These days, more of us work and study remotely than before. And on top of that, we’ve become more environmentally conscious. With both of these in mind, paper to-do lists are turning into a thing of the past.

To meet these needs, along with the growing demands to optimize time better, many users have turned to digital to-do lists instead. But rather than creating their own in a Word document, they use apps.

One such app is Todoist. In this article, we will explain what Todoist is, how it works, and why it is a good choice for managing your workflow.

What Is Todoist?

Todoist is an app that allows you to plan out your day and week. You can use the tool to add simple tasks that you tick off as you go, and add descriptions for each of these. The app launched in 2007, and the company is based in California.

To use Todoist, you can create a free account to get started. Alternatively, you can sign in with your Google account. The basic version is free, and with this, you’ll get all the following:

  • 300 active tasks per project
  • 20 active sections per project
  • A maximum of five collaborators on each project

If you feel the need to, you can upgrade to one of the company’s paid plans (more on those later).

Who Should Use Todoist?

Todoist’s target demographics are pretty broad. If you want to use it to keep track of your solo tasks, it’s a helpful tool for doing so. Beyond creating daily task lists, you can also use the platform to highlight deadlines for specific projects.

If you want to use Todoist as part of a larger organization, you will also find the platform helpful. However, you might want to consider upgrading to either Pro ($4 per month) or Business ($6 per month).

Screenshot showing the different pricing plans for Todoist

With Pro, you can have up to 300 active non-archived projects—compared to just five with the free version. This number increases to 500 for the Business plan. Moreover, you can upload up to 100 megabytes of files for both.

Generally speaking, Todoist is a good option for those who want to carry out their daily tasks with traditional box-ticking. However, if you work better by using the Pomodoro technique or calendar blocking, you might want to look elsewhere.

Related: These Methods Will Step Up Your Pomodoro Productivity

Todoist’s Best Features

Todoist has plenty of cool features, even if you don’t need a paid plan. You’ll find some of the best of these below.

1. Add Descriptions to Tasks

Screenshot showing a Todoist task with descriptions

Todoist’s staple feature allows you to create new tasks. However, one cool advantage—compared to using paper to-do lists—is that you can also add descriptions.

In these descriptions, you can add as much detail as you need. Moreover, you can include useful links to keep everything in one place.

2. Create New Projects

Regardless of whether you work full-time, study, or are self-employed, the chances are that you often juggle more than one project. In these cases, you’ll probably benefit more from dividing your tasks into different projects.

With Todoist, you can do this. To create a new project, go to the left-hand sidebar and hover over Projects. Then, click on the + button.

Screenshot showing the toolbar to add a project on Todoist

Once you’ve named and customized your project, select Add at the bottom of the window.

Screenshot showing how to customize project on Todoist

Within each project, you can add tasks by tapping on the + button next to “Add task”.

Screenshot showing how to add new tasks to a Todoist project

3. Add Filters

Screenshot showing option to customize filter on Todoist

When you’re busy, filtering tasks is valuable for ensuring that you don’t get overwhelmed. Todoist allows you to do this by creating your own filters, along with using ready-made ones.

With Todoist’s filters, you can sift through tasks depending on whether you were assigned them or someone else was. Moreover, you can look at which ones are priorities.

To create a new filter on Todoist, scroll down to Filters in the left-hand sidebar. Next to the title, tap on the + symbol when it shows up. After naming and customizing your filter, click on Add to create it.

The Pros of Using Todoist

Photo of a person working in an office on their computer

Having read this far, you should now have a good understanding of what Todoist is, when you’d use it, and what its best features are.

Before deciding whether this platform is the right choice for you, you’ll need to consider the pros and cons. Below are three benefits of using Todoist for your task and project planning.

1. Easy to Use

If you’re going to create a tool intended to simplify an already easy task, you’re going to need a user-friendly interface. And Todoist delivers on that.

When using the app, you’ll find every category you need in the bar on the left. You can also use the toolbar at the top to access tasks, such as daily completed assignments, even more straightforward.

2. Plenty of Features for the Free Version

Unless you’re part of a huge university group or a business with several employees, you’ll probably never need to use Todoist’s paid versions. And if you stick with the free edition, you likely won’t miss out on too much.

Todoist’s free version has everything you’ll need if you’re looking for a basic daily task tracker. Moreover, while it might not compare to the more complex project management platforms like monday.com, you can still use it alongside these.

3. Less Waste

When using paper to-do lists, you probably either keep them in a notepad, which you throw away—or you rip out each page and toss it into your bin. Needless to say, this can cause a lot of unnecessary waste.

By using Todoist, you’ll use less paper. And in the long run, doing so will be good for the environment.

The Cons of Using Todoist

Photo of a notepad showing tasks

Despite the benefits of using Todoist, it’s also worth keeping its cons in mind. Below are three disadvantages of tracking your daily tasks with this platform.

1. You Might Forget to Use Todoist

One of the biggest drawbacks to using Todoist is that you need to make it a habit. It’s easy to use a paper to-do list; you almost always have a pen and paper within close distance.

On the other hand, Todoist requires you to either go to the website or open an app. So, if you plan on using this tool regularly, consider bookmarking it or moving the app to a prominent spot on your screen.

2. No Time-Tracking Features

For some people, tracking tasks using a to-do list works well enough. For others, however, using time-based productivity methods will work better.

At the time of writing, Todoist doesn’t have comprehensive time-tracking features. So, while you can still use the app for outlining tasks, you’ll need to look elsewhere to see how long you spend on them.

3. File Uploading Limits

While you can add files to projects on Todoist, it’s essential to keep in mind the uploading limits for whichever plan you use.

In some cases, you might find adding the files and folders related to your project in Google Drive. Then, you can share the link instead.

Improve Your Daily Task Workflow With Todoist

Todoist is one of the most popular platforms for creating to-do lists, and it’s not difficult to see why. The solution has a broad range of features that will satisfy most users, and using it is pretty straightforward.

Having read this article, you should now have a good idea of whether Todoist is suitable for you. So, why not give it a try?