Todoist - Simple but Powerful Task Management App

todoist logo You possibly already know that I am a huge Remember the Milk fan. Well, a while ago I found a service that rivals RTM, a powerful and simple to-do manager called Todoist. It manages to incorporate Gmail, Launchy, Quicksilver and even mobile support in a seamless way.

After you sign up, you’ll be taken to your task manager with a link to go to the info page. You can easily hide and show this page using the appropriate link on the top right, but take some time to go through it as it has many great tips plus all the help you’ll need to integrate Todoist with other apps, i.e. Launchy and Gmail.

todoist screenshot

Task lists can be created using the left hand menu and adding a task is as easy as click and type. Todoist lets you categorize tasks into projects. Each project can include as many tasks as you want. Task can have multiple levels and can be easily expanded/collapsed by clicking the arrows. This lets you structure your data in a really helpful way - you can indicate subtasks, things to remember for a task and so on. The uses are endless.

todoist screenshot

todoist screenshot

Highlights:

    *Editing list items is also super-easy. No need to find the edit button - just click on the text and you will instantly be able to edit it. You will also be able to change the tier and assign a due date in edit mode, so it enables total manipulation of your tasks. To reorder the tasks all you need to do is click the reorder button and drag and drop.

    *Prioritizing and visualizing is also done well. You can assign colors to lists, the number of items in the list will take on this color, enabling you to distinguish between work lists and home lists for example. Individual tasks can be prioritized from 1-4, using different colors again. You can of course then filter or search by priority, so it’s not only a visualization aid, but a real productivity tool as well.

    *Search functions are also great, you can query by label, date or content, using simple syntax. There is a syntax sheet available in the info page, take a look if you want to do some advanced searching.

You can integrate Todoist into some apps, out of these Gmail and Launchy are the best. Gmail integration works with a bookmarklet which you can drag to your toolbar and click on it while viewing an email. It will be sent to your Launchy tasks and you can manipulate it in much the same way as the others. While this is a great option I can see much room for improvement.

Overall I think Todoist is an awesome task management application, up to par with the best of them. The thing I like most about it is that the interface is very simple, but still allows for great flexibility. I also enjoy the fact that tasks and lists can be manipulated in exactly the same way. Gmail and Launchy support is also welcome, although I myself don’t use either, I just tried them out. I can recommend Todoist to even some of the advanced task jugglers out there and it will definitely be a great tool for just simple task lists as well.

(By) Daniel is a blogger and a musician and thinks of life more like a fun game rather than hard work. His main goal is world domination, but a glass of ice tea and a slice of pizza will do nicely for now. Check out his blog at HackYourDay.com

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  • 6 Comments » Leave One...

    Comment by Kareem Sultan
    2008-03-12 02:14:47

    Why is it no task list app has percent complete data for a task instead of a simple check mark to complete it?
    The first one that does that and adds a gantt chart feature wins my company’s use.
    Todoist, RTM; Are you listening?

     
    Comment by jamwal
    2008-03-13 16:18:09

    Great Service! I’m glad you picked up on this one ;)
    I haven’t even considered trying out some of the other popular similar solutions coz this one gives me everything I could ask for! Heck even a plugin for launchy! w00t!

    The amazing use of AJAX makes for a real desktop application feel. And most importantly, as you stated already, Its really easy to get used to.

     
    Comment by Shankar Ganesh
    2008-03-15 07:42:16

    Daniel,

    Thanks for writing this up.

    Started using Todoist after reading this, and it’s absoutely awesome. It’s very neat, fast and just does the job.

    I’m a fan of Launchy (I’ve said it many times before :P ), and I’m loving their Launchy plugin support. I’m yet to figure it out and start using it via Launchy, but it’s still a great feature on their part.

     
    Comment by Matthew J
    2008-03-20 06:21:53

    This is a great tool. I have used this, Ta-Da List and Task Freak each has their own goods and bads, but I like the fact that this program has an API

     
    Comment by Nxqd3051990
    2008-04-01 22:34:43

    I really like this web app :)
    Pretty simple and especially It works with me :)

     
    Comment by Dan Gtdagenda
    2008-04-06 08:46:40

    Hello,

    Take a look at http://www.gtdagenda.com, it has all the tools I believe are required for productivity: goals, projects and tasks, contexts, next actions, schedules, checklists and a simple calendar.

     
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