App Builders: Three Ways to Cut Clutter with Project Management Software
Posted: Sun Jan 19, 2025 8:11 am
Thanks to the abundance of reality TV shows like Hoarding: Buried Alive, Extreme Clutter , and My Hoarder Mum and Me, the concept of hoarding is becoming increasingly popular. Wikipedia says it is “the excessive acquisition of, and failure to discard, large quantities of items that would seemingly qualify as useless or of no value.”
Most of us can easily spot this problem in our homes (if you can't see the floor, that's where the problem is). But what if we were hoarding something at work - would we know?
Application storage
The other day I read a LinkedIn post where a man asked other project managers, “What apps do you use for project management?” His colleagues mentioned a number of great solutions, but one person’s post (let’s call him Leopold for simplicity’s sake) caught my attention. Paraphrased:
"I use Audionote and Dragon dictation to take notes benefits of using the georgia phone number list during meetings. I use Scrumboard to track tasks and subtasks, and I use Mindjet (mindmanager) to organize it all. All files from these apps are stored in Dropbox and synced to my laptop. For security, I use Sophos… "
For those who are counting, Leopold uses six different programs to manage his projects. I don't like working with six different programs and constantly moving data between them. If I were to give Leopold advice, I would tell him this:
1. Don't be afraid to explore your resources
I'm not sure if Leopold knows this, but Mindjet (and virtually all other project management software ) offers task and subtask tracking in addition to higher-level monitoring capabilities. If Leopold were to use this feature, his tasks would be directly tied to his larger plan to streamline task distribution. Don't be like Leopold - make sure you're using the features you're already paying for, rather than looking for a separate program to duplicate them.
2. Look for ways to simplify
A quick search would show Leopold that virtually all project management solutions offer document and resource management. Such storage offers better organization and makes resources more accessible to team members than storage in an external program such as Dropbox.
Likewise, permissions capabilities in some solutions also allow built-in security features to protect against both internal and external breaches.
Instead of tackling each task with a separate application, Leopold could have found one software to manage what he used to do for four (Mindjet, Dropbox, Scrumboard, and Sophos). This would have saved him from paying for so many different solutions and would have increased efficiency by streamlining operations.
3. Some additional services are allowed.
While some of Leopold’s apps are redundant and unnecessary, his use of Audionote and Dragon Dictation is entirely worthwhile. These two programs offer capabilities not found in typical project management software. If Leopold needs to write something down, he can do so using another program and input any relevant elements into his main PM solution to centralize important data.
If Leopold did this, he would see a reduction in stress, an increase in efficiency, and perhaps even more free time. He might also sleep better knowing that his friends aren't signing him up to appear on the next episode of App Hoarders.
Looking for project management software? Check out Platforms' list of the best project management software solutions .
Most of us can easily spot this problem in our homes (if you can't see the floor, that's where the problem is). But what if we were hoarding something at work - would we know?
Application storage
The other day I read a LinkedIn post where a man asked other project managers, “What apps do you use for project management?” His colleagues mentioned a number of great solutions, but one person’s post (let’s call him Leopold for simplicity’s sake) caught my attention. Paraphrased:
"I use Audionote and Dragon dictation to take notes benefits of using the georgia phone number list during meetings. I use Scrumboard to track tasks and subtasks, and I use Mindjet (mindmanager) to organize it all. All files from these apps are stored in Dropbox and synced to my laptop. For security, I use Sophos… "
For those who are counting, Leopold uses six different programs to manage his projects. I don't like working with six different programs and constantly moving data between them. If I were to give Leopold advice, I would tell him this:
1. Don't be afraid to explore your resources
I'm not sure if Leopold knows this, but Mindjet (and virtually all other project management software ) offers task and subtask tracking in addition to higher-level monitoring capabilities. If Leopold were to use this feature, his tasks would be directly tied to his larger plan to streamline task distribution. Don't be like Leopold - make sure you're using the features you're already paying for, rather than looking for a separate program to duplicate them.
2. Look for ways to simplify
A quick search would show Leopold that virtually all project management solutions offer document and resource management. Such storage offers better organization and makes resources more accessible to team members than storage in an external program such as Dropbox.
Likewise, permissions capabilities in some solutions also allow built-in security features to protect against both internal and external breaches.
Instead of tackling each task with a separate application, Leopold could have found one software to manage what he used to do for four (Mindjet, Dropbox, Scrumboard, and Sophos). This would have saved him from paying for so many different solutions and would have increased efficiency by streamlining operations.
3. Some additional services are allowed.
While some of Leopold’s apps are redundant and unnecessary, his use of Audionote and Dragon Dictation is entirely worthwhile. These two programs offer capabilities not found in typical project management software. If Leopold needs to write something down, he can do so using another program and input any relevant elements into his main PM solution to centralize important data.
If Leopold did this, he would see a reduction in stress, an increase in efficiency, and perhaps even more free time. He might also sleep better knowing that his friends aren't signing him up to appear on the next episode of App Hoarders.
Looking for project management software? Check out Platforms' list of the best project management software solutions .