When it comes to succeeding with your goals I truly believe it is important to break them down into smaller tasks and make them more practicable. According to me, goals without a plan, is the single most important reason to why you can’t reach your goals.
Thanks to the free service of Todoist I have finally been able to manage my tasks simply from all over the world while I at the same time get a good overview of them.
What makes Todoist so great?
As you can see from the headline, this post is not as much a review as it is a great tip for you and also a way to show my appreciation to the creator.
I have tried a lot of different methods to keep track of my daily tasks during the years and I often ended up with a paper full of clutter. This is why I love computers, because you can always redo and erase things without leaving a permanent mark. Therefore it was a no brainer for me to create a task list on my computer, but which software or service should I use?
I tried a few software’s that either was complicated, locked to one computer, slow or bloated. When I gave Todoist a try it was love at first sight. It’s minimalistic, easy to overview, possible to create up to four sub-projects, possible to add recurring tasks and overall easy to manage.
Interface
As you can see from the image above, each task is added to the appropriate list with just a title and a date. There are numerous of different ways you can add dates when creating a new task. “Friday” would be as useful as “16 oct 2009”, “+11” translates to due in 11 days. Personally I also tend to use “ev 20 days” for some of my small niche sites so I know when to add new content.
One of the features I really like is that you can transform a task into a headline or a note by simply putting an asterisk (*) in front of the title. If it is a sub-task it becomes a note, otherwise it transforms into a headline.
The interface is minimalistic and Ajax inspired. If you want to move a task you simple drag and drop it. There are also no loading time when you are logged in which generates a feeling of speed. The downside of this is that you can’t use it if you have an old browser which can’t handle Javascript.
API
When it come to software developed by third parties Todoist offers a comprehensive API which offers access to all basic functions. Mac OSx users can take advantage of their widgets for Quicksilver and Dashboard. There are also support for iGoogle and a great Firefox extension.
If you have problem remembering to do things you can easily be notified automatically via Instant Messages, mail and Twitter.
Conclusion
Today Todoist takes care of all my needs from creating new content to making sure I remember to cross of my daily food calendar. Overall it creates a much better life for me and my closest since I don’t forget important things I promise. I give Todoist highest possible grade.
The Zen of Todoist
One of the thing I truly love about Todoist, and this is kind of why I liked Google, is that they have their own Zen of Todoist at their about-page.
Now is better than later.
Later is better than never.
Organized is better than messy.
Big things are composed by smaller things.
Smaller things are done by action.
Think like a person of action.
Act like a person of thought.
The beginning is half of every action.
The longest journey starts with the first step.
Everything should be made as simple as possible.
But not simpler.
Celebrate any progress.
Don’t wait to get perfect.
Deadlines and stress are a part of life.
This is a great list to think about if you consider creating a task list.
Group Discussion
Do you use a task list? If yes, which one and how do you structure it? If you do not use one I would love to hear why and what method you use instead.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi Stefan
I use pen and a notebook for my tasks. I usually plan them week ahead, day by day. I prefer to strike through the tasks as I tackle each of them. However, I was going through online task management tools and I will give Todoist a try and see.
I was using the same strategy as you but it always turned out to clutter after a few hours. I also recommend you to spend the last 10 minutes every day to go through your next day and update your todo-list.
Good overview and Todoist is a really great tool. You may also want to take a look at Checkvist, especially if you like simplicity and fast keyboard interface. And, if you need to share your tasks with someone
I will have a look at it later on, but at the moment I can’t really find anything wrong with Todoist. Checkvist might be a good idea when you are several people sharing the same task list, but that will never happen to my personal task list.
Thanks for the Zen of Todoist. ^^
Just like you, I’m also the type that believes smaller tasks are must easier than a big goal instead. Not surprising I have notebooks (the paper) with me all the time, jotting down and striking off (that’s the big satisfaction, isn’t it?). I once used the yellow notepad on my PC desktop, I forgot the software’s name, equally handy. Maybe I’ll consider todoist, when I got fed up with all the papers.. I’m still a little old-fashioned in some aspects you know. ^^
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I tried this but since I prefer to leave home without a bag I never could bring a notebook with me. What type of notebook are you using? I know a lot of people love Moleskin and I have actually thought about buying one, but as I said I almost never bring a notebook with me.
Thats a pretty cool little tool right there, chances are I will keep using a notepad file like I have been doing for the last 10 years, but hey I’m old school. haha.
Thanks Stephan for this wonderful post. I have sample problem like everyone…checking Google Analytics, Gmail, YahooMail several times a day. They are clearly time wasters and hinders one’s productivity. “ToDoIst” tool looks very cool mate. It can help truly help people to stay focused and progress towards their goal.
Thank you very much!
You’re welcome Kardeno. Later on I will show you how to focus even better thanks to a software which tracks your time. Thanks to it you can remove all distractions and end up spending all your work time on work.