If you’ve opened Trello and stared at the blank board thinking, “Now what?”—you’re not alone. Whether you’re using it for work, planning a trip, or just trying to keep your life organized, knowing how to add and organize lists in Trello is essential. Lists are Trello’s backbone, and mastering them will transform how you manage tasks.
How to Create List in Trello
Creating your first list in Trello is super easy! Let’s break it down step by step, in the simplest way:
- Go to Your Trello Board: Open Trello and pick the board where you want to work. If you don’t have a board yet, click on “Create new board” and give it a name, like “My Tasks” or “Work Projects.”
- Find the “Add a List” Button: Once you’re in your board, look for the “Add a list” button. It’s usually on the left side of the screen.
- Name Your List: Click the button and type in a name for your list. It could be something simple like “To Do” or “Things to Buy.”
- Press Enter: After typing the name, hit the “Enter” key, and your list is ready! You can now add cards (tasks or notes) to your list.
That’s it! You’ve just made your first list in Trello.
Pro Tips:
- Keep list titles short: It helps to keep titles concise so you can quickly identify each section.
- Drag and drop: You can easily rearrange your lists by dragging and dropping them within your board as your workflow evolves.
For more advanced features, you can explore Trello’s options for labels, deadlines, and Power-Ups to help you manage tasks more effectively!
Lists in Trello help you divide your workflow. You can create lists for each stage of a project, for different categories of tasks, or even for time-based milestones like weekly goals. A few popular list formats I’ve seen are “Backlog,” “In Progress,” “Completed,” or something as simple as “Today,” “This Week,” and “Someday.”
Best Practices for Organizing Lists in Trello
Once you’ve created your lists, the next step is organizing them. A cluttered Trello board can be as overwhelming as a cluttered desk. Here are a few tips to keep your lists organized and help you find things easily:
- Order Lists by Workflow: Think of each list as a stage in your project’s process. For example, start with “To Do” on the left, move to “In Progress” in the middle, and finish with “Done” on the right. This way, you have a clear visual of your tasks moving from one stage to another.
- Keep Lists Focused: It’s easy to get carried away creating dozens of lists. Try to stick to 5-6 lists per board to keep it manageable. If you have too many lists, it becomes harder to find what you’re looking for.
- Use Labels and Colors: Labels are a great way to visually categorize your lists. For example, you can assign a red label to tasks with high priority, green for completed tasks, or yellow for things you need to follow up on.
How to Reorder and Move Lists in Trello
Once your lists are created, you might want to reorder them as your project evolves. Maybe your “In Progress” list needs to move to the far left because it’s the most active. No problem! Just click on the list title, hold it, and drag it to a new position.
You can also move lists between boards. Let’s say you’ve completed a project, and you want to archive those lists but not delete them. You can move lists to a new “Completed Projects” board by clicking on the three dots at the top of the list, selecting “Move List,” and choosing the destination board.
Using Labels and Colors to Categorize Your Trello Lists
Labels are your secret weapon for staying organized. Think of them like sticky notes with different colors and categories. You can label cards to represent task urgency, categories, or team assignments. For example, if you’re managing a team, you could have labels like “Marketing,” “Development,” and “Design” so that you can quickly see which department each task belongs to.
To create a label, click on any card, select “Labels,” and either choose a pre-existing color or create a new one with a custom name.
Advanced Features: Automating Your Lists with Trello Butler
If you find yourself doing the same task over and over again, Trello’s Butler automation can help. With Butler, you can automate list actions, such as moving cards from one list to another when a certain condition is met. For example, when you mark a task as “Done,” Butler can automatically move that card to the “Completed” list. This is a huge time-saver for anyone managing multiple tasks or teams.
To set up automation, click on Butler in the menu, and you can create custom rules for moving cards, adding labels, or even sending reminders.
Managing Multiple Lists Across Trello Boards
If you’re juggling several projects at once, you’re probably working with multiple Trello boards. Trello allows you to sync lists across boards using the “Mirror” feature. This is especially useful for large teams or complex projects where you need to keep everyone on the same page.
Let’s say you have a “Marketing” board and a “Development” board. You can mirror a “To Do” list from the Marketing board onto the Development board so that both teams can track the same tasks. That way, there’s no confusion about what needs to get done and who’s working on it.
Collaborating with Teams: Shared Lists and Board Permissions
Trello is a fantastic tool for team collaboration. You can share boards with your team and assign specific permissions. For example, you can create a shared list where team members can add tasks, but you control who can edit or move the list. This is especially handy if you’re managing a big project and want to make sure things stay organized.
Using Trello Power-Ups to Enhance List Organization
Trello’s Power-Ups are like add-ons that give your board superpowers. Want to turn your lists into a calendar view? Try the Calendar Power-Up. Need to track your time spent on each task? Power-Up has tools like Harvest or Time Doctor to integrate with your lists.
One of my favorite Power-Ups for organizing lists is Planyway. It lets you see your Trello lists in a timeline or Gantt chart format, which is great for project planning.
