Welcome to Wonder Tools, a weekly newsletter highlighting useful sites and apps. Here’s a list of past posts. I recently wrote about how to create a quick chart or map and shared resources for enjoying podcasts. Thanks for reading & sharing!
I have orphaned lists lying uncompleted in apps like Remember the Milk, Toodledo, and Any.do. I’ve played with Things and TickTick. I used to like Wunderlist (RIP). All were nice and shiny for a while.
Each has a slick landing page, oodles of features and thousands of diehard fans. But instead of doing the actual work, with those apps I end up filing, labeling, ordering and organizing tasks. Or I drain hours learning new systems of shortcuts and swipes. That’s catnip for procrastinators like me. Task apps should get out of the way so you can focus on doing stuff. That’s why I recently returned to Apple’s simple Reminders app.
My bottom line on task apps: simple is best. A to-do list needs to let you do three things quickly:
1. Add tasks
2. Review your list
3. Cross stuff off
That’s about it. To keep things free and easy, pick the app below that works with your operating system of choice. In this category, complexity and cost don’t pay off.
Gmail/GCal users: Google Tasks lets you add tasks while replying to email or checking your calendar. Companion apps work on Android, iOS and desktop.
Office365 fans: Microsoft’s To Do plugs in neatly.
Mac and iPhone loyalists: Apple’s Reminders app is a simple, useful default. You can add tasks without typing by saying them aloud to Siri.
Paper & pen devotees: Bullet journaling doesn’t require any app at all. And you can snap photos to backup your lists.
Making the most of simple task apps
When adding tasks I try to make them brief, verb-first and broken into small, clear, specific steps. Or micro-steps. i.e. Create opening slide for TK presentation. Pick stat to include in closing anecdote.
The primary decision I make when adding a task is soon or someday. If it’s something I have to do, it goes on a current list. If it’s something that might be nice to do at some point, it goes on a someday/maybe list.
I now keep three or fewer tasks flagged at any given time. That’s inspired by a tactic Oliver Burkeman describes in Four Thousand Weeks, his superb book challenging productivity gospel. The other 33 tasks on my list right now are on pause until space opens up in that top three. Without focusing on the top three tasks, I risk feeling overwhelmed.
I use separate lists as holding areas for ideas, books to read, etc.
Additional resources
Occasionally, I use Slash and Sorted, which help me stay on track during a work session. I’ll write later about how those help with work sprints.
If you want a nicely-designed app just for special lists of favorite books, movies, music, etc. check out Listy. Or use Craft or Airtable to make shareable lists.
Glide is handy for making interactive lists that function as simple apps.
To manage full projects, Trello can be helpful.
What works for you for managing tasks?
Sponsored Message
Haggle is the #1 software buying platform. Connect with relevant software vendors, simplify your evaluation process, and get the lowest pricing available. We make the software buying process easy so your team has time to focus on what matters most, growing your business.
Create your first SaaS evaluation project today with Haggle. We are offering our Beta version free of charge to Wonder Tools readers. Try it for free
Sponsored Message
If you’d like to talk about productivity, book some time with me on Fri, June 24 at bookk.me/wt123. A few spots remain. I'm donating all proceeds from this experiment to DonorsChoose.
Bookk.me knows that your expertise is valuable. It handles the hassle of scheduling and payments, and lets you keep 100% of the fees paid to you. (Or you can donate them). You can make your own free booking link at Bookk.me
Recent Posts
Another trick for the 'micro-steps': If they are sequenced correctly, include all the steps in a single task, with a separator, like "xx" or "//".
So, "Send email to team xx Dupe last month's reports folder xx Update report for this month" are all the same task; as I do the first one I delete, then do the second one and delete it, etc.
Very helpful little trick to avoid littering my task manager with micro-steps. (I have been using Remember the Milk lately and am quite satisfied with it.)
And if you're into pen-and-paper, I recommend Mark Forster's long-list systems that use a simple notebook. Start with his first, Autofocus (http://markforster.squarespace.com/autofocus-system/), and then explore the others.
Hi Jeremy! Thanks for your thoughts, tips, and tools you shared 👏 I like simple to-do list apps because they help to focus on the task but not the list organizing process. For me, Tweek — https://tweek.so is a daily essential app so far. Hope you'll find it helpful too.