
Ask HN: How do you keep checklists? - badrabbit
Like the title says,do you use any software or methodology to keep up with checklists?
======
danShumway
Org-mode[0] is the best merge I've found between plain text and more powerful
workflow/scheduling features.

I synchronize to android using Orgzly[1].

If I wasn't on Emacs as my main editor, I would just use plain text. There
have been efforts to get Org-mode working in other editors, but I don't know
how good they are.

The benefits of plain text are more important to me than the benefits of the
special features. I've used a lot of todo apps, and some of them are very good
for specific tasks, but most aren't adaptable enough for my needs. Eventually
I gave up and went to plain text, and was happy. Org-mode is just a better
version of plain text.

[0]:
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzA2YODtgK4](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SzA2YODtgK4)

[1]: [http://www.orgzly.com/](http://www.orgzly.com/)

------
glup
It’s interesting to note that there are very few repeated answers or “me too”
type posts, which suggests that what works best is highly idiosyncratic and
depends on a lot of factors (what you need to organize, with whom, and in what
ecosystem).

I just use a [ ] in a plaintext. When I complete something I add an x, e.g.
[x]. I haven’t found any shortcomings of this system yet.

~~~
sewer_bird
Indeed! I keep my to-do lists in vim and have added a few lines to my syntax
file to recognize/color a couple extra checkmarks like

\- [?] question \- [o] blocked by someone else \- [~] in progress \- [H] on
hold \- [Y] Is X true? (yes) \- [N] Is Y true? (no)

~~~
orev
The vimwiki plugin more or less incorporates this idea and gives you some hot
keys to change state.

------
wh-uws
Trello.

I organize literally my entire life between Trello, Google Docs and Google
Calendar.

Trello handles strategic planning and todos i.e. "Learn Spanish , Get new job"
and a separate board handles smaller more operations stuff like "buy an
electric toothbrush" or "finish reading system design books"

I even designed a system with trello custom fields, webhooks and an aws lambda
that will automatically sort the task buy some weights I can assign. (Just
numbers for urgency, impact, and effort)

I use Google Calendar for time sensitive todos. Stuff that is or needs to
happen on a specific day.

And if the calendar event description gets too long i make a trello card for
it.

Google Docs I use for long form content like keeping track of my own
understanding and research of modern software architecture, techincal
interviewing, or competitive fighting gaming.

------
kevan
For day-to-day tasks I built Natrium[1]. Other tools can accomplish the same
thing, but I wanted a couple things in particular:

1\. To have a single daily checklist that refreshes every day

2\. Views of what I did (or wanted to but didn't) broken down by goal. This
makes reflection a lot faster when I can quickly see what I did every day this
week for a particular goal.

For longer-term planning (home repairs/improvements, side projects) I use
Trello to organize and prioritize things.

At work I tend to use physical post-it notes to track things. It might just be
an odd habit but I think it helps me compartmentalize and leave work at work.
It's also really satisfying to crumple a note when I finish a task.

[1] [https://natriumapp.com](https://natriumapp.com)

------
nataz
For professional life: Pen + dot grid notepad - developed independently, but
similar to the bullet journal technique. Dot grid plus pens make the whole
thing ultra customizable. I can sketch engineering designs, make a calendar,
track action items, take detailed notes, all in the same format. The key is to
be strict with page numbers, dates, and index as much as possible.

Things I occasionally miss - keyword search (I can still look things up by
date or subject in the index), multimedia inserts (think dragging
video/photos/sound clips into one note), never ending space (notebooks run out
of pages), easy backups (thinking about digitizing with photos or scans), team
collaboration (if this is necessary I use Trello).

Things I like - no OS/tech stack compatibility issues, "it just works",
lighter then a laptop) tablet, don't need to charge, easy to read, can bring
into a secure area (where outside electronics are not permitted), travels
well, hard to damage.

[http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/](http://bulletjournal.com/get-started/)

For personal life: add Google keep for simple lists, and then a mix of Trello
and dot grid for larger projects (less strict formatting than professional
life project management).

~~~
rococode
Love the link, thank you for sharing!

As a supplement, I've found the following system to be a useful way for
organizing a notebook that has more consistency in categories of pages:
[http://www.highfivehq.com](http://www.highfivehq.com) (for example, notes for
different classes in school or a set of projects you're working on). The idea
is to draw lines on the edge of your pages that are visible from some index
page. You can combine it with a standard page indexing system for a super
easy-to-navigate notebook!

~~~
orcs
I've seen this before but found it limited as you can only use it on pages
facing away from the other pages. I have used it but do prefer the bullet
journal way

------
otterpro
For short-term checklist, I use Todoist. I've tried every apps under the sun
for making checklist (in my pursuit of finding the perfect checklist app), but
I kept going back to Todoist, especially because I can indent each items
effortlessly. While Todoist is not perfect feature-wise, its UI/UX is just
perfect.

For long-term, I use plain text file and edit with Vim. I want to remember
what I did and when.

For projects shared with others, I use OneNote or Kanbanflow.

~~~
ObsoleteNerd
Almost same here.

Todoist for lists. I live off lists, I have dozens and dozens.

.txt for longer notes. Vim/Notepad.exe/DropboxEdit depending which platform
I'm on. Shared Dropbox folder of .txt for shared notes.

------
akavel
What do you mean by checklists? Like in an airplane pilot's safety checklists?

If yes, then in my current company I've learnt to _script the hell out of
them_ (though not too early — only once you see how the typical pattern/path
is shaping up). Good automation (a.k.a. scripting) can help a lot to reduce
brittleness of deployments.

Or "TODO" checklists? If yes, then personally I use
[https://github.com/jffrymrtn/temaki](https://github.com/jffrymrtn/temaki),
though it has some limitations for me, so I'm trying to build a
replacement/ripoff and extend it to my needs.

~~~
lylecubed
> If yes, then in my current company I've learnt to script the hell out of
> them (though not too early — only once you see how the typical pattern/path
> is shaping up). Good automation (a.k.a. scripting) can help a lot to reduce
> brittleness of deployments.

Can you elaborate on how you accomplish this? I read the checklist manifesto a
few years ago and started using checklists for things like checkins, code
reviews, etc. I figured these kinds of lists could be automatable, but I was
never able to come up with a UI that was easier than a pre-populated textarea.

~~~
akavel
Can you try to list some example of what you have on your checklist? It'd help
me understand your particular trouble, currently I don't have a good idea of
it. Also, haven't read "the checklist manifesto", I understand you mean the
book by the title. On technical side, there are pre-commit, pre-push etc.
hooks in git, and bots like Travis-CI for github.

------
dpeck
Apple notes, seriously.

Its good if you use an iPhone, great if you use a Mac too and fantastic if
you're "all in" on the apple ecosystem with a watch/ipad as well.

Organize it using a GTD like system and you'd be hard pressed to find
something that is as powerful as it is while being super simple.

~~~
tomcam
I fear Apple Notes, which I use religiously. The problem is, I use it to its
fullest-with long notes, PDF attachments, drawings, and so on. I’m afraid at
some critical point I’ll hit some undocumented wall, and find that I’ve a
usage or search limit, only to be told “you’re not supposed to use it that
way.”

~~~
dpeck
true, and I have some of the same fears. I figure worst case its a weekend of
exporting the handwritten parts to PDF and copying the text from the rest into
org mode, but with all things APPL going too far outside of mainstream usage
is a real risk.

------
Tyrius
Personal stuff: Microsoft To-Do, I switched from Wunderlist only recently, and
there is still a few features I'm missing (i.e. md support for item notes). I
also use Google Keep for groceries list.

Once a personal project becomes too big/important (job search) or requires
long-term planning (personal/professional side projects), I create a new
Kanban-like board in Trello, which is adapted to the specific task at hand.

At work, I use the Atlassian suite (Jira, Confluence, Bitbucket), and I keep
track of my day-to-days activity with pen and paper by writing what I expect
to do during the day and note any issue I might encounter so I can bring it up
during the stand-up the next day.

------
lgregg
I use Gmail's new task manager, I find it super helpful to keep my emails and
task list together. It's also has a notes function which I haven't used much
yet.

------
kovrik
At work: Org mode (Emacs)

Personal stuff: I just send emails to myself.

Something like: '[TODO] Do something ...' Then you can elaborate in the
message body.

Pros:

\- free

\- simple

\- no apps required (or: you can use any app/web client you want)

\- easily done and accessible from anywhere

\- auto sync out of the box

\- search/filtering out of the box

\- timestamps out of the box

\- tags out of the box (via email tags/labels)

\- groups/projects out of the box (via mail folders/inboxes)

\- rules out of the box (via email rules)

\- supports files, links, code snippets, formatted text etc.

\- I can flag/unflag them, delete/restore, mark as read/unread and so on

\- most clients allow you to add a reminder/follow up for an email (hence,
reminders and notifications out of the box)

------
dbwest
Taskwarrior. I really wish I could use it on all my mobile devices easily. I
especially wish that I could control it using my voice and use it with all my
wearables. I think a taskwarrior service with easy setup and UI through modern
channels is my dream of how people change the way they get things done.
Taskwarrior isn't there yet but I feel like I've got super powers when I plan
with it. Unfortunately when I'm doing my plans I don't want to always have a
terminal window open.

~~~
anotherevan
[https://youtu.be/zl68asL9jZA](https://youtu.be/zl68asL9jZA)

This video from a recent Linux.conf.au has got my brain buzzing on using
Taskwarrior, but I'm yet to embark on the journey.

------
sampl
[https://culturedcode.com/things/](https://culturedcode.com/things/)

~~~
isthisnagee
I use Things on my phone. I love the app, but the price of the full suite
(iPhone, Mac, iPad -- even though I don't have an iPad) is too high for me so
I don't use it often enough :(

~~~
perilunar
Same. Mac $50, iPad $20, iPhone $10, Too much for what is essentially a fancy
list-keeping app. You can use the iPhone version on an iPad though, which I
do.

------
actionowl
I use a private github repo. I create issues there and take notes in the wiki,
also have a pile of scripts and things in the repo itself.

~~~
jamestimmins
Are the scripts related to daily tasks? If so, I'm curious what you've written
scripts for, if you don't mind saying.

~~~
actionowl
I use the git repo as a "scratch pad" of sorts and toss anything in there
that's relevant to my issues but not yet "fully baked" so it has a bunch of
crappy ad-hoc scripts, config files, patches, etc. They'll all related to the
issues in my private repo and only live in there long enough to get cleaned
up. Anything long-term moves into a configuration management repo, my personal
dotfiles repo, a repo of it's own, or upstream.

------
DoofusOfDeath
Pad of paper and a pen next to my keyboard.

At the end of each workday, I write down the (predicted) todo list for my next
workday.

It's a carry-over from my early days of using the Franklin-Covey system.

------
frio
There's a missing be-all, do-all, external brain app that I've always wanted
in this space. Something that aggregates data from the internet offline;
something that stores all my projects and info; something that stores tasks in
a useful format; something that exposes lenses on that data (calendars, task
lists, mind maps); something that ties into my browser to let me store new
things and find existing things (imagine if your awesome-bar searched your
external brain before heading off to Google!); something that bookmarks
things; something that stores all my notes. There've been a few attempts at
the be-all/end-all PIM, but nothing's achieved enough of it to stick, IMHO.

In the meantime, for daily stuff I slap things into a text file in Sublime
Text, for longer term stuff I schedule things into my calendar so that I'll
remember to slap it into the textfile for the day on the day. I've tried so
many TODO managers, paper notebooks, etc. -- nothing seems to stick, because I
always get frustrated at how small the scope is and tack things on the side
until the house of cards collapses.

~~~
lcall
Might see if this helps (I wrote; desktop-only; does that for me). Details
elsewhere on this page, and at the web site:

[http://onemodel.org](http://onemodel.org)

------
lcall
I'm late to the party, but I heavily use a tool I wrote (after trying org-
mode, collapsible outlines in other tools, etc). It uses postgres, and I hope
that "sharing" data exchange features are coming (though it already does
export to org-mode-like text, and to html). Best code is that in github,
though a downloadable .jar is available. Currently keyboard and desktop-only
(text-oriented). The most efficient/effective thing I have found for
notes/lists/details of _all_ kinds, and should be easy to learn to use, as all
the essentials are on the screen. There is a tutorial.

By marking things done or "archived", it also provides a journal feature or
personal log, of entries created or archived in any date range (defaulting to
"yesterday and so far, today", to help with daily standup reporting).

[http://onemodel.org](http://onemodel.org) (AGPL)

------
damm
org-mode

[https://orgmode.org/manual/Checkboxes.html](https://orgmode.org/manual/Checkboxes.html)

* TODO Organize party [2/4] \- [-] call people [1/3] \- [ ] Peter \- [X] Sarah \- [ ] Sam \- [X] order food \- [ ] think about what music to play \- [X] talk to the neighbors

------
romdev
This is a similar conversation with the same confusion about checklists versus
ToDo lists:
[https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15799539](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15799539)
For ToDo lists, Google tasks has everything I need. There is a good app and
very simple web interface:
[https://mail.google.com/tasks/ig?pli=1](https://mail.google.com/tasks/ig?pli=1)
Adding a date will make a reminder show in Android notification bar and show
in Google calendar. I have it organized into lists: Today (should be cleared
out daily), Queue (pull from this list when bored), Projects (collections of
tasks for long-term), and subject-specific lists like Music, Home, etc.

------
upbeatlinux
Depends on the type of checklist.

If it's something like a grocery list, etc I tend to use Google Keep.

If it's code specific then one of GitHub's project boards.

If it's going to require managing a team, keeping up on tasks, generating
productivity reports and something akin to virtual scrum / kanban / post-it's
on a daily, weekly or monthly basis BusinessDay [1]. I chose it because of
recurring tasks, aging of cards and private lists.

This goes into the process behind it [2]

[1] [https://blog.businessday.io/](https://blog.businessday.io/)

[2] [https://blog.businessday.io/2016/09/04/quick-start-for-
accou...](https://blog.businessday.io/2016/09/04/quick-start-for-accounting-
teams/)

~~~
badrabbit
Daily taks but also reminder related like "monthly patch kernel on systems
{...} ,do checklist [a,b,c...] For this group manually after."

Businessday seems excellent,I will demo it.thank you!

------
fernandokokocha
[https://nozbe.com/](https://nozbe.com/)

It's a software built on top of GTD methodology and I love its way of managing
TODO lists.

First of all, the tasks are grouped by the projects, so you can dive deep when
working on one the projects.

You can mark some tasks as "Next actions". All the next actions across all the
projects will show in a"Priority" view, it's kind of a "mission control".

GTD advises you not to assign a due date for tasks unless it's essentially
required (like in an appointment) and that works perfectly for me.

Another important piece of GTD is a weekly review when you plan what to do in
an upcoming week. So whenever I'm in a mood to do something, I check what's
left for this week.

------
lylecubed
Papier[0] for my daily checklists. It's convenient because, as a web
developer, I spend all my time in chrome.

I'm still working out a system for managing longer term
checklists/goals/plans/etc. To that end, Natrium[0] (which I just found out
about in this thread) looks interesting.

I'm also still working out a system for managing activity-based checklists for
processes like checkins, code reviews, etc.

[0]:
[https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/papier/hhjeaokafpl...](https://chrome.google.com/webstore/detail/papier/hhjeaokafplhjoogdemakihhdhffacia?hl=en)

[1]: [https://natriumapp.com/](https://natriumapp.com/)

------
PeOe
We use Zenkit to keep track. It´s our own tool and simple to use. You can use
the Checklist-feature in every data view. To get back to your question, we
normally use the Kanban View and assign team member to each task. Once a week
we meet and go through the tasks - What is done? Do we need a follow-up? What
do we have to do now? Priorities? And so on... You can think of it as a mix of
the methodologies of Kanban and Scrum.

For more instructions, you could have a look at our templates or the
documentation: [https://zenkit.com](https://zenkit.com)

------
capdeck
[http://quip.com/](http://quip.com/) \-- It works everywhere except,
unfortunately, the terminal. What I like about quip's way is that it doesn't
differentiate checklists from notes -- which is exactly my style. And you can
even embed a spreadsheet if you suddenly need more power.

P.S.: They also don't like Firefox for some reason (it works ok, but it works
better in Chrome). Now that Salesforce bought them, I don't have my hopes too
high that it is going to change...

------
zhte415
Depends on the checklist.

At work, auditable, is online control function checklist and needs to be
filled out at multiple times during the day plus weekly and monthly various
check-points. Saved to a database with timestamps for any submission. Non-
editable.

At work, non-auditable, a huddle board with post-it notes and quite fluid,
small tweaks mean it might be the same board day-to-day but never the exact
same board month-to-month. What stays constant is it's always always visible
and mainly pen-based.

------
richsinn
Anyone use the Eisenhower Matrix? A few really productive people I know seem
to use it to great effect. Was wondering if anyone here has any tips with
their experiences.

------
kysek
Todoist for personal tasks. Google Keep for checklists (like list of things to
pack). Pen and paper for stuff at work. Overall I'm quite happy with this
setup.

------
chewz
Tet ToDo on Android
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.aswinmohan....](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=me.aswinmohan.tet)

for simplicity

And D Notes
[https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dvdb.bergn...](https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.dvdb.bergnotes)

for longer time horizone checklists

Both free

------
creativityland
[https://www.taskade.com](https://www.taskade.com)

Very flexible and cross-platform. Works for personal checklists and team
projects.

~~~
badrabbit
I think I like this,cross platform is important for me.

------
tokyokawasemi
I made a little pocketbook thingy based on a weekly "sprint" with a max of six
tasks per day, to progress towards weekly goals:
[https://vimeo.com/252014662](https://vimeo.com/252014662)

I find keeping to-do items separate from my phone distractions works well.

On phone/web, I find trello is as good as anything, especially across devices.
Decent checklist function.

------
latchkey
As an ex-Pivotal employee, the best tool for the job is Pivotal Tracker. It is
all about how you write the stories though (methodology). Their documentation
is quite good too:
[https://www.pivotaltracker.com/help/articles/quick_start/](https://www.pivotaltracker.com/help/articles/quick_start/)

------
egypturnash
Post-its and a pen.

~~~
LarryDarrell
Me too.

------
unforeseen9991
I've used many different apps over the years, until ultimately settling on
todo.txt. It's a standardized format similar to taskwarrior, but it's simply a
text file that apps interact with and is open source.

You can get it in a terminal, mobile, web, vim plugin, etc.

[http://todotxt.org/](http://todotxt.org/)

------
maym86
Google Inbox reminders. Swipe them away when they're done or have them appear
in a few days if I'm not ready yet

------
digimkr
[https://workflowy.com/](https://workflowy.com/) which I strongly suspect was
inspired by Emacs Org-mode
[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPMVtkNrquU](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qPMVtkNrquU)

------
darrelld
I've been using YouTrack from Jetbrains for tracking my personal life. It's
been the single greatest improvement to my overall life.

Need to buy something? Throw it on the backlog. Oooh this looks cool and I
should learn it. Throw it on the backlog.

Schedule things out every two weeks.

------
vadbars
I'm using TickTick ([https://ticktick.com/](https://ticktick.com/)). The only
thing missing is the dependency of the task on other tasks. Is there such a
thing anywhere?

------
jnurmine
Zim.

It's offline, and supports, among other things like a full-blown personal wiki
and LaTeX input via plugins, also easy creation of checklists. The wiki
features are useful to store progress & notes as one processes the checklists.

------
thomk
[https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/things-3/id904237743?mt=8](https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/things-3/id904237743?mt=8)

Things 3, powerful but not bloated.

------
c-smile
I've created Notes app for that purpose too:
[https://notes.sciter.com/](https://notes.sciter.com/)

It allows to insert check list in any note (that is HTML under the hood)

------
orcs
On the computer I use treesheets:
[http://strlen.com/treesheets/](http://strlen.com/treesheets/)

Out and about (mobile) I use a notebook and pencil.

------
l0tuseater
Notion[0], hands down the best tool for keeping track of everything I need to
do/remember.

[0]: [https://www.notion.so/](https://www.notion.so/)

------
TheGrumpyBrit
A notebook on my desk for my working list - what's on today plus any ad-hoc
items that come up.

Calendar for tasks tied to a specific date - Outlook for work, Google for
home.

Jira for projects.

------
ptdel
taskwarrior. command line todo list, has a sync server for sharing tasks
across devices. I like it because i can just type `task` in the shell and see
what i need and keep working, then if i finish something it's `task x done` it
does burndown charts and stuff too, all from the shell. nice api for plugging
into and of course because it's in the shell it's already very extensible.

------
tarboreus
Orgmode in Emacs.

------
sriram_iyengar
Me the coder,

\- Evernote for tasking my daily activities \- Firefox for my bookmarks on
internet \- Google drive for finances

------
vl
OmniFocus, Google Keep, pen and paper.

------
nso95
I just use a Google Doc for my daily planner, no todo app is flexible enough.
Trello for projects.

------
wilsonnb2
OneNote works pretty well.

------
ladybro
Telegram messages to myself. Super fast and always available.

------
jolmg
Pocket notebook and small mechanical pencil.

------
trevor-e
dynalist.io is the best I've found and has some programmer features like code
snippets.

------
vfulco2
simplenote. It's awesome. I have even offered to pay the company.

------
djangowithme
Google Keep

