todo.txt and task management

Question

Apologies if this has been covered frequently, but I was wondering about how other people approach personal task management.

I've read (parts of) GTD, proceeded to get excited, installed a tonne of plug-ins all over the place, then let it all fall by the wayside. I've used todoist, outlook, google calendar, project. I've tried writing lists in a notepad, in 'notebook', on post-it-notes and in spreadsheets etc. None of it lasts.

Why is a simple and effective todo application so difficult to find? Because the application is so frequently used, I find that any small niggles with the application become overly exaggerated after a few days use.

So far, my favourite application is a variation of todo.txt called task

What do you use?

Answer 1

I think this is almost a duplicate of How can I apply David Allen’s “Getting Things Done” as a programmer?

See also:
What Can Someone Do to Get Organized Around Here?
Time management tricks, tools & tips
What do you use to keep notes as a developer?

Answer 2

This is related to http://stackoverflow.com/questions/81698/taskissue-tracking-system-with-command-line-interface which also mentioned todo.txt

Personally, I use the to do list on my Palm PDA, which syncs with Apple iCal.

Answer 3

In our company we use Google Docs Spread Sheet - it's great beacuse you put all tasks into cells and you can share and coedit this document with others. It's very easy to use and doesn't require you to fill a lot of forms.

Answer 4

I use a sticky notes program called NoteZilla

Just scratch your task/idea/notes and forget about it. This is why I like sticky notes. No need to categorize, group. All that can still be done in NoteZilla.

Answer 5

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but a "simple and effective todo application" is so hard to find because you are using the tool as a substitute for self-discipline and commitment. Statements like 'I've read parts of this and tried that and that and that but minor interface issues cause me to drop it in a few days' imply that you are looking for magic bullets and excuses.

• Minor issues with the tools are a poor excuse to abandon the effort.
• Pick a system and a tool and stick with it
• No tool will give you the self-discipline and commitment necessary to change your habits
• personal time-management is about changing your viewpoint and habits, not finding the "right" tool
• caveat: some systems are more suitable than others for your personal work requirements. If you're a developer, a calendar-based system like Franklin Planner is probably not going to work, while a list-based system like GTD probably will.

Suggestion: google and review the various systems, pick one, and commit to it for at least a month. Try GTD and pen-and-paper, for example, then get fancy once the system is a habit. Once you know how you need to work the system and are committed to it, look for the perfect tool. In the meantime, the perfect tool is the enemy of the good practice, to mangle a quote ;-)

Answer 6

I use TiddlyWiki. It's simple to use, all in one html file (so very portable).

It works great for me.

Answer 7

ToDoList is also an alternative

Answer 8

I'm echoing the above comment to some degree. For me, the tool is pretty much secondary to establishing the mindset and habits that would allow me to incorporate GTD principles in a consistent fashion. I really do love it, when I can get it to go. There's a nice sense of control and direction that comes when I can be disciplined about doing the small stuff - weekly sweeps, periodic reviews and all that.

My next GTD challenge is to get out of the trees so I can see the forest. :-) David Allen talks about the 50,000 foot, 30,000 foot, 10,000 foot views relating to goals. It's all very high-minded, but I have to get above 500 feet yet.

If you're familiar with GTD, there's a nice summary deck PDF over at DIY Planner:

http://www.diyplanner.com/diyp_official/diyp3cl/diyp3_gtdref_cl_2up.pdf

If you're a paper planner junkie (I am) the site's like crack :D

Hope it helps.

Answer 9

I use myLifeOrganized. The bottom line is you just need to start documenting the next thing you have to do on each task. MLO lets you easily and quickly do that.

It has a handy rapid task entry dialog and you can quickly enter data into it. You can document as much or as little as you want. This software, because of the ease of adding stuff to it, has saved my butt many times. It has helped me remember things that I had forgotten. I now wonder how many things I've forgotten over the years and didn't realize it.

I run it off a usb stick and I have it on my phone. I even use it to help me outline code.

Answer 10

As others have said, GTD is all about discipline: actually doing the things on your list. But, be sure to prioritize.

For my task list management, I currently use Remember the Milk, which is fairly handy with its IM integration (it sends IM reminders). My biggest challenge has been remembering to add the tasks, but I'm getting better at it, since somebody pointed out I could make a recurring task to remind me :P.

Answer 11

I use text files. Each contains a list of projects, separated by blank lines. Each line of a project's space includes syntax like:

• '-': Item of interest
• '*': TODO's
• ':': Code changes
• 'AWT': (Awaiting something external)

Text files live together and projects move in and out fluidly:

• work.txt: Current work / active projects
• deferred.txt: Stuff to do someday
• done.txt: Finished; archived for records

The text file system is fast, effective, globally compatible and loads in a fraction of a second.

Answer 12

I'm experimenting with better managing my time. I like starting out simple and building to complexity as it's required, rather than implement some behemoth bollocks that's hard to maintain.

To that end, i use simple lists. http://tadalist.com

it's stupidly simple, free, and internets based so it follows me everywhere. winner

Answer 13

Hi,

Try this:

Personal Manager is an application designed to help you remember important events and it has many other uses.

You can use it to remember birthdays, meetings...etc.

As a scheduler to launch applications at a specified time, i.e, play video's, database backups...etc.

It can also play mp3s and wavs so you can use it as an alarm clock with your favorite music. Study using text messages with questions and answers throughout the day, i.e, display the question then a minute later display the answer.

Use it to program your mind with success affirmations, i.e, you can have the application display a message every so many minutes and set the amount of time it displays it for. Display your favorite pictures throughout the day.

Create an event to change your desktop image. So you can have a different image every day.

Have it change your desktop for sporting events to display appropriate pictures on the day for the event.

Features:

Set a date and time for every event.

Create recurring event reminders every so many days, hours, minutes and seconds from the start time.

Display a system tray bubble, a popup window, with or without an image and text. So you can display a picture of someone who's birthday it is with a small text bubble reminder or use it to display your favorite pictures.

Launch applications such as video players, open websites, database backups...etc. Applications can be launched with parameters, so for example a browser can be launched with a website as a parameter to display it.

Play mp3s and wavs.

The image duration can be specified as well as it's width and height.

Text font and background colors can also be specified.

It has a really attractive visual appearance that you can use for task management and many other useful functions.

Try it at: http://www.intelligentsolutionsonline.com