To do lists – they are the world’s favourite productivity tool. But what’s the best way to do them? I’ve tried dozens of to-do list apps and these are the ones I keep coming back to. Except for Omnifocus but I’m super tempted to try it out. The trick with to do lists is to keep switching and trying new ones.
To do lists stop working when you get bored of them so don’t let a to do list linger. Try something else and then go back to the ones you loved. It’s all about the variety.
Clear – $8.99
I try lots of different to do list apps and Clear is my favourite and the only one I’ve never really given up on. It’s a very simple style with a main menu to store your lists like Grocery Shopping or To Pack For Weekend Away. The Clear guys have a fantastic sound designer and when you cross off an item it makes the most delightful noise. I only use Clear for to do list items that don’t need notes like for shopping or packing though, but I do use it every day and have done for years. That’s a sign of a very good app.
Any.Do – Free
Any.Do is a really beautifully designed to do list app. It has a function that reminds you to check your to-dos which I rather like, otherwise, I’d probably forget to check the list. It also suggests other apps that might help you get a task done. The user interface on this app is delightful. Lots of app designers don’t spend enough time on the user experience and these guys just nail.
Todoist -Free
This app has an excellent categorising system that is streamlined and simple. Other apps tend to overdo features like this but Todoist just gets on with it.
Things – $14.99
Things does exactly what I want a to-do app to do – and that’s give me lists that are daily, weekly and monthly.
Omnifocus – $62.95
Omnifocus is one of the first desktop organiser programs that is totally integrated with smartphones and tablets. Most other programs use third-party apps but this one is all in the same place. I would get this but my favourite calendar app Timepage is just about to add some extra features so I’ll wait around until they’ve done that first.
This week on Straight and Curly, Kelly and I are talking about to do lists. It’s a really interesting episode actually because I love to do lists and Kelly doesn’t. We also share heaps of tips about different ways to use them if you haven’t yet jumped on board the to do list bandwagon.
Also if you need to tell someone you love them by 1.37 today you need to listen to this week’s Sweet Teen Club with Stacey from The Veggie Mama. It’s about Empire Records. Damn the man, save the empire. Also we totally recorded this on Rex Manning Day and we didn’t even realise. We’re just so casual like that.
Also if you’ve discovered any other amazing podcasts I’d love to hear from you – I listen to about 2 hours of podcasts a day so I always need new recommendations.
Are you a to-do list writer? Do you use an app for your lists? Or are an old school pen and paper kind of person?
P.S Also you should totally sign up for my newsletter. It’s full of cool stuff.
P.P.S Don’t forget Crochet Coach has a free trial offer period at the moment so make sure you sign up!
10 Comments
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I love Any.DO – I’m prone to overanalyzing and overcomplicating things, so it’s nice to just have a simple list I can use! Also addicted to Evernote now – I tend to pick up bits of information all over the place and it’s nice to have multiple notebooks all in one place and easy to access!
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I’m a huge fan of evernote too – sometimes it’s a bit weird like this morning I was recording a podcast on a shared document with my cohost and for some reason if put additions in Wingdings. Why Evernote why??? 🙂
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Pen and paper. I didn’t even know there were to do list apps! Plus, I just really like the feeling of crossing items off a list I’ve written down.
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I’m the same actually I usually have a written list and a paper list going side by side. Not really sure why to be honest it just kind of works!
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I’m a notebook/bullet journal fan. I’ve always been a hoarder of interesting/gorgeous notebooks, so this gives me a genuine excuse to search for glorious hardcover A5 notebooks (current journal is Little Mermaid purple leather with a turquoise/gold kimono print fabric spine).
I love ticking things off my daily list and I always add things I’ve done that weren’t on the list just so I can tick them as completed!
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Oh we’re covering the bullet journal in next weeks podcast for Straight and Curly – I’ll be honest it doesn’t look like it’s something I’m going to like very much but I’m open minded! I love notebooks too – I try to have just one on the go at any given time though.
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I’ve adapted bullet journalling to suit my own work style. Making a list of the beginning of each month didn’t work very well for me, so I scrapped it. I make my list every day, little tick boxes beside each item. Top 3 items are always the same, then anything that didnt get completed the day before is carried over. Sometimes an item will sit on the list for a week (like the boss’ filing!) but it doesn’t get lost anymore.
Straight and Curly is my favourite podcast. Love the tips and challenges you and Kelly give 🙂
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You are so lovely! Thank you! That’s my main issue with bullet journalling is that you need to re-write everything you didn’t do. It seems like such a waste of time! I do that with Asana but it’s all digital. I’m giving it a go and we’re recording it next week. I love hearing from people who love a hack that didn’t mesh with me! x
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