
Ask HN: How do you do your To-Do list? - aadilrazvi
What method of organization works for you? Do you use Evernote or pen and paper? Do you have multiple lists for different things? Do you review your notes? What works for you?
======
jmduke
After trying various methods (Wunderlist, journaling, Trello, Evernote, the
list goes on and on), I finally settled on a slight variation on "bullet
journaling": bulletjournal.com

Basically, writing daily notes/to-do-lists with a focus on organization and
brevity.

~~~
pavs
I love the idea of Bullet Journaling. I used to do something similar couple of
years ago. Now I use Wunderlist mostly because its OS/Device agnostic and
reasonable looking.

The reason Bullet written journaling didn't work for me because carrying a
notebook is annoying, since I don't keep a bag with me all the time, it means
I have to keep one in my pocket all the time. Also Notebooks gets damaged.

The positive was that it "feels" more personal when writing down your todo
list and there is definitely a "cool" factor to it. But probably not for
everyone.

~~~
techiebubble
do they have a Linux client?

~~~
pavs
non-native. They have a chrome app where you can have a desktop shortcut and
looks and pretty much works like a desktop native app (almost). I guess its
not truly a OS agnostic in that sense, since if you don't use chrome/chromium
on linux the only other way would be to user their online version (which is
not bad at all).

------
gmays
Email.

I have Gmail labels for different categories and different
priorities/complexities. My goal is inbox zero, so when I finish my list I
pull from the labels based on the priority, complexity, and what area I'm
working in (i.e. marketing, dev, content, etc.).

If I'm busy or something comes up I'll just push the items back into the
folders to clear my mind and pull them out again later. If items are quick
(i.e. I can do them in under a minute) I'll usually knock them out all at one
time.

I'm sure there are other great solutions out there, but I don't need yet
another app/account and the pain isn't great enough to switch or even try
anything else. When it comes to apps (and most things), I'm a minimalist.

If Google incorporated (or someone built) a better to-do list (i.e. more
robust than tasks) that worked well with Gmail they'd have massive adoption. I
saw the Todoist Gmail plugin, but it's not what I'm looking for. I'd like to
set some labels as to do lists. For example, if I move some emails to a
label/folder I'd be able to set a priority for them and optionally a due date.
I'd also be able to set a default reminder schedule for each one.

Something that isn't too complicated and uses a lot of what already exists.
The key is using the workflows, processes, and tools that people already use
and just making it better.

~~~
ZanderEarth32
I like this idea, but would it work if I'm using the mail app on OS Mavericks?
Would the labels import?

Might be time to switch away from the mail app anyways, seems to really bog
down my system.

~~~
gmays
Not sure. I tried the mail app, but it was too cumbersome. I just use Gmail in
Safari on OS Mavericks and the Gmail app on the iPhone. On OS Mavericks it
works well enough with desktop notifications.

------
hrabago
At the root directory of every project I have, I have a notes.txt. It contains
my To Dos for that project, as well as other misc information. I just mark
them [DONE] when they're accomplished. I never have to leave my IDE, get
online, deal with custom formats, etc. It's also nice seeing the previous
[DONE] items from past releases.

I also make heavy use of the built in notes app on my phone (500+ entries) and
they serve as idea buffer when I'm away from my computer.

------
pldrnt
I have up to four lists per task (tasks themselves form a hierarchy):

\- todos: for the immediate future

\- goals: for longer term objectives

\- ideas: for spontaneous 'eureka' moments

\- gotos: related bookmarks and local folders

Whenever I'm done with an item, it goes from the list into the task timeline
where I journal all other progress.

I manage them all with a tool I wrote myself, called tau (shameless plug,
[http://signup.tau.la](http://signup.tau.la))

------
danmaz74
I'm using it less lately, but [https://workflowy.com/](https://workflowy.com/)
is a really good solution to the to-do list problem.

------
eps
Trello.

First it was scraps of paper with multi-item lists of various nature - from
things fixed in the next release, to known issues, to feature requests, to
random stuff with nothing in common. Then I moved to using Inkscape and it
worked well, but moving items between the lists and archiving them was a
hassle. There were also no search and generally it's just a vector editor, so
it was a stop-gap measure. Then I thought of writing my own system, even
drafted the spec only to realize that I was looking at replicating Trello. So
Trello it was. It's not perfect, I would change few things about the UI and
certainly re-style it, but it is surprisingly good as is.

That said I still use scraps of paper as it's the fastest option of them all.

------
gexla
I use Org-mode in Emacs.

[http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html](http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html)

That doc explains a good work flow.

------
jaxn
I use OmniFocus. Every once in a while I look for something "better" but
decide that I just need to be better at using OmniFocus. That is probably true
for any of the todo list apps.

~~~
mdavidn
I've also been sticking with OmniFocus. It syncs to each of my Macs and iOS
devices, yet it still accepts changes when offline. It offers a quick-entry
"inbox" but also two higher dimensions of organization, project and context,
when my inbox inevitably grows unwieldy. It supports recurring tasks and due
dates for important reminders like credit payments.

------
nicolethenerd
I use different tools for different purposes. I have Trello always open as a
Fluid app ([http://fluidapp.com/](http://fluidapp.com/)) for work projects,
but I use Workflowy for personal ToDos, as well as long-term goals, project
ideas, and everything else (I keep the day-to-day to do list at the top, and
then underneath it is all sorts of misc topics - gift ideas, fonts I like, etc
- pretty much anything I want to keep a running list of, I keep on workflowy)

~~~
parley
I must second WorkFlowy. I've tried lots of different managers, but WF is the
only one that worked for me. It's flexible enough to support the simple, no-
frills to-do list as well as the larger projects. I like information
hierarchies and WFs free-form style and zoom levels are perfect for me. Not
being happy with any of the other tools I tried used to make it a pain for me
to keep things organized, but WF changed all that. Try it!

------
donutdan4114
My daily todo list is [http://1-3-5.com](http://1-3-5.com) (set as homepage)
The night before I like to prioritize items and think about what major,
medium, and smalls tasks there are going to be.

For larger projects, I prefer Trello
([https://trello.com](https://trello.com)). It's so good on so many levels.

For personal random things that need to get done, the whiteboard on my fridge
is unbeatable.

------
jirinovotny
My own method is a bit unusual - it's a hybrid method.

As a Windows user, I use our own software, Swift To-Do List, that we've been
developing for over 9 years - [http://www.dextronet.com/swift-to-do-list-
software](http://www.dextronet.com/swift-to-do-list-software)

First of all, I use it as a task and notes database, where I store all my
tasks and ideas.

Second, every evening, I print a fresh to-do list with tasks for the next day.
I just pick the tasks I want to do today, right-click them and print them.

This combination of software and paper gives me the best of the both worlds -
the paper on my desk helps me stay focused, and I can scribble on it, etc.

This feels very empowering, because every day, my to-do list is short, up-to-
date and I can actually finish it. If you work from your "task database" with
all your tasks, it can be a bit depressing to see all the unfinished stuff on
a daily basis, and the progress you make doesn't seem that significant.

If you've never tried software as a task database + fresh daily to-do list
printed from it, give it a go! It's awesome.

~~~
pldrnt
Whoa the price is... interesting, may I ask what has been your experience with
pricing over 9 years and how you decided to set it at $45?

------
morisy
I've become a surprised addict of HabitRPG, a "gamified" To-Do system that
does a great job handling one off tasks, daily/weekly things, habits you want
to nudge yourself to do more regularly, and everything else I needed from a
solid GTD app but couldn't find.

It also has a great API, free mobile apps, is open source, easy to export data
via CSV or JSON, and has an amazing community behind it. The only thing it
really lacks for me, right now, is a way to track larger projects, but I've
started keeping those together in a weekly review doc that is separate. Highly
recommended.

[http://www.habitrpg.com](http://www.habitrpg.com)

------
ZanderEarth32
I've gone through them all. For the past few weeks I've been using Silo
because of the ability to share lists with my GF. I've got 5 Lists (or Silos I
guess) at the moment, 3 of which are shared.

I like it because it has the simple input features of Clear, but with the
ability to share lists, and receive notifications when a list is updated.

At work I use Trello, which is great, just too much for my personal project
needs. Trello's iPad app is fantastic btw. Really intuitive and smooth.

When I'm feeling completely overwhelmed, I usually find writing out tasks on
paper with a pen is the best. Sometimes it's just nice to get away from a
screen and write something down.

------
jetblackio
Pen and paper, using Bullet Journal conventions
([http://www.bulletjournal.com/](http://www.bulletjournal.com/)).

Ultimately the problem I have with digital todo lists is todo-creep. Lists
become large and unwieldy. Old todos are not automatically deleted. Pen and
paper allows you to make a fresh start each day. If there is an important task
you didn't finish the day before, you'll remember it and add it to the new
day.

Bullet Journal allows you to organize the todo in a way that I find very
useful. I've been using it for about six months now and don't think I'll ever
switch.

~~~
joshrotenberg
This looks good. I like to keep all of my stuff in one place if possible
(notes, todos and calendar) so I might give this a shot.

------
mindcrime
I just use a wiki page. We run a private Mediawiki instance for ourselves to
share and store all sorts of information & knowledge, and I have a Phil_TODO
page on there. I just plug stuff in at the top as it arises, then put
<strike></strike> tags around stuff that's done and move those to the bottom.
Periodically I come in and re-shuffle the ones near the top to reflect
relative priority.

It's not perfect, but it works reasonably well for me.

------
pinoyyid
Most of my todo items come to me as emails, so I wanted something that lives
within my Gmail. I managed this in three steps... 1/ I created a label called
"todo" 2/ I made this a section in my Gmail priority Inbox so it's always
displayed 3/ I created a filter to fire on emails sent to
myname+todo@gmail.com, and label them as todo.

So I can just label an email as todo, or send myself an email to
myname+todo@gmail.com

------
superfx
I find Workflowy to be excellent.

------
wting
Google Keep. I've tried Trello, Any.Do, Evernote, Asana, Hashnote, Wunderlist,
RememberTheMilk, etc.

I need something that syncs effortlessly, works on Android / Linux / Mac, and
is fast. I used Trello and Any.Do for a couple months each, but eventually got
fed up with Trello slow performance on mobile and Any.Do's Chrome extension
bugs.

------
tagawa
A week-per-two-pages diary, with my todo items written in each day's column. I
got inspiration from Erica Douglass [1] and this has proven to work best for
me.

[1]
[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-yer_cy3-Q](http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k-yer_cy3-Q)

EDIT: I also love Trello for personal project-based items.

------
mark_l_watson
I have written two different web apps (Clojure+Clojurescript: [http://my-
foc.us/](http://my-foc.us/) and using Meteor: [http://our-foc.us/](http://our-
foc.us/)) that I have used.

I am also experimenting with the Deft package for Emacs that is pretty good.

------
troebr
I made a little trello clone as a weekend side project,
[http://lipstr.com](http://lipstr.com) , I've stopped working on it, I don't
use it all that often since I like using a paper to keep track of my tasks
now. My girlfriend is probably the only daily user.

------
MediaSquirrel
Wunderlist. And it rocks.

We actually use it now inside my company to assign tasks to people and manage
projects. Totally awesome.

------
liw
I use a variant of David Allen's "Getting Things Done" (GTD) system. I wrote a
little booklet about my implementation of it, to have a convenient place to
point people at when they're curious.

[http://gtdfh.branchable.com/](http://gtdfh.branchable.com/)

------
wikwocket
I use Trello. It works best for me because:

\- It's easy to view the list at a glance

\- It's easy to add items, move them around, mark them as done

\- It is always with me, thanks to a smartphone app

\- It gets unwieldy if there are too many items - this is not a bug but a
feature which reminds me to keep lists manageable!

------
js7
I have tried a few things. I used Evernote for a few months and while it is
more work than a notepad+paper, it is great for when I need to look back on
something. Better for structuring and searching.

Can't beat notepad+paper for simplicity though.

------
rickyc091
Evernote - Weekly To Dos.

Command, Shift, T - Creates a checkbox and then I write the task.

At the end of the week, I copy over the list and remove everything I've done
and keep the ones I still plan on doing, but I've procrastinated on.

------
vojant
Pen and paper. I have few lists, e.g. life goals, everyday stuff (like
groceries) and work/programming. I have tried multiple on-line tools but only
paper and pen works for me (or white board if avaible).

------
madisonmay
I'd highly recommend giving Fetchnotes
([http://www.fetchnotes.com](http://www.fetchnotes.com)) a go. It's dead
simple to use and looks incredible on iOS 7.

------
nhebb
Two ways:

1\. Pen and paper for daily tasks.

2\. A desktop app I wrote for personal use that helps me track intermittent
tasks / projects. It's more geared toward tracking train of thought than
tasks, though.

------
mike_mg
Trello is just great for doing this. I was also considering writing my own
Trello clone with better integration of calendar and plan to do so if I have
some spare time this month.

~~~
nicolethenerd
Have you seen the Trello Calendar power-up?
[http://blog.trello.com/introducing-power-ups-calendar-
card-a...](http://blog.trello.com/introducing-power-ups-calendar-card-aging-
and-more/) I like it a lot. What would you do to make it better?

~~~
mike_mg
Wow, that's just great! Thanks for recommendation! I guess iOS integration for
this power-up wouldn't hurt. I use my iPad a lot while processing my to-dos

------
jkiviluoto
[http://getontracks.org/](http://getontracks.org/) has worked well enough to
use it daily for two years.

------
skram
I use Things.app (Mac, iPhone, iPad) for personal and general to-dos and
Pivotal Tracker for work tasks

------
druska
I use text files and Dropbox. If I'm on an iPhone I send new tasks to Dropbox
using Drafts.

------
goldhand
Note cards, hand written at the end of each day. 5 things I want to accomplish
the next day.

------
hccampos
I don't. I usually keep everything in my head quite easily. If things start
getting out of hand, there's trello to help out.

------
korg250
OneNote.

Sincs nicely with my Windows Phone.

------
thenerdfiles
I use [http://todotxt.com/](http://todotxt.com/) because I very much dislike
having to leave commandline. It's a bad code-switch to leave commandline for a
TODO list.

    
    
        $ t ls/p # list or list by priority sort
        $ t add 'Something to do +Project @Tag' # add a new item with +Project or @Context categorization
        $ t [Num] p B # give priority 'B' to the TODO listing
        $ t rm [Num] # remove some item in the list
    

I use @Tag to track usernames of contributors of the project.

------
andyl
Vim, Text Files, Dropbox.

~~~
__--__
I've managed to almost completely replace evernote with Vim, Markdown text
files and Bittorrent Sync. The only downside is adding images isn't as wysiwyg
and "clipping" text from the browser can really suck.

