20 Different Ways to Manage Your To Dos
January 7th, 2007 (12:08pm) Anne Zelenka 121 CommentsTweet This (2)
How many ways are there to manage your task list? Almost as many as there are people with tasks to do. Here are 20 different ways of tracking your to dos, with examples of each.
You probably use more than one of these options, depending on what you’re trying to manage and what suits your temperament. Or maybe you have some other ideas. If so, share them here.
1. Free web-based to do list managers. Remember the Milk supports sharing lists, email add of tasks, and SMS reminders. Ta-da List is 37Signals’ stripped-down version of their for-pay Backpack information manager. Voo2Do includes project management capabilities like support for software scheduling and tasks organized by project.
2. The Hipster PDA. A pile of index cards held together with a small binder clip plus a Fisher Space Pen as a stylus. Carry it in your pocket. Take notes on the cards. Categorize using rainbow-colored cards. Reorder as necessary. Learn more on the Hipster PDA wiki.
3. Text files. You can put everything in one big text file. You can implement GTD with text files. If you get really excited about your text files, try the Todo.txt scripts that give you powerful editing, searching, sorting, and progress reporting.
4. Task list integrated with your desktop or online calendar. The 30 Boxes online calendar offers taggable to do lists. Yahoo’s calendar incorporates a simple task list. Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft Entourage, and the Mac’s iCal software all offer task management capabilities.
5. Word processor or spreadsheet, desktop or online. Of course you can use Microsoft Office or OpenOffice. Create task lists that look just as you want, print them out, and get the tactile pleasure of scribbling off tasks as you complete them. Online versions make it super-easy to share lists with your family members or coworkers, like when you want to add items to the grocery list. Two biggies in this category are Google Docs & Spreadsheets and Zoho Office.
6. The Emergent Task Planner. PDF files that you print out. Developed by David Seah, these pages guide your work each day using time boxing. You list what you need to do, estimate how long each will take, and schedule them in blocks of time.
7. To do list widget on an Ajax start page. I like Netvibes’ to do list module. When you check off an item, it remains on the list, but crossed out, giving you feel-good feedback as to what you’ve completed. But you don’t have to use an actual task list widget. The start pages offer various sticky notes and text editor widgets that could be used also.
8. Paper-based 1980s-era planner. Remember Filofax? The Franklin Planner? No self-respecting Gordon Gekko wannabe of the late eighties would be without a bulging binder of to dos and calendar items and contacts. Then the Palm Pilot came along and it was named the “Filofax of the nineties.” Now paper planners are still used, but they no longer qualify as status symbols.
9. Desktop note taking app. You might use this as an intermediate spot between your brain and a more structured to do list or project planner. Check out our profile of four of them: Sidenote and mynotes on the Mac, EverNote and OneNote on Windows. Readers also mentioned VoodooPad (Mac), Yojimbo (Mac), and Tomboy (Linux) among possibilities to consider.
10. Build-your-own custom online to do list manager with Dabble DB, Ning, or Coghead. This new breed of do-it-yourself web app platforms make it easier than ever before to create sharable online software. Creating a to do list app would be a good way of checking out how capable these services are.
11. Sticky notes everywhere. Not electronic stickies–real stickies. They’re not ideal as a primary means of managing tasks but come on, admit it, haven’t you put a sticky note on the bezel of your computer monitor to remind yourself to do something? I also put stickies on the front door when I need to remember to take something with me the next time I leave. Plus, sticky notes are great for doing preliminary project planning–write each task on a sticky note, perhaps categorized by color–and shift them around on a big board to see how tasks fit together.
12. Mind mapping. Feeling stuck in a rut? Not making progress on your goals? Mind mapping can open up new ways of thinking about how you should move forward. You can doodle a mind map on a piece of paper or use mind mapping software. You can choose from open source (e.g., FreeMind), freeware or shareware (e.g., Compendium), or for-purchase (e.g., MindManager).
13. Open-source personal information manager (PIM) on your own web server. Perfect for someone who knows how to hack and wants to customize their information management. Tudu lists is available as source code or in a hosted version. Tracks, built in Ruby, implements GTD and can be installed as desktop software because it comes with a built-in webserver. Gravity GTD also implements GTD.
14. Fancy notebook with a fancy pen. If you love interacting with beautiful, well-made things, maybe this is the choice for you. Moleskine is the most well-known of the prestige notebooks, but it’s not the only one. Paperblanks offers beautifully designed notebooks that are almost works of art in themselves. What kind of pen is worthy of those notebooks? Perhaps a Montblanc or a Conway Stewart.
15. PDA software with its desktop counterpart. For example, Palm devices like the Treo come with Palm Desktop. Makes sync ultra-easy. But you might give up some features you want in your task manager in exchange for ease of synchronization.
16. Desktop to do list app for your PC or Mac. To Do X for Mac allows you to print in many different ways–great if you like to enter and manage tasks online, but print and carry lists with you. There are, of course, lots of shareware options for Windows and Mac including To-do List 2.2.1 for Windows.
17. Or create your own desktop app. If you’re at all familiar with Microsoft Access or another desktop database management program, it’d be easy to create a table of tasks with whatever attributes you want: due date, category, project, and so forth.
18. Outliner software, web or desktop-based. Good if you are managing multiple projects but don’t want the overhead or extra complexity of a project management app with Gantt and PERT charts. Buy a Mac, and you’ll get OmniOutliner. If you’re an RSS geek, you might like to use Dave Winer’s OPML Editor. On Windows, you might try NoteMap. Want to combine your outliner with a mobile PDA? Try the Carson method, one geek’s method that uses OmniOutliner with the Hipster PDA.
19. Online wiki. Free wiki services like PBwiki and Wikispaces make it easy to create, edit, and share web pages. Some wiki platforms support interaction beyond simple creation and editing of pages. Have you heard of Monkey GTD, a “GTD inspired task manager” that uses TiddlyWiki plus plugins to implement getting things done? Here’s Monkey GTD in action.
20. A piece of paper with a pen. Easiest and cheapest. I use looseleaf paper, one page per “context” (at computer, at home, errands, to call) and staple them together. It’s completely mobile, just fold and go, and I love scribbling out items when I complete them.
What tools do you use to manage your to dos? And how do you combine them into an overall system?
Web Work 101: How To Escape The Cubicle
I’ve been using Remember the Milk for sometime and like it a lot. I use their multiple lists feature and really like the ability to text message/email myself new tasks. I’ll be on the go and remember I have to do something – all I have to do is text message it to myself and it’s in there and ready.
Email works great for me for a to do list. Iag any to do item messages with “Pending” (but use “To Do” or whatever you like), then work to knock things down on the list. I’m always in email anyway, so why not?
Sorry, “Iag” in my post above should of course read “I tag”.
Keep an eye on imified.com
ToDo’s and a whole lot more. Coming soon..
I use a unique system called “The Girlfriend”. She never forgets all the important stuff and I can get regular reminders sent to me personally and also by email and SMS called “Nagging”. It’s all free and she doesn’t seem to mind. The only downside is that you don’t ever get any peace and quiet.
I use Kinkless GTD (which is soon to become its own Omni program) :)
heh heh, I didn’t think of a spouse/partner/friend/parent as a potential task manager.
@Bill: I was thinking “hmmm, you should be able to use email as a to do tool” but I didn’t come up with a way to make that work while I was writing this article. Good idea. As you say, we’re always in email anyway. Do you send yourself messages, use drafts, or just mark existing emails with “pending”? You could easily tag them with priorities too. Not sure how you could do due dates, though.
@Douglas: Remember the Milk is pretty nice but I dislike how you mark items complete. It seems like you should check the box next to the item to mark it complete, but that just selects the item for an action. It doesn’t cross it off the list.
@Jarin: haven’t checked out Kinkless GTD yet, but I’ve seen it mentioned ’round the life hacks/productivity world. And it’s going to become an Omni program? Very interesting.
I personally use TaskToy ( http://www.tasktoy.com ) and absolutely love it. It already has everything ready to go to put GTD in place, and makes perfect sense in its simplicity. If you’re looking for an alternative to the above (which, by the way is a great list!) then be sure and give TaskToy a peek! :D
I am a big fan and user of Remember The Milk (RTM) as well. You didn’t mention that it is now capable of being embedded right inside of Google Calendar. You get a check box icon on your Google calendar page – and you can view and update your RTM tasks right from GCal. Works great! Check it out.
I’ve used tada list and a few others, but most of my to-do’s are school related and mynoteit (mynoteit.com) has a nice built in to-do list so keep track of all my assignments and such.
A great post! I currently use ThinkingRock, which I find really brilliant.
Another happy tasktoy.com user here…
I stick to the basics – pen and a small memo pad. Every few days I’ll write up some to-do’s, rip off the sheet and leave it on my desk at all times. Works great – IMO, much better than any digital solution.. what if you forget to go to your Ta-Da List, or fire up your GTD app?
I installed two 17×22″ whiteboards, within reach of either side of my monitor. I try to never use post-its, and instead take notes and mark To Do items on the boards. One is removable from the cube, the other is velcroed to the overhead bin, so I can take them around the room if necessary.
Everything gets transcribed electronically or moved into Outlook by the end of the day, and I try to start every day “Tabulae Rasa.”
Sweet list thanks. I am currently using http://www.gtdtracks.com and enjoying that. Will go now to look at a couple of the others mentioned – however offhand I cannot think of anything that I need in addition to what I currently get from the above.
keith
Great post! But how about a things not to do list? For example, if your computer detects that you are mindlessly surfing the Internet and you should be working on a project, it would splash on your screen “GET BACK TO WORK!”
Great list of 20 options – just missing the best one!
https://gootodo.com
Also see
http://www.goodexperience.com/blog/archives/001019.php
I have been using, and love, Process for this purpose for a while now. I’m not sure why it doesn’t get more pub, it’s a really well done app.
Thanks for the suggestions, everyone–good fodder for future reviews and lists.
@Leigh/Dad: Great idea. I’ve seen something along those lines:
http://www.marktaw.com/getbacktowork.htm
You use it as your browser home page and specify what task you are working on. When you go back to it it asks you whether you’ve finished or not.
I just stumbled upon http://www.pocketmod.com.
Haven’t tried it out for myself, but this seems to fit in here :)
great to-do list. I like the paper era planners.
Google Calendar is great for emailing appts to your phone, and my Google homepage has a todo list smack in the middle that I update every night before I go to bed. I like having everything in one place. If they only made the interface prettier I think Google would be the best!
An interesting post! I currently use mind mapping software together with easy project management tool. I found a solution which is cost effective for me and offers all I need to manage my tasks starting from brainstorming and ending with ready-to-go to do lists. ConceptDraw MINDMAP and Project.
So glad to read #2 Hipster PDA, as I thought I invented the nano Hipster. Went to Kinko’s and bought 1,000 blank business cards. Keep several in wallet for taking notes, making lists. Very convenient.
So glad to read #3 text files. After trying many cutting edge apps, i go back to text files for lists, notes, ideas. Most convenient and easy. And if i want to make it a web page, i just put the html at the top, the css reference and publish.
So glad to read #11, as i have stickies completely encircling my double screen monitors. Easy, visual, graphic. I have a case of stickies in my office supply.
So glad to read #20. At a meeting, sometimes i announce “i have to get my word processor.” They picture me lugging in some big piece of hardware, or at least a laptop, while i just pull out my pen.
Basecamp/Backpack. Done.
ROFLMAO @ Thomas Bosch
You could add voice-based solutions to your list. Examples I’ve run across include DICtabrain and Jott.
For a slightly gushing, but otherwise objective perspective, you can have a look at Jott and
DICtabrain on my blog.
I use Gmail as my to do list, using GTDGmail. They have contexts, etc built in and you can email yourself actions and references. Anything date conscious I put on my Google Calendar.
The exact way I use it is here:
http://encouragingcoach.com/wordpress/?p=760
I was using the open source desktop app “TaskCoach” for a while, mostly for it’s ability to add sub-tasks, making it great for projects. However I’ve started using another desktop app called “TaskPilot” and have found it to be even more powerful (if occasionally a little buggy). To me, one of the important features in any task app is the ability to drag and drop files and e-mail directly into tasks. This saves a lot of re-typing time when you have a lot of tasks to manage each day. Dragging and dropping an e-mail onto the “Notes” portion of a task, for instance, gives you a complete record of whatever was asked of you, including any attachments the requestor included.
There’s also Neptune, an online GTD app. I’ve been using it for a while…
I’ve been using GTD for a couple years now. And switched about 6 months ago to MLO (My Life Organized) for my day-to-day tasks. I’d highly recommend this application.
http://www.mylifeorganized.net/
For longer-term planning I usually use mind maps.
http://www.mindjet.com/us/
If you just need something plain and simple, check out this little php+javascript web app I wrote:
online demo at http://www.simmessa.com/netepad
Take a look at
…goals2actions.com
here’s my favourite http://www.knockknock.biz/commerce/Pads/To-Do.html nice to move the eyes off screen now and then
30boxes calendar and to do features are great!
And don’t miss these really good options:
ActiveCollab: Like backpack on your own server. Installs well on Uniform Server too. Great developer.
http://activecollab.com/
iCommit: Web Based GTD:
http://gtdv2.icommitonrails.de/
NextAction: Single page html, like the tiddlywiki’s but it’s own java thing. Can go on a USB stick:
http://www.trimpath.com/
And the simply rad MyFiendishMasterPlan. Text files exploded using Ruby,
http://www.sedumphotos.net/nfagerlund/fmp/
Great list going…
I use the yourminis startpage. You can publish your todo list page with additional relevant information (photos, bookmarks, ical, etc…) and share with others: http://www.yourminis.com
Download this http://www.accomplice.com.
It’s the only software product that offers everything you need whether it’s just you, or you and a team…and it’s free! It works on and offline, syncs with most smart phones, provides novel ways to manage what is “on your plate” today and take useful notes, and it lets you coordinate with others so that your to-do list talks to their to-do list talk to each other. Integrates with Outlook and Thunderbird too, if you want. Getting rave reviews.
Though I don’t use it, Excel seems apt for tracking todos.
My favorite web calendar is Google’s, love it and can’t live without it.
I use Excel for tasks tracking at work, and my workhack.com at home.
I use Remember the Milk for the sort of infrequent every-few-weeks type things that I always forget. It bugs me via email, MSN, Google Talk and my Google homepage so I usually get the message :)
A fantastic app that I would not be without is ShadowPlan on Palm. It’s a powerful outliner with lots of different Palm integrations, and has a fairly nice desktop client on Windows and OS X as well. It can be used to build a GtD system if you’re into that sort of thing too.
Your 20. is indeed what works for me best. It is the most flexible and gives me the 100% presence that I need. For the life of me I could never make the 80ies filofax’s with neatly printed time slots work for me.
I have given up on the looks of this bit of managing tasks, it is more important that it works, so the blank page on a clip board works for me best. I cross off as things go along. As the list gets messy I make a new one and that gives me the chance to evaluate progress.
I use web tools only if for projects where more than one person are involved, and we need to manage the ownership and completion of the tasks.
Great article. I am currently using php-gtd – http://www.gtd-php.com/, but I’m interested in seeing how Gravity GTD compares.
I find cl1p.net useful as a web to do list. Just enter in any URL that start with cl1p.net and write down the to dos in the text area. Then re enter the URL from anywhere else to see the list.
It’s the quick, no frills way to make a web to do list.
I use http://www.blablalist.com and the “sidebar on right” extension in firefox. Just have firefox open it in sidebar as one of your homepages and autologin and you’re good to go
Hi!
I have recently found the . It is quite useful freeform database. Its powerfull templating, customizable item attributes and custom searches allows to quite easily setup GTD process (one example comes within distributive and couple more are available on support forum). It is very handy to use also as the project reference material / general reference system. Highlighring feature is that any item can have many parents (easy cross-linking). So, there is not simple tree as in some others notemaking software. The not good thing is that it is shareware. But the fully functional evaluation is available.
Sorry, forgot to close tag… :)
Sorry again :). The name of this utility is UltraRecall
I second Eric Blue’s comment – “My Life Organized” is super software.
I use pocketmod.com, along with a small pencil i took from a pocket diary. I have found that it helps with all those tasks which are not exactly work based and you need to remember on the go. For example, whats the point of having ‘phone mum and ask about x’ on your work computer when you need to remember to do it in those free moments on the way home?. And often just before leaving work I have a quick scan to see what I need to take with me if I want to finish some of those tasks. For example ‘cancel account with company x’, will prompt me to take my account details with me. Finally and most importantly, 9 times out of ten, I only think of the things I need to do while im on the go. For example ill suddenly remember that it’s Sisters birthday next week and need to get her card sorted out. At work that sort of thing wouldnt enter my mind. So for the smaller day to day tasks, I find pencil and paper better. p.s. once I have completed a page of tasks, I just print a new pocketmod and transfer the odd task still outstanding.
There is one more very nise software for mind mapping called ConceptDraw MINDMAP – http://www.conceptdraw.com
I’m with LIVNLET – 37 Signals wonderful BasecampHQ.com
- 1 project for each client project
- 1 project for each quarters miscellaneous (E.g. January, February, March – then a new, empty one for April, May, June!)
- 1 project for personal
- 1 “project” for “future” – i.e. a “not doing list” of ideas and things you might one day do
So you can see everyone’s tasks for any one project (Even if they don’t use the system – you can still use it to manage their to dos)
But best of all
- 1 view of all YOUR tasks across every project – which you can print out. That’s the list I actually use day to day – with “mini” tasks scribbled on the side
I use a simple pocket calendar from our local credit union. There is generally enough space for appointments, contacts, and special dates. Also room for phone numbers, web sites, and other useful information. Eventually I will probably go to a Phone, PDA combo, but so far I am able to stay organized with my simple credit union calendar. Maybe 2007 will be the year.
I’m absolutely in love with Remember the Milk. Not only does it notify you of tasks by mail, Skype (and other messengers) and text, it also allows you to post a public URL of your todos listed in an iCal. It’s perfect to integrate into Google calendars.
I’m slightly biased (seeing as I wrote it) but I keep everything organized in tedium. Online. Taggable. Todos.
I have tried about twelve out of the twenty listed here. I have finally decided that my best bet is to just remember them and then do them. So far so good!
I use Ecco Pro. Anybody else remember it?
It’s now a freebe and supported by a yahoo group and a few websites. The “current” version must be over 10 years old, but it’s worth a look for Windows users.
The telling whether a todo-list is good or not is when there are thousands of todo items accumulated. I’ve found LifeBalance the best for its support of context, with only regret that it does not have good export/import function to plain text, as I need to review the vast amount of todo items with plain vi editior to get things clean up, and also like to take notes of todo’s in plain text instead of its fancy sometimes clumsy GUI. Next, I’d choose FreeMind beta version 0.90 with attribute tagging, I can use the attribute to prioritize, and do filter based on priority.
Re Bill’s using his email – I do this as well through my various email accounts. I use Outlook at work and Gmail for personal. Both have various ways of marking emails. Outlook is especially versatile because you can give your emails flags with deadlines. They act just as your tasks or calendar events would. You can turn off the flag in the email when the task is done. You can color code them. You can also set rules to make them go into specific folders to organize them.
Using Gmail messages (not the calendar) is not as versatile as Outlook, but basically I keep a message ‘unread’ if it needs attention. If it’s important I ’star’ it. Works OK for me.
I’m also a big fan of the messy tiny paper notebook…there’s something important to me about writing things down.
Alex Sidoro: I’m jealous that you can do that.
Thomas Bosch: I will never ever date you! ;)
Another interesting application, if I keep on accumulating more and more things to remember to do, might be one that would remember me what things I DO NOT HAVE TO DO at a specific time… Perhaps, enjoying the journey (life is like a dream…).
I should have to program something for myself since I can’t find it in this list…
I need something to register recurrency. That is, things that I need reminded when they repeat. They could repeat every minute, every year, each easter, every new moon, season or every solar cycle. I should define a category of repeating cycles. Then, just register some starting points and it might remind me with the message that I wrote what was that I should remember over and over again!
enjoyed your article on 20 ways to “to do” through life.
i enjoy using the desktop palm… with my portable palm device as a backup… and yet, paper & pen lists continue to work best for me to actually get things done. the best feature of the palm system is that i input ideas ( “tasks”) as fast as i discover the thought… and so my lists grow, and grow, and grow….. and eventually… its all back to the paper list i carry with me.
Great list. Is there an app that will allow you to tag projects so that you can sort and categorise on your keywords? For instance; many of my projects are related to ‘legal’, but some of these are related to ‘Flash’, so it would be good to be able to list all ‘legal’ and ‘Flash’ related projects. Does such a GTD/proj man app exist? Thanks
People,
Keep an eye open at http://www.somethingiscooking.com/
This might be the thing you need, it will aggregate all of the above…
BR
Bart
Anne, thanks for mentioning Zoho Virtual Office. Your readers can also check out Zoho Planner and Zoho Projects well.
This is good list.For something program I didnt know.
I’d like to throw in my web-based simple time management tool as well, ppl, pls take a look (better review, hehe).
Also, the current default app does not include to-do / calender / schedule function (I’ll send URL for them upon request, tatata9999 at gmail).
Thks.
Feel free to try our new todo list and task list manager.
http://whatyagottodo.com
It’s in beta at the moment, so any ideas or suggestions? send ‘em on.
Thanks
Jamie
Try Hiveminder. Not exactly GTD, but good todo list manager. Good import capability. can assign multiple tags. Supports ‘groups’ for sharing. Two great features. You can ‘hide an item’ until a future date, and you can set up dependencies between items. Supports save to text, printing and RSS/iCal.
http://hiveminder.com
Prostr8, actually, the gang here at WWD has started using Hiveminder to track writing assignments and it’s working nicely (hope the rest of the team agrees). I’m planning to do a full post on how we’re using Hiveminder in the very near future.
For implementing GTD and manage your to-dos you might try out:
Gtdagenda.com
You can use it to manage your goals, projects and tasks, set next actions and contexts, use checklists, schedules and a calendar.
A mobile version is available too.
As with the last update, now Gtdagenda has due date for tasks (you’ll see in the calendar on the right if you have tasks due today), task notes, and Email & Print support.
Hope you like it.
I use Notebook (by Circus Ponies) on my Mac. I can organize everything in a way that makes sense to me; link relevant websites, applications, files, etc. to the tasks on my list; and there are a lot of options like checkboxes, highlighting, stickers/flags to mark important or urgent tasks. I keep a drop-down list for each day of the week and minimize the other days so I can focus on the tasks for just that day. You can also set due dates, integrate with iCal, and sync the info to your iPod. It is an especially helpful program for me because I have ADHD and need a little something extra to stay organized.
Can you add me to your mailing list? You’re wicked efficient, and you’ve helped me already with my e-mail nightmares.
Very interesting article.I use the yourminis startpage.
I try this
The Emergent Task Planner
and I can tell that is great.I recommend.