Juggling Projects? This Powerful Tool Can Help You Stay Better Organized - For Free

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ZDNET's cardinal takeaways

• Zenkit is simply a task guidance instrumentality for each platforms.
• Individuals and mini orgs tin usage Zenkit for free.
• Zenkit has a debased learning curve.

It ne'er fails that I person respective large projects either going connected astatine erstwhile aliases stacked up, 1 aft another, and this fall/winter is nary exception. Because I cognize what's coming up for me, I person to make a concerted effort to support everything organized, and 1 of my caller go-to devices is Zenkit.

What is Zenkit?

Essentially, Zenkit is an all-in-one solution for collaboration, project management, processes, communication, scheduling, documents, and knowledge sharing. 

Zenkit is an app and a service. The app tin beryllium installed connected each platforms (Linux, MacOS, Windows, Android, and iOS) and has some free and paid subscriptions. The free action is for individuals aliases mini teams and offers recurring tasks, 2FA, and automation. There are 3 paid plans, ranging from nan Plus plan, which adds Gantt charts, precocious entree controls, civilization fields, password restrictions, and more. That scheme costs $8/month/person. There's besides nan Business plan, which adds features for illustration API access, personification and group management, activity auditing, provisioning, and SSO. The Plus scheme is $21/month/user. The Enterprise scheme adds respective different features aimed astatine ample organizations, and you must telephone ZenKit for a quote.

I opted for nan Personal (free) plan, because I was nan only 1 who would beryllium utilizing nan service, truthful I wouldn't request immoderate of nan precocious features (plus, I dislike Gantt charts).

After signing up for nan free account, I installed Zenkit connected Linux via nan Snap store, pinch nan command:

sudo threat instal zenkit

You tin instal nan app connected Windows, Android, and iOS from their respective app stores. For MacOS, download nan dmg record for either Apple Silicon aliases Intel from nan Zenkit download page.

Once nan installation is finished, unfastened nan app, log into your account, and either locomotion done nan onboarding wizard (if you've not already) aliases jump consecutive into your projects.

Also: Kanbanier is simply a awesome entry-level kanban app for managing projects and tasks connected macOS

Using Zenkit

With nan free option, you tin take betwixt 3 different views:

• Kanban
• Calendar
• Table

You tin quickly move views from this drop-down.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

If you person a paid plan, you tin adhd Gantt charts to nan mix. 

I've been utilizing Kanban for years, truthful I opted to spell pinch that view. I tin besides easy move betwixt views by clicking nan position drop-down and selecting nan action I want.

If this is your first foray into Zenkit, you'll beryllium prompted to commencement building your Kanban committee during nan onboarding process. There, you'll sanction your task and adhd cards to nan existing "stages" (aka lists aliases columns). Don't worry, you tin rename nan stages aft nan onboarding (defaults being to do, doing, done) simply by clicking connected a database sanction and changing it.

The Zenkit on-boarding process is very easy to follow.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Once you've gone done nan onboarding process, you are fresh to negociate your projects. Zenkit includes a batch of features, truthful nan first point you should do is familiarize yourself pinch nan GUI. The app is easy to use, truthful you shouldn't person immoderate problem figuring it out.

Start adding cards to your stages. At first, erstwhile you adhd a card, you are only capable to springiness it a name. Once you've added nan card, you tin click connected it to capable retired specifications specified arsenic owed date, reminder, workload, adhd a member, attachments, notes, tags, subtasks, dependencies, checklists, and comments.

Also: 4 free task guidance apps I urge connected Linux - and why you should usage one

If you're an individual utilizing Zenkit, you astir apt won't excavation excessively heavy into nan characteristic set. If, however, you're collaborating, you'll find a batch of useful features, specified arsenic nan Chats option, wherever you tin person real-time chats pinch members of your project. 

Another action you mightiness want to see is adding caller views. As I mentioned earlier, you tin quickly prime from Kanban, Calendar, and Table lists, but location are much tucked away.

Click + to nan correct of nan position drop-down, and a caller pop-up appears, wherever you tin prime from respective different views, specified arsenic mindmap, hierarchy, Wiki, files, and dashboard. With a paid account, you besides get Gantt and Form Editor views. Once you adhd a caller view, it'll look successful nan position drop-down.

You tin adhd arsenic galore views arsenic necessary.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Zenkit brings nan zen to your projects

It's beautiful easy to get overwhelmed by projects. I've been location plentifulness of times and person ever been grateful that location are task guidance applications and services disposable to make nan task a spot little hair-pulling. Although I've been utilizing Trello for years, Zenkit is making a bully lawsuit for maine to migrate. With plentifulness of features, a awesome desktop application, and a well-designed UI, Zenkit makes managing moreover analyzable projects overmuch easier.

Also: This is nan astir adjuvant caller Linux instrumentality I've tried successful years - here's why and really I usage it