ever you get cut off from the internet. In the end, you are still the one who gets to decide. If you ask me, I would definitely prefer a cross-platform task management tool like Todoist or Rainlendar.

Price: Free

Version reviewed: N/A

Requires: Any modern web browser — Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Internet Explorer 9 or 10, Safari

DropTask – Visual Task Management homepage