Keep on track with these great apps

As classes begin to move online it can be difficult to keep on schedule and not miss things like scheduled Zoom meetings or collaborative projects. To help aid students, staff and employees with their progression over to an online format, we at IT have come up with a short list of what we think are the best two time management apps to keep you on track for the rest of this semester.

Google Calendar
The first app we recommend is Google Calendar. As the name implies, Google Calendar is a calendar-based application that allows users to create and edit events. Although it isn't known to be as feature-packed as some of its rivals, Google Calendar has a very simple layout that makes using it a breeze. This is a major benefit, especially for students who do not need some of the more advanced features found in applications such as Microsoft Outlook.

Where Google Calendar shines is in its easy to use interface. Clicking on an empty time slot will automatically give you the option to create an event for that time. Rescheduling and expanding events is easy and can be done by clicking and dragging on any event. Google Calendar also has Gmail integration allowing users to create reminders straight from an email. Overall, Google Calendar is simple, straightforward and is free to use, so for basic tasks, it's hard to go wrong with.
Microsoft ToDo
Unlike Google Calendar, Microsoft ToDo does not follow a calendar format but instead displays a list of tasks that can be added, removed and sorted by importance. ToDo also has a very simple layout and is very user friendly and intuitive. Adding and removing tasks are a breeze within ToDo and performing more complex operations such as sharing lists with others can also be done with relative ease.

The main features of ToDo include task prioritization and scheduling, document storage and file sharing. Overall ToDo is a great application and is best for users looking for a simple way to increase their productivity and keep track of their day to day tasks. Better yet ToDo is available for free with your ESU account! What's not to love?

Microsoft Planner

Microsoft Planner is a task management tool that is useful for both individuals and teams but is focused towards collaboration between larger groups of people. Planner allows users to easily create and assign plans which are displayed in a kanban-board style work space. From there separate tasks can be added to each plan, this allows tasks to be easily categorized by project or department etc. Each task can have plenty of details, including the people assigned to the task, start/due date, description, photos, links, team discussions and more. Planner makes it especially easy to view the people assigned to each task and will notify users via email when a task has reached its due date.

Overall, Microsoft Planner is a great tool, especially for larger groups. Planner allows users to get organized and see a visual representation of the progress of each task, helping team members can stay on the same page. Unlike Google Calendar and Microsoft ToDo, Planner requires a business grade Office 365 account. Unfortunately, this means Planner is only available to ESU staff and employees. For employees to create their own plan in Planner, contact the IT Help Desk.


Taylor Nelson
Student Web Developer
Web and Digital Strategies