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I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

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Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#201

Post by aaronbaugher »

picafrost wrote: post #189
happytoexplain wrote: post #143

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>Do people really have so many things to do, and is it really that difficult to keep track of them all? I think you can find the answer to this question by looking at the comment thread of any TODO/notes/task-tracking submission on HN.

That's a fair point - but most of these threads focus on comparing systems rather than discussing whether they are necessary in the first place. I can see how folks with ADHD or similar challenges would benefit from a TODO app (or similar). I'm more curious about a broader question: at what point does life complexity actually require a formal system versus just mental tracking? Tech people are, for the most part, the…

Maybe virtual tasks need better organization or reminders than physical tasks. I rarely forget to wash my dishes because the dishes are right there. I don't forget to go gather the eggs because I have to shut up the chickens every night and check their food and water, or living creatures could die. There are physical consequences and reminders of those things.

The need to update a piece of software doesn't give me any physical cues, and if I have a couple dozen tasks like that waiting on me, I'm never going to remember them all unless they're all popping into my head throughout the day. That pretty much is how I used to try to do it, and it wasn't good.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#202

Post by chr1ss_code »

Suggestion for Android: Tasks — I’ve been using this (free) to-do list, planner and reminders app for probably more than ten years now, mostly as a shopping list app. Be aware that there are other apps with very similar names and icons.

https://mytasksapp.com/

cheers

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#203

Post by treetalker »

benchly wrote: post #126
douglee650 wrote: post #99

Then, finally you reach the last layer: a 4" x 6" notepad and pen that are always kept at your desk

It's like Rumshpringa for TODO apps. Everyone wants to rebel from the old norms and go do something different, only to end up returning to the reliability, clarity and comfort of a good pen and pocket notebook. Big fan of the Rite-In-Rain notebooks, myself, and Fisher Space Pen's Cap-o-matic.

Meme on why Rite-in-Rain is de rigeur: https://www.reddit.com/r/tacticalgear/comments/u6dq3i/fuck_y...

I'm a pencil person, though.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#205

Post by benchly »

aidenn0 wrote: post #175
benchly wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It's like Rumshpringa for TODO apps. Everyone wants to rebel from the old norms and go do something different, only to end up returning to the reliability, clarity and comfort of a good pen and pocket notebook. Big fan of the Rite-In-Rain notebooks, myself, and Fisher Space Pen's Cap-o-matic.

Did you mean Cap-o-matic?

Yep, thanks for the correction

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#206

Post by graemep »

Igrom wrote: post #92

Reading through the comments under this thread, there are many users who swear by a plain text file, but who then build quite a lot of snowflake software to regain functionality offered by more structured TODO applications. That includes: - having your computer alert you to things that come up - being able to tag notes - being able to add events to a calendar - being able to set priority of tasks - expecting prioriti…

A lot of this is solved by todo.txt format ( https://github.com/todotxt/todo.txt )

There are apps that support it on many platforms and it is easy to sync across devices.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#209

Post by fmbb »

pancakemouse wrote: post #198
Igrom wrote: post #92

Reading through the comments under this thread, there are many users who swear by a plain text file, but who then build quite a lot of snowflake software to regain functionality offered by more structured TODO applications. That includes: - having your computer alert you to things that come up - being able to tag notes - being able to add events to a calendar - being able to set priority of tasks - expecting prioriti…

What this shows to me, as someone who has committed some of the unholy crimes above, is that people want their system, however esoteric, to come naturally to them. I think reading docs, understanding a new system which someone else has designed, and fitting one's brain into _their_ organisational structure is the hard part. Harder than designing one's own system. It's the reason many don't stick with an off-the-shelf…

Also, if you are a developer by trade a lot of these features are quick and easy to implement.

Re: I tried every todo app and ended up with a .txt file

#210

Post by crossroadsguy »

Igrom wrote: post #92

Reading through the comments under this thread, there are many users who swear by a plain text file, but who then build quite a lot of snowflake software to regain functionality offered by more structured TODO applications. That includes: - having your computer alert you to things that come up - being able to tag notes - being able to add events to a calendar - being able to set priority of tasks - expecting prioriti…

Because it’s never about finding the good or good enough or even the perfect system of something. It’s about the itch!
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