After all this time of trying various task managers, it feels like I’m starting to settle on one. Believe it or not, it’s one of the tools I started out trying and discarding for various reasons, but after much hunting and pecking and trying and pulling and reading and writing.. I’m about *this* close to settling down.
Yes, I’m going to bite the bullet and commit.
This is a really big deal for me, because this search has gone on for quite a while. I’ve tried numerous systems, and even used multiple todo lists at the same time.
I’ve tried pure web-based applications and pure iPhone apps. I’ve tried using Outlook to manage my tasks and a OS X to email combination.
Through everything I’ve tried, only one application has had the best customer support, iPhone application, and web application that makes it easy, cheap, and possible to use a GTD system to manage my tasks, be they management, animation, home, etc.
That application is raman amplifier Toodledo.com.
Yes, I hate the web-based UI. I can’t stand that I can’t have subtasks unless I pay for support. The name makes me think of the Denny’s “rooty tooty fresh ‘n fruity” commercial from the 90’s.
But even with all that, every other todo application I’ve tried has been lacking in some area, and Toodledo (shudder) lacks the least. The only thing I really don’t like about it is the UI on the web page, and there are so many other ways of integrating with it that I can get over that.
Here are the things I dig about it:
- The iPhone application – easy to use, syncs fast, 4 bucks
- The forums – super crazy active with great advice!
- The developers – actively working to improve their product. This is more than I can say about RTM and Todoist, my two other favorite apps
- Integration with other tools – iPhone, twitter, email, google gadgets, firefox, ical, rss, jott… the list goes on and on!
- Customized saved searches
- Tags and contexts and folders and goals.. and subtasks if you’re a pro subscriber!
So if you haven’t tried Toodledo, give it a try.. but use this link:
http://www.toodledo.com/index.php?ref=td49a592734c5eb
if you do, because if 4 people sign up I get pro access for life! 🙂
8 Responses
I’ve really been surprised how much I’ve enjoyed Toodledo since switching from RTM. One huge thing I miss in Toodledo, though, is full offline support. RTM did a great job in that area with their Google Gears support.
Right now I’m using Outlook for task management so it isn’t as huge of a deal since that supports my offline needs but I’d really like to be able to go back to Thunderbird.
I love this quest of yours!
I find it so funny that with all the amazing open software available there still isn’t a fully functioned task/to do list.
In case you hadn’t heard google just split their task list off into it’s own project. http://mail.google.com/mail/help/tasks/
But still, I want:
Single user and group based tasks. (task delegation might be nice too)
sub-tasks
Third task state would be would be lovely too: pending active and complete
one really nice thing would be a natural language api like http://www.presdo.com has where you could add a task and it’s due date by just typing ‘finish making task manager next week’ and it would assume friday 17:00 as the due date.
woah presdo is AWESOME!
I don’t know if this is any help. But, I thought of you when I saw the article.
Turn Gmail Into Your Ultimate GTD Inbox
Hey Jason!!
I think we met a while back, maybe at Siggraph or the Maya API Conference or somethin’?!
Anyhoo, came across your site and it’s super awesome how I am going through the exact same thoughts as you at the moment about GTD and how to use it. 🙂 I really liked your post on using GTD for Animators… very cool. I’m an R&D Engineer for Computer Graphics here in San Francisco, and I find that I’m super organized at work because we have task management solutions and so on… I find that my absurd disorganization only happens at home, because I am “too busy” to care about day-to-day stuff like buying fluoride rinse, calling the dentist, or fixing the broken towel rod in the bathroom.
I’ve been working at it for a couple months now and I’m REALLY benefiting from the GTD goodness for my home life. I ended up settling on the Appigo “ToDo” app for my iPhone, and they have a free connection to ToodleDo. I agree – the ToodleDo web interface is pretty hard to work with, but I mainly use it as a backup so I know if I ever lost my iPod I’d still have my tasks. I also use if if I need to dump a huge amount of info into some tasks, so I can copy/paste from my email into a new task in ToodleDo, and then sync back to my phone. It’s pretty awesome and I am really benefiting from it a bunch… good times!
Good luck with it!! It’s definitely great, and working wonders for me already.
Cheers!
lol, that’s awesome. I came across toodle not to long ago. It’s a great, inexpensive app. that I use on my iPhone. Nice find. 😉
i started the gtd quest about a month ago… and i came to your site looking for your grease pencil tool, but now that i see you are gtd-ing i must comment 😛 now, i haven’t read your previous posts to see if you’ve checked it out, but i am really lovin Pocket Informant! the author is super responsive and it syncs with my google calendars (all of them) i am really new to gtd, but it fits my needs really well. anyhoo, stoked to find out you are a gtd resource now as well as an awsome animation resource 🙂
ooo congratulations! I didn’t last more than 2 mnohts with the Post a Day challenge..LOL. I usually come over for a read when you touch on stuff that isn’t too techinical for someone techinically challenged as myself..for example a post like this!