Project Management vs. Task Management: What's the Difference?

One of the trickiest things about managing projects and tasks is that people sometimes confuse the two. They try to manage a project as individual tasks, or treat a task as a giant project. In either case, you end up spending the wrong energy on project management vs. task management.

If you can clearly identify a "project" vs "task" you can find the right app (or other processes, like a paper checklist) to help you keep everything organized. You might end up using a single system, or you might end up using more than one process so you can use the best tool for the job.

Here's how to distinguish between projects and tasks.

How you should identify projects vs. tasks

Projects and tasks have a few key differences. Think of it this way: projects are "big picture," and tasks are the details.

Characteristics of a project:

• Projects have a much larger scope.
• Projects are temporary — you start a project and end it when you reach a goal.
• Projects have different phases, like "prep work," "execution," and "review."
• Projects may involve multiple people.
• Projects often include specific tasks.
• Projects may have multiple deadlines for the different phases or tasks involved.

Characteristics of a task:

• Tasks have a very narrow scope: a specific thing you need to get done.
• Tasks can be a one-time thing you need to get done, or they can be recurring.
• Tasks don't have different phases; you just start the task and then finish it.
• Tasks are usually completed by a single person.
• Tasks have one deadline, although some apps allow tasks and sub-tasks.

Examples of projects versus tasks

I am a self-employed freelance writer, so I have projects and tasks. Here's how I think about projects and tasks.

• Work for a client is a project. I need to create an outline, write the draft, send it to the client for review, and send an invoice once it is done.
• Sending an invoice is a task (and a recurring task, since I need to send invoices a few times per month).
• I host free webinars for fellow solopreneurs. That is a project because it has a specific start and end timeframe. Within that project, I need to do a bunch of tasks, such as setting up a landing page, creating a presentation in Canva, and promoting the webinar on social media.
• Every week, I do some administrative work related to my business. This is a task, and I track sub-tasks: seven unique items I need to complete each week.

How to Build a Freelance Project Management System

Use tools that match the way YOU work.

Anna Burgess YangAnna Burgess Yang

Getting started with project management

Whether you're tracking projects for yourself or working with a team, one of the biggest questions you need to answer is: what are the phases of this project?

It's a fine balance. You want to track the major milestones within the project, but don't want to spend all of your time managing the project instead of doing the work. (Same with tracking tasks within the different phases).

You'll also want to distinguish between different projects. In my world of client work, I have a large project for my client work, and then each individual client deliverable is also a project. In some cases, I collaborate with clients on a project. Hosting webinars is a separate project.

Here are some things to ask yourself as you set up projects.

• Who is involved in this project?
• What are the milestones within this project? (this helps you set up phases)
• Does this project have distinct tasks I need to keep track of within each phase?
• What is the big final deadline or overall project goal?

Most project management tools let you set up your own phases or statuses for a project. You move projects through the workflow by changing the status (such as moving a project from "drafting" to "client review" in my world).

How to make time for your projects

Because projects are often quite large and can include multiple tasks or phases, they can often feel overwhelming.

One of the most effective ways to work on projects is to use time blocking. You'll set aside a block of time — whether it's an hour or multiple hours — to work on the specific phase of the project. Your goal should be to get it to the next phase or next step, whether you're handling the next phase yourself or handing it off to someone else.

In the many, many projects I've worked on over the years, I often need a large amount of "heads down" time to work on a specific phase within a project. Time blocking is the best way to get this done. When I'm working, I protect the time on my calendar so I'm not interrupted by meetings. I also close all apps and my email so I'm not distracted.

If you're tracking tasks within the project, you can do the same thing. Set aside a block of time to complete all of the tasks within your project so you can move it to the next phase.

Getting started with task management

Task management should help you keep track of all the little things you need to get done — whether they're part of a project or simply something you need to do to keep your life in order.

Tasks are usually pretty short. Calling your dentist to schedule an appointment is a pretty short task. Cleaning your bathroom might be a longer task, but it's still a task (whereas remodeling your bathroom would be a project).

A lot of tasks might happen on a recurring basis, such as something you need to do weekly or monthly (or any frequency). Task management apps are really good at this. You mark the task as "complete," and the app bumps the due date to the next time you need to complete the task.

I put everything on my to-do list, no matter how small. If it's not on my list, I probably won't remember. In addition to my task management app, I use voice commands to add to-do lists on the go. That way, I can add them when I'm thinking about them. I put a due date on every task, even if it doesn't have a firm date by which it needs to be done. If I can't get the task done by the due date, I will move it to the next available date.

Even though tasks aren't the same as a project, you can still organize your tasks into different categories or lists. For example, I have lists of work-related tasks and household-related tasks. I also have a shared list with my spouse so we can both see a list of tasks that one of us needs to complete.

How to make time for your tasks

Tasks are a lot different than projects, because some tasks might take you only a few minutes.

One thing you shouldn't do is work on tasks as soon as you think of them. More than likely, you're working on something else. If you stop and work on the task that popped into your head, you'll lose focus. Doing this is called context-switching, and it's a productivity killer. You should stay focused on your task at hand (also known as single-tasking).

Instead, write down the task or add it to an app and work on it later. You can still work in blocks of time, like you do for projects. Sit down, and knock out a bunch of related tasks at one time. Or just try to make your list shorter. Or focus on your most urgent tasks.

Some task management apps can sync to your calendar. However, this can quickly become overwhelming, because you'll see a huge list of daily tasks. Calendar syncs also make it hard to keep track of overdue tasks, because you might lose sight of them. If you'd like to see tasks on your calendar, add a block of time called "Work on Tasks" and sit down with your task list during that time.

Should you use separate tools for project management and task management?

If you're looking for an app to handle both projects and tasks, you might be able to find one that does both. However, for me, it works better to have one tool for projects and a different tool for tasks.

My project management software (Trello) lets me organize my client work on a Kanban board, so I can move client work through different lists. I can also link related files from my Google Drive, or link related deliverables together.

My task management software (Todoist) is really good at recurring tasks and organizing tasks into different lists. I can give tasks a different priority and easily send emails to Todoist to create tasks.

The downside is that I have to check two apps to figure out what I need to work on. I'm ok with this, but you might prefer an all-in-one option. I could do everything in Trello or Todoist, but I'd be giving something up if I did tasks in Trello instead of Todoist (and vice versa). If you really want an all-in-one app, you could look at Notion or Asana.

Don't get bogged down by project management or task management

Even though I'm a huge advocate for tools, it's easy to get wrapped up in functionality. You'll spend too much time managing the projects or tasks — in the tool itself! — which takes away from time you could spend on other work.

For example, I've worked on complex projects that have far too many phases set up in the tool. It wasn't necessary to keep track of every step; my team really just needed to know when the project moved from one person to the next person.

You can simplify your processes by looking for examples of busywork. If you always need to do something for a project — and it's really obvious — you don't need to create a task within the project. You're just checking a box to check a box — it doesn't do anything to move the project forward. On the other hand, if adding the task within the project increases the visibility for other people on the team, then you might need it.

As another example, my to-do list is extensive. I know that if I don't put something on my list, I'll forget. But other people may not have that issue and prefer to keep their task list more streamlined.

Whatever tool you choose should make it easier to get your work done. It should help you figure out what needs to get done each day, and shouldn't feel like a chore to update.

Check out my free eBook — a guide for creators looking to better manage their time and content across multiple platforms.