Trello Sidebar Comeback + A Checklist Trick You’ll Actually Use

And while we're at it, try this template to make your weeks a little less hectic

Good news!! 👂 Trello’s been listening to everyone missing the left sidebar, and they’re bringing it backkkk!

Keep reading to…

• see what it looks like

• learn how to up your checklist game,

• get some more Trello inspiration that might just make your weeks a little less hectic

Ready to level up your Trello game? Whether it’s keeping track of your personal tasks or wrangling your teams at work, Trello is your tool—you just might need some guidance on how to best set it up.

For less than a cup of coffee, you can get premium templates and guides, bonus Trello tips, and direct access to monthly Q&A calls with me.

👉 Join the Trello supernerds here: trello.substack.com/subscribe

🌮 Dear Taco

This is a section where readers can submit their Trello questions, and each week I’ll pick one and answer it! It’s like “Dear Abby” but make it trello. Have a question you want to submit? Share it here.

Hello, I'd love to create a permanent checklist that my team of 6 can use repeatedly. it's a van cleaning checklist. I need them to check off each item daily when the task is complete. Then the next day be able to reuse the checklist the next day. Is there a way to do this? If so, how please?

~Deanna Glandon

Hey Deanna! Reusable checklists are very common in Trello, and there are multiple ways to handle it; here’s a few from simplest to…less simple but more automated 😂

Copy the checklist from another card

Create a card with the “van” checklist that has all the steps you need. On any other cards on the board, when you go to add a checklist, you can search “Van” and it will appear as an option to add to the current card.

Copy the “Van” card

Create a card that has the checklist and copy the whole card. You could create it as a Template Card, and then when you need to resuse the checklist, make a card from that template.

Set up the checklist when something happens

I don’t know much about your use case, but you could create an automation that adds the fresh checklist to the card whenever you need it. Maybe it’s when you add the “vehicle” label to a card. Create a card with the checklist, and then build an automation like this:

You could adjust the “when” to be anything from…

• moving a card to a specific list

• assigning a specific person to the card

• something specific in the card name

Or… so many other things. Explore the triggers available by clicking the ⚡ Lightning bolt at the top right of your Trello board, and then choose “Rules”, “Create automation”, then “Add trigger”. Click through the tabbed sections to explore the options available.

When you find the right one, click that blue plus button to add it.

Next, head to the checklists section to add an action to specify which checklist you want to include. Just type the name and then link to the card where you have the original checklist. (Make sure the name matches what you call the checklist on that card!)

Want to submit your question? Maybe it’ll be featured next week!

🗞 Coming up

Are you new to Trello or wondering what all the fuss is about with these newest features? Join me to in a few hours as I’ll go through Trello 101 and explain how to use the new inbox, planner, and card mirroring to get sh*t done!

(Can’t make it live or missed it? Reply back to this email and I’ll send you a recording.)

Missing that left sidebar with your boards? The Trello team received a lot of feedback, and they listened (and didn’t judge). Coming soon, you’ll be able to dock the board switcher to the left side of Trello, leaving your list of boards always accessible.

Read more about this change and other improvements to the board switcher.

🛎️ Newbie tips

Term of the week

• Board switcher: a panel for navigating between your Trello boards and workspaces (this has actually been around for a while, but most folks are only learning about it with its prominence in the new Trello design!)

Tip of the week

• Press B from anywhere in Trello to open the board switcher and type a board name or select it from your recent or favorite boards.

💡 Inspiration and ideas

In case you missed it, I did a deep dive into my Family Weekly Planning template. My partner and I are loving this board and it’s already helping us feel more connected through out the week and making progress on our goals as individuals and as a couple.

Don’t want to upgrade but still want the template? Pay a one-time $4.99 fee to purchase the template and workshop recording.

🍷 Pairs well with Trello

I launched a Chrome Extension that shows you a random Trello card every time you open a new tab! I’ve found it very useful for remind me about quotes from books I’ve read that I want to remember.

Update - Now you can authenticate with Trello— no longer requiring you to find board IDs and API keys anymore. You can get started in a few clicks, and it’s totally free.

Now that I’m on the Chrome Extension train… what other Trello things would you like to see? Reply back with your ideas and maybe I’ll build it!

Special shoutout to my premium sponsors!

Thanks to:

• Mike Day - Dreamsuite Mike

  🎉 New Website 🎉

  Trello Consulting done differently

• Notes and Docs
  Advanced notes and documents like in Notion, OneNote, or Confluence, but designed to be part of your Trello experience. Keep everything together without the need to jump back and forth between apps.

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• Placker

  The best all in one power-up for planning, tracking and managing work across boards. Use extended board, reports, master boards, Gantt views and card mirroring across boards.

• Unito
  With Unito you can easily connect Trello to your other business critical apps with live bi-directional sync. In just a few minutes you can create your first flow, no coding or technical resources needed. Try it free today.

• Approvals for Trello

  Make the review and approval process an absolute breeze with Approvals for Trello, and say goodbye to never-ending email chains and having to chase your teammates for feedback.

• Sendboard - Email for Trello
  Organize & automate your Email in Trello. Connect any Trello board with Gmail, Outlook, Yahoo & more.

• Handy Power-Ups Pack

  Do more and enhance your Trello experience with the Handy Power-Ups Pack! Discover a variety of Power-Ups designed to boost your and your team's productivity. Try them out with a free trial and experience the difference today!

• 2-Way Card Mirror & Sync by FullZinc

  Sync cards across boards and workspaces! Any edits to one card will be automatically mirrored to any other cards.

When you’re ready, here’s how I can help you

🤓 Need 1:1 help with Trello? I offer consulting on a limited basis, but I have a network of colleagues who can also support you! Fill out this form if you’d like to book a time for help with Trello.

📚 Looking for a 1-stop Trello resource? Check out my book, Supercharging Productivity with Trello. You’ll find everything you need, whether you’re getting started or taking Trello to the next level. Bonus - reply back to this email with your receipt, and I’ll send you some bonus video content going through each part of the book.

Thanks for reading!! I’ll see ya next week 👋