Tag: Todoist

Feature Suggestion for Todoist

In my last post, I recommended reading the book, To-do List Formula. I also shared my own key takeaways from the book.

The book highly recommended the Todoist app to create and track tasks. I started using it ever since, and compared to all the apps I have used so far, I have found it to be somehow designed to allow for more efficient days.

I did feel the computer and mobile apps could use a small feature improvement that could further improve the efficiency its users derive from it. And I wrote to them about it. A RattL ’em idea if you will.

Here’s what it is.

While any to-do app allows you to set deadlines for tasks, you can create them without specifying a deadline as well.

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Now say you wanted to try and rearrange entries 7-15 so that they would be according to your measure of importance and urgency, after which you could enter achievable deadlines for each. This can become a challenge when it is many more than just 9 entries that you need to put into sequence.

Now if you are diligent in the easy bit of at least adding tasks to an app, you would notice that the number of entries could easily go up to a few dozens if not more. Now Todoist (and other apps like Trello) allow you to drag and drop to change the order of entries. But even then, since your view is only limited to about 6-7 entries (on the laptop or mobile app), that can require a lot more mental processing or note taking to sequence the entries so that it becomes easier to then assign due dates for them.

A solution to this, would be a simple ‘pop-up view’ option (grey below) that could be offered. This would accommodate all the entries on the list, on the pop-up view screen, in a grid (as opposed to a scrolling list). 

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Here, the user could drag entries around into a better priority sequence, and then switch back to the scrolling list view and start assigning due dates for them (below).

Thoughts?

What is RattL ’em?: We are constantly fascinated by companies, products and services.
So whenever a company catches our curiosity, we offer them an idea (a new product, service, or feature/ improvement idea), or highlight a concern area. Someday, we hope we can send an idea out into the world everyday.
We do this for free, and for fun. And the company receiving the idea is free to use it, with no financial or other obligation toward us. It is our way of trying to be the best in the field of people innovation.

Struggling with To-Do Lists and Staying Productive?

A lot of us struggle with staying productive. Especially so in these times of lockdown and uncertainties. And also when you are focusing on larger goals that don’t really offer much daily satisfaction of accomplishment.
I have heard of some really brilliant people, especially from the behavioural science and behavioural economics communities, struggle with staying motivated and on top of their tasks. I guess that is enough to confirm that it is clearly a human challenge, and not one that those who understand behaviour better than the rest of us can easily solve.
It also does not mean it cannot be solved. Just probably not in the ideal, smooth-flowing way we expect it to.

Staying productive and to-do lists are something I do struggle with. And I have tried many apps to help me. Some have worked, to some extent. Some have worked well in combinations with other apps. In short, it has been a messy process at least for me.

I started creating Excel spreadsheets to keep track of my tasks during my venture capital days. And over time, I’d realize I am falling back, so I’d rework the layout, find some effectiveness, and the cycle would repeat.

I have since, used Google Keep, EverNote, more spreadsheets, Trello, and well over a dozen other apps that I didn’t seem to work for me.

Recently, I read the book, ‘To-Do List Formula‘ by Damon Zahariades. And, it is brilliant.
The book has been beautifully written. The author literally describes different approaches from the perspective of a newbie, and then tells you why that one doesn’t work or where it falls short. That way, by just reading the book, you quickly go through the process of discovery and progress that could otherwise sometimes take years. Ask me.

Anyway, I created a list of key points from the book to serve as a ready reference. Sharing the overview of key points I created from the book here, in case some of you find it useful.
Of course, this is simply to give you a flavour of the book itself, which I strongly recommend you read. For those of you who have a Kindle Unlimited plan or trial plan, it is available there as well!

Anyway, he highly recommended the Todoist app. I have been using it for almost a month now.
Of course, still too early to say, and obviously, it is not the tool itself that will compensate for shortfalls in our enthusiasms or anything, but so far, it has been a good tool.

I love Trello, that I have been using for over a year, and still do. But this one somehow edges it out when it comes to the layout and experience. Still haven’t figured exactly how though yet.

In the next post, I share a RattL ’em idea I suggested to Todoist recently.

Till then, here’s the overview of key points I created from the book.

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