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?

task has a new home - http://taskwarrior.org – Paul Beckingham Nov 13 '09 at 13:21 — Paul Beckingham, Nov 13 '09 at 13:21
excellent, thanks Paul - looking forward to trying out – codeinthehole Nov 13 '09 at 15:33 — codeinthehole, Nov 13 '09 at 15:33
Try this --> http://tasktracker.codeplex.com/ – Naveen Karamchetti Aug 26 '11 at 16:29 — Naveen Karamchetti, Aug 26 '11 at 16:29

score 19 · Accepted Answer · answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:52

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 ;-)

Wise words, I'm fairly happy with my todo.txt variant at the moment - so I'll continue with that. Good old fashioned self-discipline is what's required. — codeinthehole, Nov 03 '08 at 14:57
@codeinthehole: excellent, good luck with that! I use GTD and a Palm Treo at the moment, but I started with GTD and pen-and-paper for the first year to be certain I knew how to use the system effectively. — Steven A. Lowe, Nov 03 '08 at 15:01
You might want to check out the DonationCoder "getting organized experiment" - lots of interesting reading there :) — snemarch, Mar 27 '09 at 05:00
update: replaced Treo with iPhone, switched to basecamphq.com for sharing with team across multiple devices — Steven A. Lowe, Aug 26 '11 at 17:23

score 2 · Answer 2 · answered Dec 19 '10 at 01:21

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I think I'm like you (were, 2 years ago): too lazy to do anything until I find the perfect tool for it.. Yes, folks saying tools should never be mistaken to be a substitute for executing the plan, are absolutely right...

That said, one tool that seems "perfect enough" for me to drop thoses excuses for GTD: org-mode for Emacs. I really hope so, anyway.

answered Dec 19 '10 at 01:21

inger

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Nice - I've been meaning to try org-mode ... recently I tried workflowy.com which I believe works in a similar way (via a web interface) – codeinthehole Dec 21 '10 at 02:05
as a quick glance, that looks really cool. I've been looking for some web-based org-mode, but that might be the closest match.. a bridge between them would be great (of course org.mode is probably more powerful, thanks a decade of development) – inger Jan 11 '11 at 18:35

score 2 · Answer 3 · answered Mar 27 '09 at 04:16

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.

score 1 · Answer 4 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:30

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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?

edited May 23 '17 at 12:30

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answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:27

matt b

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GTD is a dream turned sour for me ;) but you're right ... it might be a duplicate or even triplicate question. I'd still be interested to know what you use to plan your own daily tasks. – codeinthehole Nov 03 '08 at 14:33

score 1 · Answer 5 · edited May 23 '17 at 12:19

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This is related to Task/issue 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.

edited May 23 '17 at 12:19

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answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:27

Peter Hilton

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score 1 · Answer 6 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:02

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ToDoList is also an alternative

answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:02

kgiannakakis

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score 1 · Answer 7 · answered Mar 27 '09 at 04:46

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

score 0 · Answer 8 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:33

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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.

answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:33

pbrodka

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score 0 · Answer 9 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:50

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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.

answered Nov 03 '08 at 14:50

Gautam Jain

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>>forget about it Thats the problem with sticky notes. without discipline they get forgotten. – Cesar Nov 03 '08 at 15:41

score 0 · Answer 10 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:01

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

It works great for me.

answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:01

Daniel Kreiseder

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score 0 · Answer 11 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:10

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.

score 0 · Answer 12 · answered Nov 03 '08 at 15:30

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.

score 0 · Answer 13 · answered Mar 27 '09 at 04:01

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.

todo.txt and task management

13 Answers13