To-Do Lists Don't Work

I can agree with Markovitz's point that todo lists are not the best productivity boosters available, but I don't really agree with his conclusion that putting everything in your calendar is an improvement.

Some points:

1. A todo list is better than nothing. It may not make you a productivity god, but it will keep you conscious of what you have to do for the given period (day, week, month, whatever).

2. Your calendar likely isn't set up to function as comprehensive task-management software. I use outlook at my office, and sure it has some task-list features, but they're woefully lacking in features. I posit that doing your todo list in outlook is of no benefit over doing your todo list in notepad. To use the language of the article, there's still the problems of "heterogeneous complexity", "lack of context", and no "commitment device". Sure it gives you a better idea of priority (e.g. my calendar says I have to do this right now) and how much time a task MIGHT take, but I can ignore outlook popups just as easily as I can my notepad todo list. And trust me, I have.

Using a calendar to schedule your work doesn't solve the underlying problems that cause most people's productivity to suffer: motivation and distraction. If my motivation to complete a task is low, having it on a todo list vs a calendar (or even in comprehensive task-management software) makes no difference--I still don't want to do it, and I can and will still be distracted by crises, email, and the internet in general.

Yawn,

I can relate to your problem very much. I've also tried multiple software and finally I have come back to use notepad on Windows. I have done a small setup to make my todo list simple and accessible:

1. Press f5 to get date time stamp

2. List down all your task without numbers one below the other in the beginning of the day or as the tasks get assigned to you.

3. As you complete each task write DONE in front of it.

4. At the end of the day group all the tasks with DONE if front of them below the date you completed, pushing the rest of task below

5. Come back next day to your task list and add an empty line. The tasks without DONE are still pending, follow from step 1.

How to make your todo list accessible on a Windows machine:

1. Created a "TODO" directory and add a text file call it todo.txt

2. Create a shortcut of the file, rename it to "todo" and cut-copy-paste the shortcut to C:\windows\system32

3. Now press "Windows key + R" and type "todo" in the command window. This will open your list.

I have been using the list for over 6 months now and this is how it looks:

9:39 AM 1/16/2012

DONE ESA Request retrieve the lost records

DONE Update the email notification when esa request status changes

9:04 AM 1/17/2012

DONE Follow up with CA about MS Project installation.

10:23 AM 1/19/2012

DONE Site Usage Report 1. Change Column order 2. Sort By 3. Relative Path

3:55 PM 1/20/2012

DONE Complete the code for MUSE FeedIn

Document the feed in issue from Pedagogue.

MUSE Win 7 MUL compatibility

Clarity DDS BO Server specs.

You can assign a unique shortcut key directly within a shortcut's 'Properties' if desired (either this or just hit the Windows key and start typing to let Windows Vista+ search for it); in an everything's-working-perfectly world the text file and/or the shortcut can be anywhere. Anything unnecessary in the system folders tends to be bad news.

My method is like yours, basically. I use Notepad and good-old paper.

I'm leary about the idea of ever having a "living calendar". You've gone from the one dimensional todo list of "what" to a more complex decision tree with another dimension of "when" in addition to "what".

I do like the concept of a "living todo.txt". Sure it is unrealistic to be able to strike off every item on your ToDo, but every day brings re-evaluation. Approach your todo like Yoda - there is "only do, or do not".

PalmOS, for all its cruftiness, had (and perhaps inspired) some very well-designed, highly usable mobile apps.

For all the flash and glitz I see on iOS and Android, that's still lacking in too many cases.

I also miss graffiti and the bubble keyboard both.