Todoist –
After a hiatus of six months or so, I have returned to this very useful and popular app. I thought I could do better with other methods, but I changed my mind and came back. It offers a number of features and costs only $36/year USD for the Pro Version, and yes there is a free version to try also. The company continues to refine the features, add new ones, and squashes bugs (which seem to be few from my experience). It plays well between youf iPhone, iPad, and MacOS systems. Change/add something on one and it’s changed on the other systems. Also works for Windows 11 and Android.
Easily add Tasks, and place them in a Project if needed, add Flag/priority and/or add Tags/labels for context. Some filters are set up when you first download the app such as, Today, Upcoming, Errands, Home, etc. You can easily add your own or customize the ones included. ToDoist does a good job of helping you enter Tasks. Add a date like “next Tuesday”, ev 6 mos, the first of each month. The app recognizes what you are trying to do and will display the date and then you can see if it is what you expected.
The company has clear instructions on the website (www.Todoist.com) to find out how to do what you want with examples. It’s well laid out and easy to search for answers to your questions. You can download templates and then edit them to suit your needs. Many of you are familiar with the Getting Things Done methodology. Download a templet for GTD and you are ready to go. Examples of ready made templates include: Meeting Agenda; Class Planning, 1 on 1 Coaching; Book Writing, Blog Posts, Development Flow to name a few. About once a month you’ll receive a blog email talking about work flow tips, time management, personal organization and a myriad of other topics offering suggestions to keep you on top of things and helping you refine how you work.
Working with a team, just assign a task to others. You can add sub-tasks to projects, show details in a list or in Kanban style with boards. Include web addresses for easy follow up. Got an important email that needs follow up, send it to your ToDoist app and assign a date, Project, Label, etc. Customize the app using different color schemes, add emojis to project. This may not sound like it makes it more productive but it does make it more interesting and inviting to look at.
Basic features:
- Quick add a Task with the + icon. Type something, (suggestion: start with an action verb). If you are in a hurry and just jot down a quick Task, you will find it later in the InBox so you can decide how to categorize it.
- Recurring dates are easy to add: ev 90da (task reoccurs every 90 days)
- Divide Task into Sections and Sub-Tasks if you need that detail
- Delegate Tasks to other people on your team. You’ll be able to see the comments they add as work moves along.
- Use the view that works for you with Boards, Labels, and Themes (Pro Plan)
- Drag and drop files from your computer, Google Drive, and DropBox to add to a Task
- Use Calendar feeds
- Search function to locate completed and upcoming Tasks
- Use third party apps like Zapier, IFTTT, and other apps for integration to help you speed up processing
- Add Tasks from within Outlook or Chrome
- And more…
The app is available in multiple languages such as Spanish, French, German, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Russian and more.
Try the free version for couple of weeks, and I feel confident that you will go for the Pro version. You get a lot for $3/month. Still not convinced? Go to YouTube and search for ToDoist. Carl Pullein, Francesco D’Allessio (Keep Productive), Matt D’Avella and others have informative and easy to understand videos.