workflowy
December 20, 2012 6:47 AM   Subscribe

This is Workflowy. If Simple Note isn't quite enough, and Evernote is way too much, this might fit the bill. It's an outlining tool that supports tags, and is easy to navigate and rearrange. If you've drunk the GTD Kool-Aid, it's a pretty lightweight way to organize things. reluctant hat tip to Farhad Manjoo
posted by leotrotsky (75 comments total) 58 users marked this as a favorite
 
more Farhad on Workflowy
posted by leotrotsky at 6:49 AM on December 20, 2012


I tried out workflowy but I always find myself going back to todo.txt.
posted by scose at 6:52 AM on December 20, 2012 [10 favorites]


I tried out workflowy but I always find myself going back to todo.txt.
I'm still using the "write stuff I want to remember on my arm" method.
posted by deathpanels at 6:56 AM on December 20, 2012 [7 favorites]


This looks & feels a lot like a web-based version of Taskpaper.
posted by gauche at 6:57 AM on December 20, 2012 [3 favorites]


looks like your workflowy stuff lives only on their servers right? That is against my principles.
posted by shothotbot at 6:58 AM on December 20, 2012 [8 favorites]


For notes I like oneNote, for reminders I am using due.
posted by shothotbot at 7:02 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Nothing will ever beat the sacred combination of Notational Velocity and Dropbox.

Seriously, NV is probably my most-used app next to my web browser, and the fact that it stores files in plaintext means I can use its files for just about any other specialized application I want. It's like todo.txt's older and sexier brother.
posted by Rory Marinich at 7:02 AM on December 20, 2012 [12 favorites]


This came up in an AskMe I asked recently about tools for making checklists. Not todo lists. Checklists.

Anyway, I signed up and it's easy to use and all and I've actually managed to add a couple of checklists that have saved my bacon once or twice. But it's another SAAS tool, on my computer, and doesn't feel real and substantial, same as a lot of the other SAAS tools I've flirted with over the years.

I'll be curious to see how others are getting more out of it and tools like it.
posted by notyou at 7:03 AM on December 20, 2012


I find any org-type thing eventually loses its effectiveness with me. At first, it's a tool that I use to remember/get organized. Then it's a tool to force me to do things. Then it's the boss and I'm the tool, so I ignore it. Then I do nothing for a while. Then I find a new tool and it starts all over again.

In the end, I'm finding the only way to get things done is to do them. No amount of lightweight outlining is going to get those things done.
posted by DU at 7:08 AM on December 20, 2012 [11 favorites]


I find any org-type thing eventually loses its effectiveness with me.

Put the fun stuff in there too, not just the chores.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:12 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


Rory Marinich: "Nothing will ever beat the sacred combination of Notational Velocity and Dropbox."

NV also syncs with SimpleNote. While Dropbox is indeed unbelievably slick, I find the SimpleNote integration to be slightly more useful, given that *every* platform seems to have a great SimpleNote client.

And, really, NV/SimpleNote are two of the only GTD-esque things that I actually manage to keep up with. I use a Google to-do list, but it gets neglected more often than it should.

That all being said, I'll certainly give this a try.

I also recently used Trello for a project at work, and was impressed by how much it manages to do with such a simple UI. It avoids the bloat that seems to accompany almost every other piece of project management software.
posted by schmod at 7:12 AM on December 20, 2012 [3 favorites]


I find any org-type thing eventually loses its effectiveness with me.

I actually found all it took to get me to actually use my to-do list (on paper - I'm too used to old-school) was simply to change its name.

It is not my "to do list" -- it is my "to SMITE list."
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:14 AM on December 20, 2012 [23 favorites]


I'm on Team Trello as well. I just rediscovered it this week, and it, along with Astrid, are my go to productivity tools. I LOVE the idea of Evernote, but man, you really gotta live in that thing to really get the most out of it.
posted by THAT William Mize at 7:14 AM on December 20, 2012


Trello is awesome. I haven't found a use for it yet... but it's awesome.

I can't help but absolutely love OneNote for taking notes, and insert-your-task-management-here for tasks. At work OneNote+Outlook is my kryptonite to forgetfulness and procrastination super powers.
posted by olya at 7:16 AM on December 20, 2012


I would love to use todo.txt more, but I don't always have access to the command line, and I need something that is seamlessly integrated between the desktop and smartphones. Maybe this is it.
posted by Cash4Lead at 7:17 AM on December 20, 2012


Yeah. I want to love Evernote a whole lot more than I actually do. Maybe it'll click for me someday, but that hasn't happened yet. It does a lot of things that I wish I could do in SimpleNote, but the sum of the parts just feels unwieldy.

I use Nirvana on and off for my work todos, but it's also somewhat cumbersome to keep up with. Maybe I should give Astrid a shot...
posted by schmod at 7:19 AM on December 20, 2012


I like workflowy in theory, but I find that I always go back to pen and paper because by the time I get to the computer or pull up an app I've already forgotten what I wanted to note. That means I can have a list on the fridge and one in my purse and one on my nightstand and one on a scrap of paper that I shoved into my pocket and a post-it on my computer and eventually I can just gather up all the pieces of paper (or even consolidate them if I'm feeling fancy) and know I have everything.

(But thanks to this post I logged in and saw that at some point I meant to buy a leash for my cat and needed 'tubing: 5/8" inner diameter, 7/8" outer diameter' for...I have no idea.)

shothotbot: "for reminders I am using due."

My life would collapse without due. It seems like it it's become a little sluggish, but it's still great.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:19 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


I use Trello for work, for sprint planning. Hadn't really occurred to me to use it for anything else, but now you mention it...
posted by Artw at 7:20 AM on December 20, 2012


I've been looking for a simple list application and yesterday started using wunderlist. No iPad app but it looks nice and is feature complete in Safari and there is an iPhone app, Mac app and windows app so I can see my lists on whatever screen I'm looking at.
posted by birdherder at 7:21 AM on December 20, 2012


I can't help but think it looks like org-mode with a shiny interface. But I suspect that's a roundabout way of saying these things are all either hopelessly complicated or essentially the same. And I have still never figured out how to use one successfully.
posted by hoyland at 7:25 AM on December 20, 2012


The only problem with Simplenote sync is that you have to pay for it. They disabled free Dropbox syncing a while ago, which is when I stopped using Simplenote.
posted by Rory Marinich at 7:32 AM on December 20, 2012


OMG I was looking for something like this a few weeks ago. Now if only it could be used locally/without an internet connection :O
posted by The Biggest Dreamer at 7:34 AM on December 20, 2012


I use NValt (a fork of Notational Velocity) connected to both Dropbox and Simplenote (I forget why, but there was a reason--I'm sure of it), and then bring 'em together on my phone with Notational Acceleration. I'm not a productivity whiz, but it is pretty dang handy to have my notes wherever and whenever in a very simple format.
posted by mwachs at 7:34 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


Your lives all sound exhausting.
posted by adamdschneider at 7:36 AM on December 20, 2012 [35 favorites]


Put the fun stuff in there too, not just the chores.

I do. In fact, now I have ONLY the fun stuff, since the chores only get rescheduled for a later date every time they come due. Again, in the end, the list isn't going to make me do the things. Only I can do that.
posted by DU at 7:38 AM on December 20, 2012


Unless you breathe emacs, org-mode is a practically a nonstarter.

Todo.txt? Yeah the real advantage of todo.txt is that you're working with simple text files, but it just seems a bit cumbersome to me (maybe that's the implementation). This seems much more fluid and brain-fitting for me.

Taskpaper + sync is a beautiful thing.

Me, I use notational velocity + sync for reference stuff, index cards and a binder clip for to-dos and projects.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:39 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Rory Marinich: I use SimpleNote sync daily between my home mac (with Notational Velocity) and office pc (with ResophNotes), and I haven't paid a dime.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:41 AM on December 20, 2012


I would love to use todo.txt more, but I don't always have access to the command line, and I need something that is seamlessly integrated between the desktop and smartphones. Maybe this is it.

There's a Windows UI for todo.txt -- todotxt.net. And smartphone apps are available in the Android and iOS (iirc) app places.

You can also edit your todo.txt file with your favorite text editor.
posted by notyou at 7:42 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Everyone's talking about NV and it seems to be Mac-only.. :(

*flips table, resumes using pen and paper for her organizing needs*
posted by The Biggest Dreamer at 7:43 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


For those with The Biggest Dreamer's issue, try ResophNotes. It's Notational Velocity for Windows
posted by leotrotsky at 7:47 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


I've been using Wunderlist for quite some time and it's both simple and pretty sufficient for me needs (once I developed my own system for things like repeating tasks and subtasks). They've recently upgraded to a new interface, though, and I'm less excited about it (as I can't sort by due date).
posted by LMGM at 7:53 AM on December 20, 2012


Note: – use Metafilter for todos.
– work on that organisation app.
posted by romanb at 8:06 AM on December 20, 2012


I used to use Trello, now I use 2do and I'm really happy.
posted by phaedon at 8:11 AM on December 20, 2012


If your life hack doesn't involve actually writing LISP code, you're not hardcore enough for org-mode.
posted by LogicalDash at 8:13 AM on December 20, 2012 [4 favorites]


Note: – use Metafilter for todos.

*giggles* Seeing "to-dos" written like that, "todos," it sounds kind of like some sci-fi alien:

"Rise and take arms! We must smite Todos the Rampager!"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:15 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


Paperless! There are not enough words to describe how much I love this app. Simple, pretty checklists. Bright icons! Sync to Dropbox or email for import into other copies of the app. Best $2.99 I haver ever spent.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 8:19 AM on December 20, 2012


Don't blame me; I voted for Todos.
posted by adamdschneider at 8:19 AM on December 20, 2012 [4 favorites]


I like paperless, too. I used to use Remember the Milk, but that has more features than I really need.
posted by winna at 8:29 AM on December 20, 2012


I had a great time using Workflowy for rpg stuff but I haven't messed with it in a while. I need to make it a part of my daily routine again.
posted by immlass at 8:34 AM on December 20, 2012


LOL, I didn't realize todo.txt was an actual product. I meant that I use a text file called todo.txt which I edit with Notepad or Vim.
posted by scose at 8:41 AM on December 20, 2012 [19 favorites]


I'm old fashioned- I just use evernote on my android for taking notes. There's a couple of sites I read where commenting isn't set up for android (no scrolling), so I generally import the whole post into evernote and edit it there. It's awkward, but it works.
posted by happyroach at 8:42 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


I have been an Evernote Premium user for years. There used to be some rough edges (I use the Mac version), but those have disappeared (at least those I used to encounter). I do nearly all my writing in Evernote, supplemented with Aquamacs, when I need to do LaTeX or coding. It can do a shipload of stuff with OCR and pictures, but I only use it for text and the odd PDF file.

The effortless syncing across Macs and iDevices is smooth, and while I have tried various org tools (OmniFocus, Clear, …) none work for me as Evernote does.

I used Journler before Evernote, which worked well for its time, but did not (as I recall) sync as Evernote, and as I move between different machines that is such a nice feature. Cloud syncing is nice, but I am glad that I can also make local backups of my notes.

I used org-mode for a while years ago, but while I used to have Gnus as second nature (so arcane Emacs applications are not foreign to me), org-mode did not click for me. I moved from a Unix world to MacOS X, and one of the things that really endeared me to the platform was that my reflex level Emacs shortcuts just works across all standard text widgets, (apart from some Web sites that perverts perfectly good keystrokes such as ctrl-b for No Reason Whatsoever).

Judging from the above comments, it mainly seems to be a question of finding what works for you, and as you continue to use your tool of choice, the critical mass of stuff already entered makes your tool better and better.
posted by bouvin at 8:43 AM on December 20, 2012 [3 favorites]


I've tried probably dozens of productivity apps by this point. Lots of them are pretty, some come with really useful features ...but in the end, I keep reverting because nothing feels as satisfying as being able to cross through an item on paper to-do list.
posted by estlin at 8:49 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


I can't tell if people are using all these things for work time management or personal time management, and it is scaring me to suspect the latter.
posted by elizardbits at 8:53 AM on December 20, 2012


Says you.
posted by adamdschneider at 9:08 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Trello looks so cool, but again I just cant give total control over my data to some guy in san francisco.
posted by shothotbot at 9:09 AM on December 20, 2012


I can't tell if people are using all these things for work time management or personal time management, and it is scaring me to suspect the latter.

I actually just have a paper notepad at work with my pending tasks on it, and a mental list of my personal stuff, but one of the major productivity books suggests not making this distinction, because the idea is that your to-do list is there for you to offload all of the things you hold in your head, thereby freeing you to focus on the tasks at hand. Keeping two lists introduces friction. Just have one list and put it all on there.

That's the theory.
posted by gauche at 9:16 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


It's interesting that this thread comes up on the first day in months that Wunderlist seems to have crashed and burned spectacularly -- I haven't been able to access my meticulously sorted and organized to-do lists since yesterday. There's a reasonably up-to-date offline Wunderlist on my iPad, but I'm afraid to touch it in case whatever's gone wrong will utterly destroy it all on the next synch.

I hate "subscription fee" based models, is my bias.
posted by Shepherd at 9:29 AM on December 20, 2012


I can't tell if people are using all these things for work time management or personal time management, and it is scaring me to suspect the latter.

For work time management I just use my inbox. "Mark Unread" is equivalent to "You still need to do this". Works out pretty well.

Personal time management is not really an issue. Now idea management, that's a good thing. But I just use a regular notebook for that. Field Notes being my preferred tool (yes I'm a fucking hipster, yippee!)
posted by Doleful Creature at 9:31 AM on December 20, 2012


I can't believe no one's mentioned Catch Notes yet. Fantastic app and has a web interface as well.
posted by dobbs at 9:32 AM on December 20, 2012


If I can't store the files and software on my computer, in a manner that is not auto-updatable by fiat from the manufacturer, then it is dead to me.

We used to have control over our software and data. Now we outsource writing sticky notes.
posted by lalochezia at 9:35 AM on December 20, 2012


What's wrong with using systems for personal time management? Why keep:

* Pay Electric Bill
* Schedule Dentist Appointment
* Add Salt to Water Softener
* Stop by Car Dealership for Maintenance, Oil Change
* Buy Present for Mom's birthday

in your head pestering you when you can write it down and forget about it until you need to remember it?
posted by leotrotsky at 9:35 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


Somewhere recently on MeFi I learned about Autofocus, which seems interesting.
posted by fantabulous timewaster at 9:36 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


Org mode for Emacs represent! (now available in Vim)
posted by wobh at 9:40 AM on December 20, 2012


I can't tell if people are using all these things for work time management or personal time management, and it is scaring me to suspect the latter.

Neither. I like making checklists for the visceral satisfaction that comes from marking something as complete. Using an app is a bonus, as I can keep a running list of repeatable items (such as stuff I need from the grocery store) check it off when I obtain it, then add it back to the list the next time I know I need it with a swipe of my finger.

As for work, I have managed to come up a way to leverage Outlook 2007's (ugh) tasks and categories to track work tasks. After the total clusterfuck that was my previous job (where I had to be always available in case of emergency), separating work and home ranks high on my list and I refuse to utilize anything that would make the twain meet.
posted by theBigRedKittyPurrs at 9:41 AM on December 20, 2012


Simplenote has been falling to pieces recently. Deleting notes by itself, shoving things in trash, losing freshly created notes...I'm done. Is there an NV+Dropbox client for iOS?
posted by sixswitch at 9:57 AM on December 20, 2012


+1-ing org mode. Learning emacs and org mode, putting them on a linode, and getting a cell phone with a physical keyboard and an SSH client has solved my life.
posted by The Ted at 10:08 AM on December 20, 2012


looks like your workflowy stuff lives only on their servers right? That is against my principles.


Actually if you use their Pro version it gets backed up to your DropBox acct.

I love Workflowy; I think it's the best todo list available. I created a bookmark to it on my Android homepage and made it the homepage of all my browsers. That way, I'm instantly confronted with my to-do list, thoughts, and plans every time I use a device.

It has been a remarkable help in saving and organizing my thoughts. I love Workflowy.
posted by fake at 10:11 AM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


"It's the first tool that blah blah blah"

WTF, it's an outliner. Have these children never seen an outliner before? Cue Dave Winer...
posted by lastobelus at 10:25 AM on December 20, 2012


I've really been enjoying Scapple, a tiny bit of software currently in beta, by Literature and Latte (makers of my much-beloved Scrivener).

The thing about programs like Workflowy (and most to-do listers and GTD thingamabobs) is that they assume my brain works in a way it just... doesn't. I suspect that the idea is this is how it should work, and that learning the system will teach my brain to be all linear and neatly nested like a set of Matryoshka dolls, the way God and/or David Allen intended.

But I've been trying to force my brain into that mode for well over forty years, now, and it just ain't happening. I can never stick with any system for very long, because my brain stubbornly insists on doing its own thing, and there aren't a lot of apps for that. I think in terms of connections and interlocks and patterns, and I need something visual that lets me move stuff around. I also like Tinderbox a lot for similar reasons, although it's overkill for everyday stuff.

Just thought I'd wave the freak flag for us nonlinear types who can't manage to squeeze our parabolas into square holes, or whatever.
posted by Superplin at 10:28 AM on December 20, 2012 [4 favorites]


To Do List:

1. Stop making so many damn To Do Lists.
posted by charlie don't surf at 10:33 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


NValt integrates nicely with scrivener using simplenote, I scribble random ideas into NValt and then absorb bits and pieces from that into larger scrivener projects but I can still edit bits of them on my phone. It's real nice. Not that you really need another reason to use NValt.
posted by Perfectibilist at 11:07 AM on December 20, 2012


I love org-mode, I hate org-mode, so it is with some mixture of sadness and elation that my new job as a toolsmith/technical writer has largely required me to set aside Emacs to accommodate a team of BBEdit users.

Consequently, todos have switched from org-mode to Evernote. I own licenses for OmniFocus (Mac, iOS), Things (Mac, iOS), TaskPaper (Mac, iOS), but they're not quite right for me. I don't like having to manage them.

With Evernote, I take notes on a given project. Some of the notes are long-form and prosey, some are very concise. If there's a thing in my notes that I need to take action on, I mark it with Evernote's built-in "todo" type (on a Mac you get at it with cmd-shift-t. That creates a checkbox (which is great) and Evernote is aware of the state of all checkboxes in its database (and that's awesome).

I've saved a few searches for unchecked todo lists occuring in notes under various tags (e.g. todo:false tag:rubydsl) and that gives me a lightweight way to track the stuff I need to deal with that's organic to my notes instead of living off in an external, dedicated todo app.

Evernote's good for reusable checklists, too: I use a checkbox list and save it in a "templates" folder. When I want to run through a new instance of the checklist, I can right-click -> copy to notebook -> inbox.
posted by mph at 11:40 AM on December 20, 2012 [3 favorites]


Truth be told, all I really need is a program that does two things:

1. Support hierarchical entries to allow for sub-tasks in larger projects.

2. Support a sort-by-due-date view that flattens all entries down to a timeline, so I know what then hell I should be worried about right now.

If there were some way to cross-link between asks and to create e-mail reminders, that would also be swell.

So…any recommendations? I'm sort of done with Wunderlist for exactly the above reasons…
posted by LMGM at 11:48 AM on December 20, 2012 [2 favorites]


I used keynote for years and years. It is freeware, but abandoned. I moved from Windows to Linux at work and have desperately searched for a replacement. I am currently stuck on Keepnote, but fear I may be pushing it's boundaries.

I miss the tree view on the left and tab view and the way I could organize under keynote. I've tried all the others recommended from endless google searches.

My needs are simple: take notes, keep simple records (all text based) in a tree structured order, but with tabs to break them out into to dos, personal records, notes on systems I support and on and on. I do not need any web interface or phone app or anything. This workflowy wouldn't work for me.

This is too bad. But I am glad to see metafilter kicking ideas on this around. Maybe I can find one from someone, here.
posted by Nadie_AZ at 12:04 PM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


I'm joining so I can win the lottery.
posted by yoga at 1:02 PM on December 20, 2012 [1 favorite]


LOL, I didn't realize todo.txt was an actual product. I meant that I use a text file called todo.txt which I edit with Notepad or Vim.

Laughing with you; I assumed that’s what you meant.
posted by bongo_x at 2:38 PM on December 20, 2012


@leotrotsky, Thanks for the post. I've just now tried out Workflowy and so far am finding it pretty handy, both on iPhone and in desktop-browser. Apparently they are working on an offline model, which will be sweet to have for those times when my smartphone can't get a signal (inside tunnels on the train, etc.)

The challenge I've encountered with most task management systems, is that I don't do an adequate job of review my list and keep it up to date. I haven't habituated the execution of that task into my regular daily cadence. I use it as a tool for capturing new items, and then for quickly refreshing my memory for What's got to be Worked On Next. I find it invaluable to have a task management tool in order to capture new tasks as they are thrown at me (i.e. to ensure that I don't drop the ball on something) but invariably I end up working [first] on those things that were recently added to the list, to the neglect of those items that were already on my list.

To some extent this is just the nature of my job (the organization is congenitally unable to get away from "the squeaky wheel gets the grease" syndrome, is terminally understaffed, etc.), and also it's probably just a result of the way that my mind and habits have adapted to that.

But I am curious: for those of you who have found success with a particular task-management tool or mechanism:

-- What at methods or habits have you found successful for getting the most out of that tool?

-- How many times during the day to you review The List in order to Refresh it - to make sure that existing ("old") tasks are attended to? Or: how do you ensure that yesterday's items, which at the time seemed Important, but which today seem less so, aren't lost entirely by becoming a victim of the ever-increasing number of newer items at the top?

-- Do you find it important for The Tool itself to provide a mechanism for issuing you a Reminder (i.e. a pop-up alert, or an email, or... ?) ; or, is it beneficial to instead have the Reminder handled externally by a different mechanism or app ?
posted by armoir from antproof case at 9:49 PM on December 20, 2012


Not bad, but I think Gtasks is awesome not only for tasks but to synchronize notes and lists between my Android Phone and laptop (Where it appears as a sidebar in Google calendar).
posted by Skygazer at 11:13 PM on December 20, 2012


I've found that a plane old spreadsheet works fine for time management. You can put whatever you want in, and if you need something in a different format you can just stick it somewhere else on the sheet. I think I would find myself frustrated by something that wasn't 'free form' and locked me into a specific format, or didn't let me calculate the stats I wanted.
If I can't store the files and software on my computer, in a manner that is not auto-updatable by fiat from the manufacturer, then it is dead to me.
Yeah, I can't imagine storing something like this "in the cloud" handled by some random little startup. What happens when you put years of notes into this thing and then it just crashes and disappears. I have no idea how people can store tons of little things with tons of different "apps" which all keep their data on different servers or stuck on tablet with no way to extract it. It's fine for stuff you don't care about at all, but a todo list seems like something I might want to keep.

Also, it seems like experimenting with lots of different software tools to get things done is a good way to avoid actually getting things done.
posted by delmoi at 7:24 AM on December 21, 2012


Yeah, I can't imagine storing something like this "in the cloud" handled by some random little startup. What happens when you put years of notes into this thing and then it just crashes and disappears. ...

Also, it seems like experimenting with lots of different software tools to get things done is a good way to avoid actually getting things done.


I like to keep lots of notes and finally ended up using Devonthink for a while. It’s a very respected program, as far as I can tell, and it worked well. Until it crashed and corrupted about half my notes. Apparently this is rare, yet I am missing information I’ll never get back.

I had used various programs over the years and when researching I would always find the people who said "I’ve just gone back to text notes and folders in the Finder". I scoffed, but after that debacle that’s exactly what I did. And it works just fine for me. It actually works better than any program did.

My needs are pretty simple. I was definitely playing with software just to play with software. I’ve moved on from that, mostly.
posted by bongo_x at 9:00 AM on December 21, 2012


This is proving that there is no One True Way in which our brains work. Otherwise there would be one ultimate task software.

I gave up trying to use todo lists for work as they just reminded me how much I have to do (and probably how late I am at delivering it).

I now use a todo list purely for personal tasks, usually for things like "remember to pick up x from town" and "sell this on eBay". For this I just use Google Tasks on the computer and GoTasks on iOS (free / donationware). The benefit of Google Tasks for me is simplicity, it's free, and syncs seamlessly. There is no GTD fluff which just bamboozles me with 17 layers of complexity.

If I were to pay for task software, I'd look at apps like Taskpaper since it's basically a simple text file with a few extras.

I do use Evernote, not for tasks but for saving interesting things. It's now such a behemoth of a service that it's too big for me to work with it easily.
posted by milkb0at at 9:09 AM on December 21, 2012


OmniFocus 2 on its way.
posted by Artw at 10:20 AM on December 21, 2012


Try Checkvist.com if you're a keyboard person
posted by 3mendo at 10:37 PM on December 21, 2012


I think I would find myself frustrated by something that wasn't 'free form' and locked me into a specific format, or didn't let me calculate the stats I wanted.

I think that's exactly why every time I've tried one of these apps, I still manage to go back to paper and pen. Nothing's more free form than that.
posted by stubie at 8:36 AM on December 26, 2012


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