Stay Zen with online task management

Whether you are running a major corporation, a small business, a nonprofit or just your own busy life, there is a task management program geared for you and your budget. The right task manager can simplify and facilitate your work in ways you never imagined. Plenty of them are now available to try out usually for free with paid upgrade options. You will want the upgrades — just sayin.’ Check out my three subjective reviews here, which are not paid endorsements. Most have free trial subscriptions.

▪  Evernote.com. Just as I was about to embark on a major book project, I discovered the virtues of Evernote. A few writers claim to have written entire, long-form books using Evernote’s notebooks. First off, I was taken by the company’s friendly elephant-head icon that sits on my menu bar. I’m thinking of naming it like a pet or a favorite car because it has done a mammoth amount of work for me and forgets nothing. As a two-year subscriber, I haven’t actually penned an entire book with Evernote, but I have used its cool clipping, note-taking, archiving and sharing features almost daily for research — more than any other online tool I have ever used, with the exception of Gmail. You can set up Evernote to automatically add and update information across all your mobile devices. Like most all task management systems, Evernote has several levels of service, including a premium level and a new business level. Offerings include a free basic account, or you can choose a plus, a premium, or, at its highest rung, the business account at $120 a year. I use Evernote’s premium account at $50 a year. A system ideal for freelancers, writers and artists.

▪  dapulse.com. Despite its low brow name, dapulse is a true workhorse. When I was contracting communications with a nonprofit, the group was offered a free, perpetual account and lots of hand-holding if we agreed to field test dapulse. The board of directors declined the offer. Big mistake.Today, dapulse has major subscriber clientele handling numerous projects of every complexity, angst-free. According to reviews, dapulse is easy to learn and use. Fees are based on the number of account users, clients and employees, with a price range of $25 a month on up to the super-juicy enterprise level at $118 a month for 200 or more users. Ideal for team or group collaboration, especially nonprofits.

▪  Wrike.com. Wrike goes beyond project management by providing a newsfeed, email integration, social media management and an advanced search feature called Cross Board allowing you to locate a particular note, chart or whatever quickly on an overcrowded board. If you want a plethora of extra features, check out Wrike. Professional plans start at $50 a month for five users. Ideal for large-scale project management.

This story was originally published May 3, 2016 at 5:12 PM with the headline "Stay Zen with online task management."