Image: Garmon/Adobe Stock

Project managers and operations staff aren’t the only people who need task managers; you’ll find developers and other types of employees are ideal candidates for a solid task management tool too.

If you already use Dropbox, you might want to try a task manager that integrates with the service for easy syncing across devices. If that sounds like you, there’s an app with a fun name ready to serve. The app is called Super Productivity, and it’s a beautiful, simple-to-use tool that will help you stay on task.

SEE: Hiring kit: Project manager (TechRepublic Premium)

The feature list of Super Productivity includes:

  • To-do tasks with descriptions.
  • Time tracking.
  • Third-party integrations for services like Jira, GitHub and GitLab.
  • Task scheduling.
  • Language selection.
  • Sync to Dropbox, Google Drive or other WebDAV storage.
  • Import/Export.
  • Auto-backup.
  • Dark Mode.
  • Task attachments.
  • Repeatable tasks.

Super Productivity is free and can be installed on Linux, macOS, Windows, Android and iOS. The macOS, Windows, Android and iOS installations are done via their respective App Stores, so they’re very simple to take care of.

Jump to:

What you’ll need to install and use Super Productivity

Since installing Super Productivity on both macOS and Windows is very straightforward, I’ll demonstrate how to install the app on Ubuntu Linux. For that, you’ll need a running instance of the OS, one user with sudo privileges and a Dropbox account for integration.

How to install Super Productivity

Log in to your desktop and open a terminal window. From the terminal, install the app with the command:

sudo snap install superproductivity

When the installation finishes, log out and log back in so the Super Productivity menu entry is created. Launch the app, and you’re ready to go.

Open the Super Productivity app and click the three horizontal line menu at the top left of the window (Figure A).

Figure A

The Super Productivity main window.

In the resulting sidebar, click Settings in the bottom left corner and then scroll down to the Sync & Export section. In that section, click to expand the Sync section and enable Sync by clicking the checkbox (Figure B).

Figure B

Enabling Sync for Super Productivity.

From the Sync Provider drop-down, select Dropbox and click Save. A pop-up will appear where you must click Get Authorization Code (Figure C). Before you click that code, open your web browser and log into your Dropbox account.

Figure C

To retrieve your Dropbox authorization code, click the button.

You’ll be prompted to allow Super Productivity to access its own folder in Dropbox, so click Allow when prompted. When you see the code, copy it and go back to the Super Productivity Login: Dropbox window and paste the key.

Click Save, and then, when prompted, click OK to upload data to the remote Dropbox folder. With this taken care of, click Save and dismiss the Settings window.

What exactly does the Super Productivity to Dropbox connection do for you? It allows you to sync Super Productivity across devices. So long as a device is connected to your Dropbox account, you can sync Super Productivity to any number of devices.

Keeping track of tasks and time

Super Productivity is limited in scope to what it does, but if you’re looking for a simple app to not only keep track of your tasks but also keep track of the time you spend on each task, you can’t go wrong with this app. By connecting Super Productivity to Dropbox, you can sync across as many devices as needed.

Subscribe to TechRepublic’s How To Make Tech Work on YouTube for all the latest tech advice for business pros from Jack Wallen.

Subscribe to the Developer Insider Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to commentary on the Linux OS, get the developer and open source news and tips you need to know. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays

Subscribe to the Developer Insider Newsletter

From the hottest programming languages to commentary on the Linux OS, get the developer and open source news and tips you need to know. Delivered Tuesdays and Thursdays