My kingdom for a to do list/random stuff/calendar/etc app
November 21, 2014 4:32 PM   Subscribe

I've been reading about various to do/calendar apps, as well as checking older questions on AskMetafilter and have gotten myself thoroughly confusaled and frustrated.

What I would like:
-- A calendar to note personal appointments such as doctor, dentist, hairstylist, etc. I don't have a lot of these, so the ability to plan in 15 min increments isn't necessarily important.
-- A to do list of things I need to be working on as well as:
-- A place I can brain dump random stuff like movies I want to see, books I want to read, things I will buy if I win the lottery.
-- Ability to sync between my iPhone, iPad and (Windows) desktop.
-- If it could be beautiful, that would be a plus.

What I don't need:
-- Integration with social media
-- The ability to share with anyone
-- Complex stuff that is more suited to work flows, project management.

I don't work, I don't have a significant other, I rarely participate in social media. This is purely to take the place of my beloved paper planner.

You guys are the bestest!
posted by SweetTeaAndABiscuit to Computers & Internet (16 answers total) 22 users marked this as a favorite
 
Wunderlist.
posted by bearwife at 4:36 PM on November 21, 2014 [4 favorites]


Seconding Wunderlist. Review (iOS/OSX)
posted by His thoughts were red thoughts at 4:40 PM on November 21, 2014


Todoist I'd what I'm using right now. Love it.
posted by AlexiaSky at 4:44 PM on November 21, 2014 [3 favorites]


I haven't used it myself, but I have taken a look at any.do before. They have a todo app, and they recently added a calendar app than integrates with it. Might be worth a look.
posted by Hackworth at 4:48 PM on November 21, 2014


A friend of mine just emailed me that Things for Ipad which is normally $20, is free this week until Thanksgiving, as part of some Apple Giveaway.

Not sure if this is everything you require, but since it is currently free, it probably worth a look.
posted by instead of three wishes at 5:01 PM on November 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


Things is great and this week for the iPad would let you test drive it. The desktop version has a keyboard shortcut that lets you easily add to your lists from anywhere and the cloud syncing is great. I use Fantastical to tie various Google and Apple calendaras together because it sits on my menu bar and accepts natural language like "next Tuesday dinner at Joan's house 5pm"

You can use things' projects and areas to categorize films and movies - I have tags to sort stuff too, so I had a list of books to read, tagged by library or bookstore.

My husband used to use Simplenote for lists and Due for deadlines. But he got a fountain pen recently and has returned to a notebook very happily because he always carries a notebook while I am constantly losing mine.

However today I am switching from things to Omnifocus because I need sub tasks to break down tasks which things can't do.

Another app I really really love is Paperless which allows for checklists that are reusable. You can have a todo list and create routine lists - just any kind of list and with one click uncheck everything to reuse the list. I love Evernote but the lists inside it are not that great.
posted by viggorlijah at 5:11 PM on November 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


I still use and love teuxdeux.
posted by samthemander at 7:01 PM on November 21, 2014 [1 favorite]


Except for iDevice syncing, you've described exactly the way I use my bullet journal. Or at least how I aspire to use it.
posted by JDHarper at 8:54 PM on November 21, 2014


I, too, like Wunderlist for your needs. Its developers tend to emphasize sharing and subtasks and stuff, (they started out making a project management app but everyone just wanted the listy bits) but it works perfectly fine solo. Free is a nice price, too.
posted by mumkin at 9:05 PM on November 21, 2014


Currently using Timeful, which is specifically built around points 1, 2 and 4 of your requirements. I don't really use it for non-task/event/habit lists, I keep them elsewhere, but there'd be nothing to stop you doing so.
posted by Happy Dave at 5:04 AM on November 22, 2014


Google calendar + Trello gets my vote.
posted by chrisamiller at 5:33 AM on November 22, 2014


I use several Google calendars marked: 'House', 'Yard & Workshop', 'Family' etc. etc., your choice.
posted by lungtaworld at 7:29 AM on November 22, 2014 [1 favorite]


I want to second the TeuxDeux recommendation. It can function as a calendar as well as a to do list, it's incredibly simple and easy to use, and there is ample space to note random things like you mention. It does cost a little bit, but you can try it out for free, and I have never loved a to do thing as much as I love TeuxDeux.
posted by hought20 at 9:23 AM on November 22, 2014


I've been using NirvanaHQ for several years now. I like how it uses context tagging. You can pull up a list of tasks that you can only do at your computer, or only when you're running errands, when you're at home, etc. This lets you organize things via project, but keeps you focused on only the things you can do right now.
posted by joebakes at 12:14 PM on November 22, 2014


I used to use Wunderlist, but it had random sync failures. It was really annoying when I'd add an item on my Mac, but when I went out I couldn't see it on my phone.

Now I'm on Todoist, which is ok. The only minor annoyance is that new items go to the bottom of the list by default, which is the opposite of what I usually want.
posted by vasi at 7:05 PM on November 22, 2014


I've been using Emacs Org-mode for over a year now and I wonder how I ever got anything done before it. It has a very HIGH barrier to entry, particularly if you've never used Emacs before, but it has a few advantages:

- Open source meaning the app will not change direction on you.
- All information is stored in plain text.
- Strong development community--the mailing list is VERY responsive.
- It can be as simple or complex as your like.

Example can be found here: http://doc.norang.ca/org-mode.html
posted by sk8ingdom at 10:16 AM on November 24, 2014


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