Todoist: Online To-Do-Lists Manager

In an ongoing "get things done" series on this ADD/ADHD Product Review Blog, I’m going to be testing out online and digital apps and software that claim to help with task and time management, because structuring my days is often no easier than building a ship in a bottle with my toes.

For my second test-drive of a task-management tool, I decided to give Todoist, an online to-do-lists manager, a shot. With millions of users (according to the product's website), it seems to be popular enough. Yet I remain cautious, as parachute pants and Benito Mussolini were also once popular.

App Overview: The Todoist website boasts an ambitious mission: “To improve our users’ productivity with the best task- and project-management tools in the world.”

The Good: Not only is signing up for Todoist free, fast (less than 30 seconds), and easy (just have your e-mail address, password, and time zone ready), Todoist is also versatile. It is effective no matter how passively or precisely you utilize it, which is a notable perk for someone with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADD/ADHD) who might be inconsistent with organization. If desired, you can go into great detail while arranging your to-do-list items, but you can also easily fire them out with basic keystrokes and rearrange them according to importance with equal ease. Perhaps most appealing to a disorganized person, you can tag tasks with the @ symbol. So if tasks are tagged with, say, @KidnappingAdorablePuppies, you can pull up all the cuddly, related tasks by clicking the tag, even if you’ve failed entirely to organize your agenda in a comprehensible fashion. And if things weren’t already breezy enough, Todoist doesn’t require that you assign exact due dates or times; you can simply write “tomorrow” or “Thursday” in basic human language and it’ll use that frame of reference to keep you on the ball.

The Bad: Very little. They’ve touched all the bases. From mobile apps and widgets to browser extensions and e-mail integration, Todoist has created a task-management tool that’s accessible and practical to nearly all. Maybe Todoist could try incorporating sultry audio reminders? Or maybe the compny could add an automatic feature that knows when my toenails are getting too long? Really, though, no complaints from this guy.

The Grade: A. It has all I want and need, and I can use it on my terms. Furthermore, I’d even be comfortable suggesting it to my tech-illiterate grandma, whose modem cable is presently Scotch-taped to her rotary phone.

App Details: Todoist is free and compatible with a number of web browsers and smart phones. For $3 a month, you can upgrade to a premium version that includes advanced personalization and convenience. Learn more at Todoist.com.