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How to Create a To-Do List in WordPress

Do you want to create a to-do list in your WordPress site?

A to-do list can help you plan your work, and keep you motivated and organized throughout the day. By adding a to-do list to your WordPress dashboard, you can make sure this list is always within easy reach.

In this article, we’ll show you how to easily create a to-do list in WordPress.

Creating a to do list in WordPress

Why Create a To-Do List in WordPress?

To-do lists may be simple, but they’re also the ultimate productivity tool. Even if you’re simply jotting a list of tasks in a notebook, a to-do list can help you manage daily tasks.

However if own a WordPress website, then chances are you have a long to-do list. You might need to manage an editorial calendar, website design tasks, website conversions, and more.

When you’re managing lots of tasks, we recommend using a to-do list app. This can give you access to more advanced features, so you can stay on top of things and make sure no task gets overlooked.

With that being said, let’s see how you can be more productive and organized by creating a to-do list in WordPress. Simply use the quick links below to jump straight to the method you want to use.

Method 1. How to Make A To-Do List in WordPress

This method uses the Kanban Boards for WordPress plugin to create and manage your to-do list directly from the WordPress admin area.

It basically lets you create a Trello style to-do list boards inside the WordPress admin area. This is a good choice if you don’t want to use an external to-do list app such as Asana, or prefer to create and manage the to-do list inside WordPress.

First, you need to install and activate the Kanban Boards for WordPress plugin. For more details, see our guide on how to install a WordPress plugin.

Upon activation, select Kanban from the left-hand menu.

How to add a Kanban board to your WordPress website

You’ll see a list of all the different boards you can create, including specialist boards that you can use to track job applications in WordPress, your editorial calendar, and more.

We’re going to create a simple to-do list, so select ‘Basic.’ After that, click on ‘Set it up.’

How to create a to-do list in WordPress using the Kanban for WordPress plugin

Now you’ve created a board, it’s a good idea to look at the plugin’s settings by going to Kanban » Settings.

You’ll immediately land on the ‘General’ tab.

The Kanban for WordPress settings page

Here, you can enable and disable time tracking, change the work hour interval, and more.

You can make any changes you want, but for ‘Show all columns’ make sure you select ‘Yes.’ This allows you to see the entire to-do board on one screen.

Once you’ve done that, select the ‘Statuses’ tab to configure the columns on your board.

Adding a to-do list to your WordPress website

By default, Kanban for WordPress has three color-coded columns: To Do, Doing, and Done.

You can create different tasks inside these columns, as you can see in the following image. Then, just drag the tasks between columns as you complete them.

Creating a to-do list in WordPress

You can change these default statuses in the plugin’s settings.

To add more statuses to the board, simply click on ‘Add another status.’ You can then give the new status a title, add a color label, and more.

Adding tasks to a WordPress to-do list

When you’re happy with how the statuses are set up, click on ‘Save your Settings.’

With that done, it’s time to create your to-do list by clicking on the ‘Go to your board’ button.

Building a Kanban to-do list in your WordPress blog

To start, let’s see how you can add a task to the to-do list.

Simply hover your mouse over the ‘To do’ or similar column, and then click on the ‘+’ button to create a new task.

Adding a task to a WordPress to-do list

When you hover your mouse over one of the status columns, a blue ‘+’ button will appear. Just click on this ‘+’ to create your first task.

To start, you’ll typically want to add a project and a title. Just click on either field and start typing, to add this information.

Adding a title to a to-do task in WordPress

You can also add a timeframe when the task should be completed and even upload files. This can be a great way to share resources with other users on a multi-author WordPress blog.

To upload a file, simply click on the downwards-pointing arrow and then select ‘Upload.’

Uploading files and other resources to a WordPress to-do list

Once you start working on a task, you can move it to the ‘Doing’ or similar column using drag and drop.

Finally, when the task is complete, drag it to the ‘Done’ column.

How to move statuses

When you want to go back to the WordPress dashboard, just click on the ‘Settings’ button in the bottom-right corner.

Then, click on ‘Admin.’

Admin dashboard

Method 2. Create Your To-Do List With Asana

Plugins like Kanban for WordPress are a great way to manage to-do lists inside the WordPress admin area. However, if you don’t want to give team members access to the WordPress admin area, then you’ll need to use a different method.

At WPBeginner and Awesome Motive, we use Asana to manage all our tasks. It is the best project management and communication tool for small businesses.

With Asana, you can keep track of your work and chart your progress along the way. It is also more flexible and offers far more features.

Asana is free for small teams and individuals. Plus, it works on mobile devices and has apps for both iOS and Android phones, so you can manage your to-do-list on the go.

That being said, let’s take a look at how to set up and use Asana to create a to-do list for your WordPress website.

How to sign up for a free Asana account

First, go to the Asana website and click on the ‘Get Started’ button.

You can then type in your email address and follow the onscreen instructions to create a free Asana account.

Signing up for a free Asana project management account

Once you’re done, you can log into your new account and Asana will take you to the dashboard automatically.

You can now click on ‘New Project.’

Asana dashboard

Asana has a few different project templates that you can use.

However, since we want to create a simple to-do list, select ‘Blank Project.’

New project

Now, go ahead and give the project a name.

You can also choose the default view. Since we’re creating a to-do list, it makes sense to select ‘List.’

Add project details

Once you’ve done that, click on ‘Create project.’

You’re now ready to add tasks to the to-do list, by selecting ‘Click here to add a task.’ Then, simply follow the onscreen instructions to create your first task.

To create more tasks, simply click the ‘+ Add Task’ button at the top of the dashboard.

Your tasks

When you finish a task and want to mark it as complete, just click on the round circle with a checkmark next to it.

This will change the item’s status, so it no longer appears as an outstanding task.

Mark task complete

Add Team Members to Your Project

It’s easy to add other people to your Asana board, such as your team mates and co-workers. If you work for third-party, then you might also add an Asana board to your client portal, so clients can track your progress.

To invite someone to join your team, just click on the ‘Share’ button at the top of the project.

Inviting and adding team members to your projecct

You can then type in the email addresses of every person you want to invite.

You can also control the actions these people can perform on the Asana board, and the projects they can edit.

Managing team members in Asana

After these people join your project, you can assign them items from your to-do list.

We hope this article helped you learn how to create a to-do list in WordPress. You may also want to check out our must-have WordPress plugins for business websites, and our pick of the best business phone services for remote teams.

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