Spring is in the air and it is that time again when the thoughts of rabid salmon fishermen turn to getting their boats ready for the spring season. We are busy making lists of things we need to do and buy to be ready to launch our boats.

There are a probably a million check lists out there on the interwebs to tell you how you should get your boat ready for launch this spring. This is not going to be one of them. If you’re looking for a spring boat list check list, just do a google search, you will find lots of them.

What I do want to share with you is how to build a check list that sticks with you and evolves as your boat and equipment change. A check list that is easy to create and maintain for the life of your boat and all you need is your cell phone or tablet.

Check list apps come in many shapes and sizes. For this blog we are going to focus on two styles. First we have the traditional check list style where you can add and check things off as you complete tasks.

There are also card style systems, where you create cards in your To Do column and can drag and drop the cards to your Completed column when your tasks are done.

The examples above are from Microsoft To-Do and Trello. Both apps are free for basic usage. To use either app all you need to do is create an account. Part of the reason I like both of these apps is chances are good you already have the necessary account from other apps you already use.

For Microsoft To-Do, you will either need to create a Microsoft Account or if you have an Xbox or use Microsoft 365, you already have a Microsoft Account that you can use for Microsoft To-Do. With Trello, you can either create your own unique account or use an existing Microsoft Account, Gmail Account or Apple Account to login.

By creating an account you are allowing the makers of these apps to store your check list information in the cloud. The big advantage to this is that your lists are available to you from any device anywhere in the world where you can get a cell signal or a wifi connection.

That means if you accidently drop your phone in the lake you will still have you check list(s) when you get a new phone. All you have to do is install the application and login and you are good to go!

Microsoft To-Do

Ok, so you have installed Microsoft To-Do and you are now logged into the app, its time to add your first check list. Locate and click on the + New List button, then name your list and click on Create List.

Now that you have created your list you can start adding items to your list by pressing the + icon on your screen and then entering your task.

To mark items completed in your list, simply press on the circle in the row you want to mark complete.

If you scroll down to the bottom of the list, you will see those items you have marked as completed. If you have a task you need to redo, simply press on the circle with the check box in it in the row you want to re-enable.

If it hasn’t registered yet, what this means is your check list completely re-usable. No starting over every season. Simply, uncheck the finished items on your check list and you are good to go. Plus because it is saved online, you can simply add and remove items from the checklist as your needs change.

TRELLO

If you choose to go with Trello, the process to get things going is a little more complicated than with To-Do. Trello can work well for individual use, however, but is really designed to be used by multiple people at the same time. This means that you can have more than 1 person working from your check list and you all will have close to real time information about the state of your list.

With Trello you will want to initially setup your account from your computer. After you login the first time, Trello prompts you to create your team. Start by naming your Team, selecting a team type which will most likely be “other” and then add your team members by providing email addresses.

After you have setup your team, its time to create a board. A board is where you are going to keep your tasks for your Spring Boat Prep Check List. You create a Board by clicking on the + icon and select Board from mobile or in the web application you click on Create a Board.

Now that your board is created you will want to add your list columns. For a check list approach, I usually create a To Do List column and Done or Completed List column.

Once your columns are created, you are ready to create your cards (tasks). Click on the + Add Card button to add your list of items you need to do.

Now that your cards are created, you’re ready to start working. To mark a card done, just press and drag and drop your card from the To Do column to the Completed column.

If you have to redo a task or want to reset your board, all you need to do is drag and drop your cards from the Completed column back to the To Do column.

If I had to pick from the two apps listed here, I would probably go with the Trello app. To me, there is something more satisfying in being able to drag a card from To Do to Completed. That said either app works well.