Trello is an efficient tool for holding teams together, but not many know that it's more than organizing projects using Kanban boards. There's plenty one can do with this software, including planning events, setting up travel itineraries, and monitoring job applications. The key to getting the most out of Trello's productivity features is knowing what it can do and how to do it.
This list highlights a dozen Trello tips and tricks that can enhance performance and collaboration.
Boost Efficiency With These 12 Trello Organization Tips
1. Use templates.
Trello has templates that can help streamline your processes, some of which are by the Trello team, while some are by other users. For example, if your team has started using the Productivity Workflow template, you and other team members can use the same template every time you set a new workflow to track priorities. In this way, there is uniformity in the way that tasks are monitored, and you have a consistent visual that everybody understands at a glance.
2. Use keyboard shortcuts.
There are many keyboard shortcuts that can cut your usage time significantly and get those extra minutes to work on other tasks or take a quick break. Trello has a handy list of these shortcuts, but here are our favorites:
Type Q to view all of the cards assigned to you
Type N to add a new card
Type Shift+Enter to save a card and then also return to it
Type / and then words to search to start a search
Type D to open the date picker and select a due date
Type @ and then a team member's name to talk to your team
Type B to access the board menu
Type CTRL+C to copy a card, and CTRL+V to paste a card
Type F to filter cards (by label, keyword, member, or due date)
Type X to clear all filters
3. Assign a background image per board.
Setting a background color or image per board is more than giving it a nice visual; it's a way for teams to easily identify and differentiate boards consciously and subconsciously. It makes boards recognizable at a glance, creating less confusion and helping members get to work more quickly.
4. Connect boards and cards to other cards.
You can preview related cards from another board so you can see a preview without going over to another workspace. For example, if you're working on Card A, but Card B has related entries, you can attach Card B to Card A and then preview its contents from there, saving you from the extra steps and getting some minutes back to your day.
5. Apply card covers.
Similar to background images, card covers give your card a unique identity that helps speed up your processes. You can upload a custom cover to a card without affecting the images you have attached within it. Not sure what images to use? Trello has a search field that helps you find license-free images for your cover, so you don't have to do it yourself. Just type in a few words into the search box, and images suggestions will appear.
6. Include emoji reactions and stickers.
Boosting Trello productivity is not all about getting things done faster; it's also about making the work pleasant. Emoji reactions and stickers add personality to your cards and boards, and this can help your team get through the work day with a smile on their faces.
7. Use labels.
One of our favorite Trello tips for teams is using labels. Labels help you categorize related tasks and make them easier to find in one place later on. You can also assign colors to your labels to make them visually appealing and easily identifiable at a glance.
8. Convert emails into Trello cards.
You don't need to manually create cards each time. If you have all the details in an email, you can forward the message to any Trello board you want, and it automatically turns into a new card.
Trello has a unique email address assigned to each board. You'll find this by opening the board, then the menu on the right, and then selecting More > Email-to-Board Settings. You can copy the email address, generate a new one, and choose where you want the new cards to show up. Here's what happens when you convert emails to Trello cards:
The email subject line becomes the title of the card
The body becomes the card's description
Attachments in email become attachments in the card, provided they are under 10MB (premium Trello users can attach up to 250MB)
Add # to the subject line to add labels
Type @ username on the subject line if you want to add members to the card
9. Copy and paste from spreadsheets.
You can transfer spreadsheet entries to Trello and turn cells into cards, so you don't have to enter each of them manually. Trello lets you choose whether you want to turn each cell into a card or see a list in one card with just a few clicks.
10. Drag and drop URLs.
You can copy and paste a URL from a tab into a Trello card, but you can do it much faster by dragging and dropping it there instead. Just highlight the URL, drag it to your open Trello board, slide your cursor into the card where you want your URL to appear, and drop.
11. Utilize advanced checklists.
A checklist lets the team view project-specific tasks in one card and each of the items on this list can be assigned to a certain team member to tick off when they're done. This enables teams to more easily collaborate on tasks in one view, thereby saving everybody time and effort in having to keep each other updated.
12. Integrate Trello with a text prediction software.
You don't have to take so much time entering descriptions and instructions into cards. Trello integrates with the free text prediction software Lightkey, which can predict up to 12 words ahead, including punctuations, based on your typing patterns.
Powered by AI, Lightkey not only corrects grammar and spelling in real-time, but it also suggests relevant words that are most related to your content's theme, effectively cutting your typing time significantly. Not much of a writer? The software's impressively accurate text prediction capability can make a writer out of you. You may download the Lightkey app to your Windows PC or add its Google Chrome extension.
Level Up Your Productivity Tools With Lightkey
The best way to use Trello is to utilize the tips and tricks that will help boost productivity. Integrating Trello with Lightkey can significantly reduce your typing and writing time, but that's not all you can do to boost your individual and team efficiency.
Lightkey integrates with several other team collaboration software to make both in-office and remote teams gel more firmly, including Notion, Monday, and Asana. If you want to elevate your group dynamics a bit more, it also integrates with chat software such as Quora, Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp, and Slack.
Download the Lightkey Free Edition to your Windows device today to explore all its cool features for teams.