Recommendation: Todoist for Your To Do List

In a previous post, I examined ways of organizing your busy busy Harvard life. At the time, I didn’t have a good “To Do List” or task management organizer for you.

Now, I am proud to recommend Todoist.com

Todoist is a website that allows you to create To Do Lists (complete with deadlines and project breakdowns) that would make any dork envious.

Much of the campus is wired to Google, via gmail/gchat/gcal/docs/igoogle. If google had Facebook like qualities, I’m sure Harvard kids would slurp that up too. Unfortunately, the geniuses at Google are decidedly silent on the To Do List application that is missing from their arsenal to ensnare the world.  This is when Todoist comes in.

1) Easy to use

The beauty of google applications is that they are all really easy to use. In a few minutes, anyone with a brand new gmail account knows how to write email. However, a power user with a bit of investigating can use short cuts, labels, skins etc. to completely control their email experience.

Similarly,  within a few minutes, I knew how to create a basic To Do List that’s been prioritized and broken down into projects and individual tasks, completely with deadlines, color coding, and tags. BAM!

2) Easy to integrate

You can literally integrate it into your Firefox browser. Because Gmail has become sort of like the catch-all for things that OTHER people want you do, you can bookmark a link and send any “email” to your Todoist To Do List and file it away under XYZ project.

3) Task breakdowns

It’s really easy and intuitive to breakdown larger projects into smaller projects, and those smaller projects into even smaller projects, and those smaller projects into tasks.

It’s awesome. I find myself starting to use Todoist as a place to jot down blog ideas. And when you’re done, you can check it off!

4) Tags/Color

I’m not a big fan of tagging, but you can tag anything on your list. And you can color code it too, and prioritize color it as well. And bold/italicize at will.

So for those gmail fans with 10,000 labels, Todoist is right up your alley.

5) Deadlines

No one likes deadlines, but everyone needs them. You can set deadlines for your tasks, set re-occuring tasks (like, “read!”), and most importantly, sort your items according to what you have to do Today, Tomorrow and the coming week.

It’s awesome. Really really awesome.

6) Email reminders

And for anything that’s super essential, you can have it email you. Or call you. Or text you, maybe?

Basically, everything you expect from a google app, Todoist has it covered.

7) Disclaimer

I am not paid etc. by Todoist, but am speaking as a free agent when I recommend Todoist. For those who want an even MORE integrated with gCal To Do List (that I find slightly harder to use), try Remember The Milk.

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2 Responses to “Recommendation: Todoist for Your To Do List”


  1. 1 Pam

    Nice review. I just wanted to add that tags, or labels as they are known in Todoist, have handy uses beyond tagging for searches. If you label an item, for example, “buy carrots @shopping”, you will then be able to group all @shopping items into one list by typing @shopping in the query box. The creative possibilities are endless :-)

  1. 1 Organization for the Busy and 7 Minutes Late at Surviving Harvard

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