ClickUp is a powerful project management tool that can help teams stay organized and manage their tasks effectively. However, it’s not uncommon for people to struggle with the tool and end up feeling frustrated.
It’s important to note that ClickUp itself isn’t the problem; rather, it’s often the way people use the tool that can lead to issues.
When used correctly, ClickUp can be an incredibly useful tool for managing projects and tasks, but if used incorrectly, it can cause confusion and chaos.
If you are a ClickUp user who is still struggling with efficiency and productivity issues, follow the following tips and execute more with less!
What you will learn?
- The importance of using ClickUp correctly to boost productivity and efficiency
- How to optimize the use of ClickUp’s features such as custom fields, statuses, and templates
- Tips for effective task management, such as creating separate lists for executable and non-executable tasks and using subtasks for better organization
- How to streamline communication and collaboration within your team using ClickUp’s features such as comments, assigned comments, and subtasks?
- Best practices for setting up and maintaining ClickUp to ensure maximum efficiency and productivity for your team.
Tip#1: Focus on "Ease of Access of Data"
According to a study, an average employee spends 3.6 hours daily searching for required information.
This number spikes when teams focus on the ease of storing data instead of being focused on the retrieval speed.
If you use ClickUp, you likely know about its hierarchy feature for organizing task-related data.
Typically, comments are used to update tasks, or the description section of the task is used.
We recommend using comments, as it allows you to assign team members and track who added a comment.
If you want to keep tasks related data easily accessible, follow these simple steps while storing the data in ClickUp, or else your team will be spending up to 3 hours every single day hunting the required data.
Plan for the future:
Divide and rule:
When you add all the details in a singular list or tasks, you have to scroll a long way to find what you are looking for.
Keep the trail short, create separate tasks for every single client or a separate list for every department within the organization.
Write for Goldfish:
with this three-step approach, you can save your team from spending 3+ hours every day digging for information.
Tip#2: No due dates for non-executable tasks
One of the most common mistakes that ClickUp users make is to add due dates and assignees to every single task they create.
While this may seem like a good idea in theory, it can actually hurt productivity in the long run.
To understand why, it’s important to understand ClickUp’s structure.
Tasks are at the bottom of the hierarchy in ClickUp, which means that everything you want to manage in ClickUp needs to be created as a task.
When it comes to executable tasks, such as those related to projects or deadlines, assigning due dates and relevant team members is critical to ensuring they don’t go unnoticed or untracked.
Tip#3: Standardize the use of ClickUp features
As a ClickUp user, it can be overwhelming to manage all the different features within the platform.
One common difficulty that users face is differentiating between comments, assigned comments, and subtasks.
Here we will dive into the differences between these features and provide tips on how to use them efficiently.
Comments
Comments are essential information that you may need to refer to when you view a task in the future.
You can use comments to keep track of the progress that may not be mapped within the statuses or custom fields.
For example, you can use comments to document a conversation with a team member, jot down an idea, or ask a question.
Assigned Comments
Assigned comments are instructions that are relevant to a specific member of your team.
They are different from regular comments as they are directed at a particular person rather than being general information.
For example, you can use assigned comments to delegate a specific task to a team member or provide instructions on how to complete a particular task.
Subtasks
Subtasks are similar to assigned tasks, but they are typically used for instruction and feedback that may take significant time to complete.
Subtasks allow you to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps.
This can be useful when you need to track progress, collaborate with team members, or delegate tasks.
For example, If you have a project that requires several steps, you can create a subtask for each step and assign it to the appropriate team members.
Standardization of features:
It is important to standardize the use of comments, assigned comments, and subtasks throughout your team. You can define clear Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for the use of each feature.
For example, you can use a time limit to determine when to use assigned comments and subtasks.
If a task requires less than a certain amount of time, say 10 minutes, it may be better to use an assigned comment.
If it requires more than 10 minutes, creating a subtask for it may be more appropriate.
Standardizing the use of these features throughout your team is also crucial to ensure everyone is on the same page and working towards the same goal.
Have you ever wondered how many thoughts cross your mind every day?
According to a study conducted by Nature, 6.5 new thoughts pop up every single minute in our brains. That adds up to over 6,000 thoughts per day!
However, not every thought deserves our attention.
As a ClickUp user, we cannot create or manage 6,000 tasks every single day. So, how can we manage our thoughts and ideas without compromising our productivity?
To answer this question and make the process of storing ideas in ClickUp, we have prepared a checklist that will act as a guide for you.
Create a separate list of ideas
The first tip is to create a separate list of ideas.
This is especially important when you have a lot of ideas but you are not sure which ones are worth pursuing.
By creating a separate list for ideas, you can dump all your thoughts in one place without affecting the ongoing tasks.
It will also help you organize your ideas better and prioritize them based on their potential.
Filter tasks from thoughts
The second tip is to filter tasks from thoughts.
When you have a lot of ideas, it’s important to filter them to determine which ones are worth pursuing.
Not all ideas are equal, and not all ideas are worth executing.
By filtering tasks from thoughts, you can identify the most important and valuable ideas that deserve your attention.
Assign due dates to tasks
The third tip is to assign due dates to tasks.
Once you have identified the most important tasks, it’s essential to assign due dates to them.
Due dates create a sense of urgency and accountability, which helps you stay focused and on track. It also helps you prioritize your tasks based on their importance and deadlines.
No due dates for ideas
The fourth tip is to avoid assigning due dates to ideas. Ideas are not tasks, and they don’t require a specific deadline.
However, it’s important to review your idea list regularly and move the workable ideas into the execution list.
You can set a monthly reminder to have a look at the idea list and turn it into reality.
Key Takeaways:
- ClickUp is a powerful tool for project management, but users often struggle to use it effectively.
- One common mistake is adding due dates and assignees to every single task, which can hurt productivity for non-executable tasks.
- Assigning due dates and assignees is important for executable tasks, but not for non-executable tasks like ideas or personal to-dos.
- Instead of creating executable tasks for non-executable tasks, it’s better to organize them into lists or folders.
- ClickUp’s hierarchy structure is important to understand for effective task management.
- Standardize processes and encourage team collaboration for efficient project management.
