Maybe you’ve heard some fuss about this productivity app called ClickUp* and you’re wondering if it’s worth the hype. Or perhaps you’ve never heard of it, and I’m about to blow your mind.
I’ve tried a lot of the competitors like Trello, Asana and Monday to run my life and business, and there’s just no comparison in terms of what you can do and how you can customize inside this project management platform.
And you don’t have to be operating a team or even have a business to use it to get yourself organized.
I’ve been with ClickUp for over a year now and they just keep getting better and replacing more of my outside needs. It’s fully customizable, and really is an all-in-one productivity platform.
I’m just going to let their features speak for themselves because honestly, it has features you didn’t even know you needed in your life. And once you go ClickUp, it’s hard to go back to anything else.
But, don’t worry, if it feels like an overwhelming platform, because we have a course called ClickUp for Creatives that breaks it all down for you (and it’s only $97). It gives you ClickUp tutorials and a bunch of done-for-you templates to make it easy peasy to start using ClickUp like a pro to organize your life and business.
Once you start organizing your life with ClickUp, it’s hard to go back. So let’s dig into all the reasons to love this productivity platform.
1. ‘Home View’ flexibility
ClickUp recently made changes to their main “home view” section, and now it’s more flexible than ever. You can organize your day’s tasks and move around the order, so that you can time-block your tasks. Add a specific time and you’ll see it add to the sidebar calendar.
The home view is currently broken down into “Today, Overdue, Next & Unscheduled” so you can see what to-dos you have for the day and what’s coming up next.
2. Folders for your lists
I love the way that you can create a list and see it in individual views – and also view them all together at the “folder” level. They also recently made folders color-coded too!
So if you want to break down your social media plan into social channels – you could have a separate list for YouTube, Instagram, and Tiktok. And then at the folder level, you can view them altogether! And in the folder view, if you set dates for your social posts – you can see all the things inside one calendar or you can view them on calendars independently. Sweet, right?
3. SO MANY view options
You can view your tasks in a variety of styles: board, list, calendar, table, GAANT, timeline – just to name a few. I love how you can switch views with the click of a button and see all your tasks in multiple view options – and then pin the views that you want to see when you first click through.
My most used views are board, list, calendar & docs! But I also LOVE the mind mapping view. More on that in a bit!
Plus, you can save your favorite lists & views inside the “favorites” tab.
4. Templates
Not only can you use templates from other people (like we’ve created for you in CFC), but you can also create templates for yourself to reuse. You can add templates inside task descriptions too!
No more doing the same things over and over again, the templates feature is a total time saver!
5. Google Cal (2-way integration)
One of my big draws to the app was the way that it syncs with Google Cal. You can sync your tasks with 2-way integration, so that when you add a task to your calendar, it will sync over to Google Cal and vice versa.
I’d say they’re still working on perfecting this, but I love being able to sync my tasks into Google Cal, because that’s usually how I manage my schedule via my phone when I’m on the go.
6. Subtasks
You can create subtasks within each task you create and plan mini-deadlines for all the little to-dos you have within a task. I love breaking tasks down into tasks that take less than an hour, so subtasks can help with that.
7. Time tracking
You can estimate the time a task will take you, and then track it! You might be shocked at the difference between how long you estimate a task to take and how long it actually takes. You can time-track within an individual task in the platform.
The Google Chrome extension is also awesome for time tracking, because it allows you to stop and start your tracking within the Chrome browser.
8. Dashboards
Dashboards are a way to view almost anything you want from your workspace in one view.
You can even create a banner for your dashboard and embed YouTube videos! There are infinite ways you can set up a dashboard and you’re allowed to set up more than one!
9. Goal tracking
Set targets and deadlines, and track your progress along the way with ClickUp’s goal tracking feature. You can do this either manually or set it up so that when you check off certain tasks, it’ll automatically update your progress.
10. Automation
If you find yourself repeating the same tedious things inside ClickUp, chances are there’s an automation for that. You can automate from all levels to trigger events to occur. So if you want to create subtasks every time a task is created or when it’s moved to a new status, you can set it up to automatically bring in that template. You can even automate emails!
11. Save tasks to ClickUp within your email platform
Sometimes it’s hard to keep up with all the to-dos that land in your regular old email inbox, which is why I love the way the Google Chrome extension allows you to add to-do tasks within your email. With the click of a few buttons, you have a task added to your inbox inside ClickUp with the subject line of the email and the email attached inside the task. Boom!
12. Emails within the app
Yep, you read that right. You can now SEND emails within ClickUp – from your normal email address. So if you’re working with someone on a project inside ClickUp, you can send over a quick email to let them know it’s ready without leaving the platform.
They even added automation, so you can set it up to automatically send your employee an email anytime you mark a task as “closed.” Or you can set it up to send an email to yourself when someone fills out a form.
13. Dependencies
Make tasks dependent on each other, so that you can make sure they’re completed in the right order. What I love about dependencies is that you can set it up so that when you set a due date that is “blocking” other tasks, and you move the deadline, it’ll automatically move all the rest of the dates over.
14. Chrome extension
Along with time tracking in the Google Chrome extension, you can also take screenshots via the extension and save them to a task, as well as bookmarking a website. You can add to your notepad and also add a task. It’s a quick way to add to your ClickUp while you’re just on your computer doing your normal work things.
15. Custom fields
One of my favorite parts of ClickUp is the custom fields. In list view, you can add custom fields to your task with labels, checkboxes, ratings, dates, texts and so much more. It’s completely customizable – and I love using brand colors to make it even more personalized.
16. Mindmapping
If you love a good brainstorm session, you’ll love the mindmapping view. You start with one idea and then branch out from there. I love using it for building out content ideas.
17. Screen recording
Say goodbye to Loom videos, because you can use ClickUp for your screen recordings too. I haven’t tried this feature yet, but I love the option and definitely see this being a useful feature for clients.
18. Docs
This feature isn’t nearly as robust as it could be, but what I love doing is embedding Google docs into the Docs section on ClickUp. You can embed YouTube videos, Looms, and even your favorite Gifs. You can insert images, tables, checklists, and so much more. I love that you can view Docs both within a List and all together in the Docs section.
19. Collaborative editing
You know how on Google docs, you can write at the same time as someone else and you’ll see those changes happening instantly? Welp, you can do that within this platform too!
20. Forms
We use ClickUp forms for our contributor applications – and I use them for my other business as well. I love that you’re able to keep a client’s form with their other client info. They make it super easy to organize and you can export all the data you collect from your forms.
21. Recurring tasks
You can add recurring tasks, so that you don’t have to keep duplicating your process and remember to do things every single week. Ask yourself, what do I do on a regular basis that I can set up a recurring task for?
22. Share outside the app
Want to share and get comments from someone who isn’t using ClickUp? No problem! They allow you to share a link with people outside of ClickUp. You can share the docs and dashboards you create – which definitely comes in handy!
23. Spreadsheet alternative
You can do things like budgeting, and all kinds of stuff that you’d ordinarily use something like Excel or Google Sheets for. They have a “table” view where you can look at everything in an organized table view style format. Plus, it even has a calculations and formulas feature! I wasn’t kidding when I said this platform is robust.
Nine times out of 10, I’ll opt for using ClickUp to make something I’d normally use a Google Sheet for. And when I am using a Google Doc, I’ll often embed it – so that everything is in one place.
24. Relationships
Sometimes you’ll have a task that relates to another task that’s living in a different board or space within ClickUp, and it makes sense to link them together. You can do that with their “relationship” feature inside any task.
25. Labels and tags
I mentioned labels above in the “custom fields” section, but I feel like it deserves its own spot here because I love using labels and tags. You can add labels and tags to any list to add more customization and a better ability to categorize and search. You can use any colors you want for these two features, and I’m obsessed with making the space feel completely customized.
Call me obsessed with aesthetics, but I’ve had so much fun with creating spaces that look and feel so freaking fun! Because organizing can feel monotonous but when you have super cute boards that are organized, it’s a different story!
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Want to get started? Create your free ClickUp account. If you’re ready to dive into ClickUp and want a full rundown of how to use ClickUp with tons of free templates for weekly planning, budgeting, running your business and everything in between – it’s all included in ClickUp for Creatives.
*This is a referral link. The platform is totally free, but if you decide to go on a paid plan, we’ll get a small commission for referring you.