1|2 To-do or Not To-do – Bonus – finding a good task manager

Intro If you don’t have a system today, fulfilling the requirements, it is time to choose one. This is not an easy task. There are many systems and apps on the market, and even if you use review and compare sites, they often differ in their conclusions. One of the reasons is that what makes a good system is partly personal preference and the best fit for your needs and wants. Put in the effort to find, test, and select a task management system. It is a fundamental tool you will be using every single day.

Recommendation 1. Pre-select 2 or 3 systems, make sure they all fulfill the 3 requirements: 1. fast and easy, 2. portable, 3. multi-list. 2. Take a try-out period, e.g., 1 month in which you really use the system. 3. Choose the one who fits your needs best.

Paper Bullet Journal If you prefer paper, I recommend you look into Bullet Journal. The Bullet Journal is more than a To-do list system; it will also help you to set goals, plan actions and more extensive note-taking. For a short introduction watch: THE BULLET JOURNAL METHOD by Ryder Carroll | Core Message YouTube link

Good Old To-do List If you prefer a simple and straightforward To-do list notebook, you can consider something like the below example (1).

(1): the shown brand is not related to MyTime Creator in any way.

2|2 Digital I start with a disclaimer: it is impossible to recommend a digital task manager without the recommendation being outdated, immediately after publishing this document. Most available to-do or task management apps are continuously improved, and sometimes the updates make worse. Also new products keep entering the market. I mention a few apps I tested and use(d) personally and be sure to do your own research.

Google Tasks https://calendar.google.com/calendar/r?opentasks=1 Used to be the perfect simple cloud-based multiplatform application. Basic features, fulfilling the main requirements and no fuss. When Google changed the application and integrated it with Gmail I stopped using it. I don’t want my e-mail and task manager in 1 view. Email is too distracting. In the meanwhile, you can have a combined task + calendar view, which is better.

Wunderlist https://www.wunderlist.com/ Straightforward and elegant to-do list manager. It was sold to . In my experience, this is the end of a good product. Very true in this case as Microsoft was about to discontinue Wunderlist in favor of Microsoft To- Do. The last rumor I read is that the original owner of Wunderlist wants to buy it back.

ToDoist https://todoist.com I tested this application for a while, and it is almost perfect. The browser interface was less fast and easy than I hoped for, so I stopped using it. It can be the user interface has improved by now, so I recommend you give it a try.

TickTick https://ticktick.com The to-do list/task manager I currently use. It seems like they made a copy of ToDoist, with a more user- friendly and faster browser interface.

Trello https://trello.com Trello is much more than a task manager. It is a full project collaboration system in which you can create lists and cards resembling or supporting the scrum method. It has more functionality than the other to-do list managers, which is good and bad. For a personal task manager, I think it is too much. For team collaboration, communication, and task management it is perfect. Maybe you like it for your personal system too. If you work with more than one on the same set of tasks, be sure to check this one out.

Data security and privacy With the cloud-based apps, you will have your data on a cloud server. It important that you check terms of use of the company you choose. I value the privacy of my customers so I avoid using full names and other personal data in my to-do lists as an additional precaution. Don’t store passwords in your to-do lists.