Gmail makes the whole process easier, of course, with its browser integration, smart labels, attachment search, and ability to print from my mobile device, but in the end it’s all on me to stay on top of the mound of incoming emails I receive, and I, unlike Google, am merely human, after all. If only I had a task force to back me up….

What Is TaskForce?

Simply put, TaskForce is an extension available for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari that turns emails into tasks for you. With TaskForce, you can organize tasks into simple lists that you create yourself. It integrates with Gmail, but exists as an independent frame in the interface that can be dragged around and rearranged to suit your needs.

TaskForce’s mission is simple:

“Our mission is to increase your productivity, make your work life easier, and ultimately save you time and money. We strongly believe in building things that are incredibly useful, and we’re out to disrupt apps that aren’t.”

How Do I Start Using TaskForce?

To add TaskForce to your Gmail experience, just head over to their homepage and click the Add to Gmail button. If you use an email platform other than Gmail, you can opt to select that option instead.

Once you click the button, a prompt will appear asking for your email address. Enter it in the box and click the Signup to be taken to the download page. If you’re a Chrome user (like I am), you will be redirected to the Chrome Web Store to download the extension.

Once installed, TaskForce will appear when you next log into your Gmail account.

Now you can convert any of the emails in your inbox into tasks simply by clicking the Convert to New Task button directly under the email subject. You can set a date for the task and add it to an existing list of tasks if you like, or create a new list.

In addition to converting emails you open, you can also add tasks by clicking the plus sign on the TaskForce app. All of your tasks will be added to the “Current Task List” by default, but you can opt to add them to one of your other created lists. You can also add a description to your tasks to provide context. TaskForce will separate tasks by Active, Completed, and Delayed automatically.

Another interesting feature of TaskForce is the ability to notify the sender that you’ve converted their email into a task. Once a task is completed, a notification is sent to the sender including a link so that the sender can add a comment to the task if they please. You can also invite people to collaborate on the task.

Conclusion

TaskForce has been a lifesaver for me. No longer to I have to star or label emails and try to remember them later. I can just refer to my task list for all of my action items and then work through them one by one. It’s also a good way to view everything that’s on your plate all at once, so you can maintain your focus.

If you’re into Gmail extensions I also recommend you check out 0boxer. It brings a level of competition to getting through your email load, especially if you get your other friends/coworkers involved to compete against. A little competition never hurt anybody.

Will you be giving TaskForce a try? What other Gmail productivity extensions can’t you live without?

Since ListGeeks really does label itself as a social site, you won’t find any way to make your lists private. All of your lists and comments are public, shared with all other ListGeek users. If you like the idea of creating lists but are looking for a more elaborate social network site, where your lists are illustrated with photos, be sure to check out Pinterest.

After signing up for a free account, you can get to creating your first list straight away.

Each item on the list can be accompanied by a URL.

Once you’ve completed and saved your list, it will be visible on your profile, and you can also share your list, or other people’s lists for that matter, via Twitter or Facebook. You can also give and receive comments on lists.

You can delve into the social aspect of ListGeeks in either one of two ways. You can either browse the lists that have been posted, by popularity, date or take the staff picks.

Or you can choose to browse other Geeks by most recently active or most active.

You can then choose to follow other users, and a list of their latest lists will be visible in a personalised feed.

You’ll find that there are little numbers accompanying the title of each list. The first number represents the number of people you follow who have done so. The second number represents the number of people on the site who have created their own version of the list.

If you want to create your own version of someone else’s list, when you open it, you will be presented with a space to create your own list using the same time.

You can also scroll through all the available versions of the list by selecting Everyone and then using the arrows above the list to navigate.

Lastly, you can edit your own profile through Settings. You can add a picture, select a color that will always be used for each of your lists, add your name, location, website and a short bio. The color you select for your profile is the color that will be used for all of your lists.

ListGeeks is built on a simple premise and for that reason it works. It doesn’t claim to be more than a site where you can go and create lists. While other sites, like Amazon for example, have this feature built into their services, sometimes all you need is a place to create lists.

ListGeeks can also prove to be quite inspirational if you want it to be. It can be a great way of finding inspiration for your writing, inspiration for things you should try and haven’t done before, or even just a great place to see what makes other people tick.

What site do you use to create collaborative lists? Let us know in the comments.

Image Credit: Flickr

This time around, the search for the ideal app came to a halt when I found OurGroceries. There are many list-making apps for free on the iTunes App Store, that range from being very simple to those that have more features but offer complete features in the ad-free, paid versions. Very few of them allow sharing lists by features other than email. If I really wanted to email lists back and forth, I could just use the email app, but the OurGroceries grocery shopping software makes sharing grocery lists so simple. It really makes everything easier, especially if you have a family.

OurGroceries [iTunes link, BlackBerry App World link, Android users just need to search for OurGroceries in the Market app] is an incredible free find that does a few unique things, proving it invaluable for anyone that has more than 1 person in his/her household. Let’s see why OurGroceries is a must-have.

Only One User Has To Make An Account

The first thing I thought after reading OurGroceries’ description of having to use one master email address to access the lists, was, “Well, I could just let my trustworthy friend access my wunderlist with my email and password, so I don’t see how this app’s doing anything better.” In reality, with OurGroceries, only one person needs to set up an account and password, but does not have to share the password with anyone. As the owner of the master email address, you can grant others access to your lists. You only need to share your email address with your, say, your roommate Anna, who will input that address in the login information screen in the OurGroceries app, and then, you will get an email about whether or not you give permission to the owner of “Anna’s iPod” to access your account.

Share & Sync All Lists Instantly

Once you grant your roommate (or family member) access to the account, the items sync unbelievably quickly with no need for manual refresh.

You will have the option to create as many lists as you want, but keep in mind that all of them will be shared with your roommate, or whomever has access. You can also add and edit items on the web interface, which sports a very similar look to that of the iPhone app and thus, could be used if you’re on a mobile browser of an unsupported phone model, like a Symbian or Windows 7 phone.

Additionally, you can create recipe lists with only items to buy so if you have planned a weekly menu with KitchenMonki, you will know exactly what you need for that recipe.

Use Categories To Classify Items By Supermarket Aisle

Not only can you use pre-existing categories, but you can also edit and add more categories to match the layout of the supermarket you frequently go to and make navigating it a lot easier. If you go with, say, your spouse to get groceries and both of you own a supported phone, you can even split the tasks, go on separate ends of the supermarket and cross each item off as you each pick up a product. Not only do you save money using a set grocery list, you can also save time.

Create & Share Wishlists

Since you can create all sorts of lists of items to buy, writing a wishlist just makes sense and would ease trying to figure out a gift, and especially, trying to figure out if the other person likes the gift or not.

You could also create a list for all the things you want to try out together with your roommate or family member, like restaurants, movies, places to go, etc. which are all purchases, so OurGroceries could essentially be a planner of sorts, because more likely than not, you will be doing all those things with someone else.

So now that I’ve listed the features that make OurGroceries shine over other grocery shopping software, we should also mention that the apps are ad-supported, which isn’t bad, but you can always upgrade with the Android app and get rid of the ads. Another thing that would be nice to see in OurGroceries, is the ability to choose what lists to share. All lists get shared, so if you have a gift list, you will probably have to use another app to house that list, unless you want your surprises ruined. Also, like I mentioned earlier, there’s no mobile-friendly site yet, but the web interface sort of makes up for that, as it resembles the iPhone interface and thus, there’s not as much zooming and panning involved.

If you’re looking for a similar app, but that can scan product bar codes to instantly add an item to your grocery list, check out GroceryIQ. Also, if you don’t have a smartphone, check out this list of websites that can help with your printable grocery list!

What do you use to simplify your grocery shopping experience? Let us know in the comments!

Photo credit: Matt MacGillivray

The purpose of a bucket list is dead simple ““ to motivate you to move your butt and go for your dreams. Heck, life is just too short. A bucket list is like a vision statement for your life; so it’s really different from a laundry list. A “˜100 things to do before I die’ musing is more like the master list for your life, with all your achievable and seemingly impossible dreams on it.

How do you make one? With pen, paper, and a clear dreamy mind. Or use these six simple websites which help you come up with bucket list ideas, and then jot down your wish list and share it with the world.

BucketList

These guys got the name before anyone else did. And why not, because the site is all about starting your own bucket lists. You can create an account or login with your Facebook ID. Fill your profile details because it makes you approachable to anyone with a similar wish list item. On BucketList.org, you can make your wish lists more graphic by adding images, videos, links, and notes. Lists can be re-ordered. Bucketlist lets you follow other people’s lists. The real motivation is when you come across someone’s story about a triumph. That’s why when you reach a goal; do add your own story.

43Things

Probably the most well known web service in this niche, 43Things.com asks you ““ What do you want to do with your life? 43Things is well, about 43 things you can dream of achieving. The site says that 43 is the right number of things for a busy person to try to do. The site is full of mundane to-do lists too, but as one of the larger sites you are sure to find your wish reflected here.

The community-based site lets you connect with people of similar goals and there’s a lot to learn in shared experiences. You can also post to your blog from 43Things. The site also has the concept of “˜cheers’ when you like someone’s list, comment, or effort. (See Directory mention)

Day Zero

If you love deadlines and challenges then you will love what this site is all about. It’s about achieving 101 preset goals in 1001 days (about 2.75 years). The site believes that it’s the wand of time that pushes us forward to achieve the wish lists and defeat procrastination. Using the site’s tools let you add your list and track it across the next three years. You can use an Idea Finder to narrow down your list.

Reaper List

Would you like to do some crazy things before the Grim Reaper rings the doorbell? Put it down on this site which takes a rather fatalistic approach to motivating you. The Grim Reaper is the site’s mascot and he is the one who has the reaper list. The default list length is 30 but if you send in a request it gets an increase.

PopClogs

PopClogs.com is a simple site for creating and storing your bucket list ideas. You can add each wish and also write a description like a mini-blog post on it with formatted text, pictures, and symbols. The site still has a small number of users as I found out when searching for other community members with an interest in travel (the most quoted wish).

Super Viva

SuperViva is a well designed site and is a place to keep your life list of future goals and past experiences. Straightaway after logging in, you can start building up your list. You can list a goal as a future goal or even add some goals you have already achieved. You can keep your goals organized in lists or arrange them around dimensions like family, fun, spiritual, relationships etc. For each goal, you can add a detailed plan which can include a timeframe, priority, finances, and the effort needed. The site has another little tool which lets you jot down memories of things you would want to remember in later years.

The thing with bucket list ideas is that you may not achieve them all in a single lifetime. To borrow a quote from someone ““ “Shoot for the moon and if you miss you will still be among the stars.” The stars are the little ones you do achieve. Do you have a bucket list? What do you think of the whole idea?

Image: Shutterstock

We’ve covered a very wide range of such tools on MUO, like Tim’s 5 printable grocery list sites, or Kaly’s comprehensive list of all of the To-Do services out there. However, a to-do list maker Listography is not.

I came across the site while searching for comments about movies, and stumbled upon someone’s list of the top movies they loved. I noticed that other Listography users were commenting on the list, and the list actually served as the catalyst for some interesting conversation. That’s when I “got” Listography.

Listography is where you can publish your list online including your likes, dislikes, fears, desires, worries – whatever makes up the psychology and personality that is you. When you check out someone’s Listography, you can quickly get a sense of what type of person they are – and striking up a conversation on one of their lists is really fun.

Starting Your Own Listography

Your Listography page can be as plain or as creative as you like. Setup reminded me of Twitter – you basically upload a profile image, set the background and you’re done.  It is also like Twitter in that the method of expression is very focused. You aren’t writing entire blog updates, you’re writing lists.

It’s yet another format of social expression that lets you share a bit about yourself without the need to share too much, and without the time requirement of writing a whole lot. Reading other peoples’ lists is very addictive, and I have to admit I got a few great movie and book ideas out of doing so!

Your profile has four default folders. The Main folder is the public one, but you can organize lists into subfolders as well. Most importantly, there’s also a private area where you can store lists that are either in-progress or you simply want them for yourself and no one else.

The settings area is where you can configure your profile and background image, as well as configure the public page name for your lists – for example, mine is now listography.com/RyanLists.

Remember, this site is intended as a method to express yourself publicly. I would not recommend it as a personal to-do list tool, because that’s not what it’s programmed to do. Instead of integrating calendars and due dates, your lists have comment areas and RSS feeds. It’s about sharing a bit of yourself with everyone else – letting them know what drives you, what you’re passionate about, and what you love and hate.

When you click “create list“, you get a default list screen (with a putrid green background – yuck).  The first order of business is to click on a new background color on the color bar at the bottom, and select a category and title for your list. The first list I wanted to create was a list of upcoming movies that I’m dying to see.

So, you create your list using the wiki code for a bullet point “*”, then upload an image for the list if you like (I highly recommend it, it makes your list page look much more professional), select the list type (bullets or numbers) and then click save. This will immediately publish a public list online that gets placed on your main list page as a list box.

If you want to organize and tidy things up, there are four options available at the bottom next to the “save” button – design, folder, abc or guide.

Design is the last window I showed you with the background color and image upload. Folder lets you categorize your list into subfolders if you want, rather than keeping them all in “main.” Clicking on “abc” lets you automatically alphabetize your list. “Guide” takes you to a helpful formatting page that gives you some wiki formatting tips for creating good-l0oking lists.

Here is my main profile page featuring my first two lists – movies I’m dying to see, and actors that I absolutely can’t stand.  There are other uses for Listography than just creating blog-like posts of your lists for people to review and comment on, and I’ll get to one idea below, but the social aspect of this site is worth a mention.

At the bottom of every post, whether you’re looking at your own listography or someone else’s, is a “tools” option and a “comment” option. Commenting is self-explanatory, but the tools area is where you can do some other cool things with the lists that you discover. If someone has created a huge, comprehensive list of very valuable information that you really want to save, just click on tools->send and you can email the list to yourself or to a friend. You also have the option to subscribe to the RSS feed for that list, which can be very useful in some cases.

When can RSS be useful for lists? Well, consider this example: You’re working on organizing a family reunion with two or three other family members. The reunion is a huge event, and the three or four of you have to maintain a common group “to-do” list. Or maybe you’re the person in charge, and other family members just want to follow the progress of your planning as the event date approaches. You can create your public to-do list that family members can check out whenever they like, on your Listography page.

When your family members or team members view your list, they can go to the bottom of the displayed list and click on tools -> RSS list feed. Every one of your Listography lists has its own dedicated RSS feed so that people can follow along with every update that you make to the list.

You can imagine the possible uses for such a cool technology where a list that you update immediately gets distributed to all of your subscribers. Teachers could use it to maintain a classroom assignment list that automatically distributes to students every time it’s updated. Blogs and websites could maintain “writer lists” that contain writing assignments – every time a new assignment is added, the writer receives a feed update. The possibilities are endless.

As I mentioned earlier, the social aspect of Listography.com is also fun – reviewing the lists of other people on the site, you’ll come across some useful (and of course some not-so-useful) comments. It’s fun to read the feedback people offer for various lists, and it’s also very fun to offer your own feedback as well.

I view Listography as a neat site for social expression – where you can share your thoughts and ideas much like Twitter. Just like Twitter the format is a bit limiting, but this format also makes your lists fast and easy to update, and the RSS feed feature makes it just as easy for people to subscribe to your lists as it is for them to follow you on Twitter or Facebook.

Have you ever tried Listography? Do you like the idea of publishing your own lists online, and what would be the first list that you would publish – movies, music or something else? Share your opinions in the comments section below.

It’s for this reason that David wrote his piece explaining 8 ways to manage your tasks with Remember The Milk. This list mentioned some great software, to be sure, but neglected to mention ways to achieve Remember the Milk tasks on Linux distributions such as Ubuntu or Fedora.

If you’re a Linux user and a Remember the Milk user, don’t worry: you can find great desktop apps to manage your tasks with.

1. You Say You Just Use Evolution?

Well, you know…it works with RTM, but it isn’t perfect.

Not everyone loves Evolution – the mail/calendar/to-do program built into the Gnome Desktop – but it does have a few distinct advantages. For one, it’s built into the Gnome Desktop, meaning it’s integrated with the clock/calendar applet. For another, it’s a great Exchange-compatible email client for Linux.

If either of these advantages seems useful to you, and you’re a big fan of Remember The Milk, you’ll be happy to know it is possible to use RTM with Evolution.

Pen.g.uin wrote a blog post explaining how to do just that. Basically what you need to do is create a new task list from within Evolution, and pick the “On The Web” option for where it’s located. Then you need to copy the iCal link from your Remember The Milk page and paste it into the dialogue. Just be sure to copy the link from a category you intend to use or nothing will show up on your list!

Once you’ve got Remember the Milk set up in Evolution you’ll quickly realize a key limitation: you cannot edit your tasks from within Evolution (not even to check a completed task!) This is because Remember the Milk does not, at this time, offer a two-way iCal file. It’s a shame, but they’re trying to make money with MilkSync so I can understand the limitation.

Still, if you want your tasks to /show up/ in Evolution, not to mention the Gnome clock applet, this is your best bet.

2. Stay On Tasque

A better alternative for, or perhaps supplement to, Evolution integration is the simple task program known as “Tasque,” which Damien profiled in his article about Linux to-do list apps you might not have heard of. This lightweight piece of software, unlike Evolution, does one thing and does it well. That one thing is your to-do list, and it offers amazing RTM integration to boot.

Setting this up is easy. When you first run the program you’ll be asked whether you want to use a local to-do list, or Remember The Milk. Choose Remember the Milk and you’ll be guided through the authorization process.

Tasque is in the repository of most great Linux distributions, including Ubuntu and Fedora.

3. Go Go Google Gadget!

If you’re a user of Google Gadgets for Linux, and a user of Remember the Milk, you might as well manage your tasks from using the Google Gadget mentioned in David’s article. Find a link here and enjoy this unofficial gadget!

4. Rocking On Adobe Air

If none of these solutions work for you, there’s always the Adobe Air app mentioned in David’s article. It’s called Remember the Task, it’s fairly lightweight and it works really well. Check it out here.

Conclusion

Remember the Milk is great for one main reason: the sheer number of third-party apps that support it. Linux is no exception, it seems; there are many fantastic ways to access your cloud to-do list on that platform.

Which reminds me: do you guys know of any Linux apps with RTM support that I missed? It’s not too late to share them with readers; comment, comment, comment away! Also feel free to share which of these apps you prefer to use or just make fun of my last name. Whatever, I’m easy.

There are 3 reasons for doing it this way:

• Distro updates sometimes work, sometimes fail and at other times they “sort of” work leaving you with a system that is not as snappy as it should be or has some other trouble which was not there before the upgrade.
• You just need to backup the home folder and you are good to go, even that is not required if you have the home folder on a separate partition.
• Installation takes about 20-30 minutes, all of which you can spend on Facebook/Twitter if you are installing using the Live CD.

This time around Ubuntu 10.04 is touting some great UI and design changes. Moreover, this being an LTS release, there are all the more reasons to go with the fresh install route. So if you decide to do so, come the 29th, here are some of the Ubuntu applications that you might want to install on a fresh Lucid Lynx install.

Ubuntu Restricted Extras

While not strictly an application in the true sense, Ubuntu Restricted Extras takes care of a number of software and codecs that other Ubuntu applications may require and that cannot be shipped with Ubuntu for legal reasons. All you have to do is fire up a terminal and issue the following command

sudo apt-get install ubuntu-restricted-extras

This will install Java, Flash, some proprietary fonts and a bunch of codecs, enabling you to view most video files and play your favorite audio formats and a lot more essential software that you may not use directly but is important all the same.

Google Chrome

Yes, Ubuntu ships with Firefox and to some Firefox is good enough, but Google Chrome is definitely the faster of the two and a good choice for an alternate browser if not the primary browser. It is not uncommon to have more than one browser on a computer.

Installing Google Chrome is easy, head on over to the Google Chrome Page, click on the big Get Chrome button, choose the 32-bit or the 64-bit deb package depending upon your computer, when the download completes double click to install Chrome. Google quietly adds its repositories to software sources so that you can get automatic updates.

The GIMP

Ubuntu no longer installs GIMP out of the box. They say the GIMP is aimed at intermediate to advanced users, and not everyone’s cup of tea. While that makes sense, I think it is too useful a software to not have on your computer.

Installation of this Ubuntu application is easy – you can use the new Ubuntu Software Center (Applications > Ubuntu Software Center), search for The GIMP and click install or a quick sudo apt-get install gimp would suffice as well.

If using the Ubuntu Software Center you can also install additional GIMP plugins and brushes while you are at it.

VLC

One of the best media players out there. Not only does it play a variety of file formats you can also do a lot more with it, as this Lifehacker post would no doubt show you. The this Ubuntu application is available via Ubuntu Software Center.

Checkgmail

Ubuntu 10.04 includes what is called the MeMenu. Justin wrote about it a few days back. While it does an excellent job of integrating chat, Twitter, Facebook and other social networks, it is nice to keep tabs with your Gmail account(s) as well.

Sure you can configure evolution to sync with your Gmail account, however if all you need is a notification when a new mail arrives you can try Checkgmail. It supports multiple accounts and Google Apps accounts as well as labels within your Gmail. Available via Ubuntu Software Center or a simple sudo apt-get install checkgmail.

Gnome Do / Launchy

Gnome-do and Launchy are Ubuntu application launchers that can help you start applications without having to find your way around the menus. You hit a hot key, type in the first few characters of the name, hit enter and the application is there. In addition both of these can do additional work like calculations, Twitter updates etc via plugins. While Gnome-Do is available via the Ubuntu Software Center, you would have to download a deb package to install Launchy.

Beagle

Beagle gives you desktop search on Ubuntu. It indexes your files and allows you to search within file contents as well. Beagle is also available in the Ubuntu Software Center. Once installed, give it some time to build up the index, then you can search.

Cheese

Cheese is a software for your webcam. It allows you to use your webcam to record videos and take photos. What makes it interesting are the different types of effects that you can play with while clicking photos. It gives you live previews of the photo with the effect applied. Very cool.

Dock

If you like a little eye candy you should get one of the many docks available for Ubuntu. Docky, which was originally available as a plugin for Gnome-do is our favorite and most feature rich. Other alternatives include AWN dock and Cairo dock.

All of these – Docky, Cairo and AWN are available via the Ubuntu Software Center. There are even more options if you are interested.

Compiz Settings Manager

If you have a relatively new computer you can take advantage of the eye-candy Compiz offers. While some of the effects are enabled by default and you can choose to use “extra” effects via System > Preferences > Appearance, you get real control using Compiz Config Settings manager. It is available via the Ubuntu Software Center (search for “ccsm”) or you can do a quick sudo apt-get install ccsm. Once installed you can tweak Compiz to your liking getting all the effects like you want.

There are so many other Ubuntu applications that we can write about. We have tried to include the apps most users would like to have on their computers. You can definitely find tons of software for any niche you are interested in. I for one like to install VIM as soon as I can, while Eclipse, Inkscape, Conduit, Dropbox are some of the other favorite ones. Ubuntu tweak is also a great software that lets you tweak various aspects of Ubuntu.

Make sure you check out our Linux section for other app suggestions and reviews.

How about sharing some love and letting us know what you like to put on a fresh Ubuntu install?