Earlier quoted context omitted.
What app do you use? I've yet to find something that works really well with recurring tasks.
Todoist - https://todoist.com
My partner swears by it and uses it a lot.
Todo apps are meant for robots
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Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#72I’ve found the trouble with Todo lists is that you fill them up and then start ignoring them as they are overwhelming. I’ve recently found Beeminder’s GTBee todo list app a good help as it forces you to enter a due date and fines you at least $5 if you don’t complete the task on the due date. That makes me highly motivated to keep checking the list and completing tasks.
If I find my todo list are overwelming, then it is because:
1. A task is not worth doing - delete it. I am using the app so I don't have to remember it, I am not taking orders from it. 2. Not organized well - if I am cleaning the house I don't want to see what I should do for my personal finances; gift buying guides for Christmas and so on. 3. The item is important, but not something I can do something about now. This indicates to me that I should split it into smaller parts, until I have a GTD next step.
I personally think that a todolist isn't worth much unless you are also blocking time in your calendar to do that task - and when you do, that is the task you will be doing not worrying about anything else.
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#73#1 has been debunked[0], in 2016 of all times. I wonder how many more years we'll have to go before people stop saying willpower is a finite resource. [0]: https://elemental.medium.com/dont-worry-you-can-t-deplete-yo...
From that link you shared:
> But while the early ego-depletion concepts appear to be flawed, experts say that self-control can wax or wane for a number of predictable reasons.
and
> Inzlicht says that no matter what a person does, willpower is going to be a fickle commodity. It’s heavily influenced by many variables, and so it really cannot be trusted. “There are easier, less-muscular ways to engage in goal-directed behavior than relying on willpower,” he says.
Close enough for most purposes, really.
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#74Unfortunately all of the options are bad.
I tried to map out the space of info that I need to track in my engineering job:
1) Tasks from emails 2) Meeting notes with details of people who participated 3) Project related tasks that can have a long format and can be tagged/ delegated 4) Scratchpad for unrefined ideas 5) Detailed documentation for completed technical tasks / ideas 6) FIFO list of high priority small daily tasks
I try to fight the above battle of information organization with a combination of MS Outlook, Onenote, Github boards, MS Todo, physical Sticky notes, a physical notebook and scratchpad, but it is messy.
I occasionally try to find alternatives (notion, bear, trello etc) but no luck so far
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#75Earlier quoted context omitted.
What app do you use? I've yet to find something that works really well with recurring tasks.
Todoist - https://todoist.com
I use Todoist as well and like it, but I'm not sure I'd say it "works really well with recurring tasks".
If you schedule a task as "every Wednesday" then a few weeks later reschedule the task to Friday it doesn't ask "this instance or all of them?" or something. That entire task series is now scheduled for that particular Friday, and once you've ticked it off you won't get any more reminders ever.
If I'm doing something wrong, please let me know. :)
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#76Are there potential solutions to the problems mentioned or is building a great todo list app not possible? I’m leaning towards it’s impossible, but would like to hear what others think.
I think there are solutions, but whether or not they are the same for a large enough market is hard to tell. I use a leaky bucket metaphor in my todo lists... if a given task sits on a list for too long, then it should more or less fall off. It wasn't as important as you thought. But this is anathema to how most of these systems work.
I tend to use my memory for my todo list, which accomplishes this quite naturally.
The key is to really address your feelings of guilt over the whole process of just forgetting about shit that was never that important to begin with.
Which I think is probably the biggest inherent problem with TODO apps (and Jira backlogs).
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#77Almost all Todo apps have the problem of showing you stuff that you are incapable of just seeing things you _can accomplish right now_.
I think people underestimate the amount of pain that comes from, over and over again, looking at a list of things you can't do anything about at a moment X.
The only TODO app that I've found get this at least 95% right is Omnifocus with its billions of settings. Though there's still sometimes a wish to have a "this part of the todo tree is still under construction" node.
I think that this absolutely fundamental failing has soured everyone on almost all of these kinds of apps. Which is a shame, because _if you put in the work to actually write out stuff_, it becomes much easier to get stuff done, and not feel bad about stuff.
People drag on GTD but David Allen is basically right (at least if you are living in the mindset of wanting to really work yourself hard). It's the task management equivalent of doing your budgetting seriously. Yeah, sometimes the problem is just that you need to make more money, but when you have your budget under control a lot of stress just disappears.
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#78Are there potential solutions to the problems mentioned or is building a great todo list app not possible? I’m leaning towards it’s impossible, but would like to hear what others think.
Omnifocus basically solves almost all complaints people have with Todo apps. You have to spend time on it, and that's because "Todo lists" are project management, but people don't see it as such.
Some people have "weird requirements" and even those can be gotten right thanks to very good configurable searches and views. The competition is miles behind Omnifocus (I think the fact it started as a local app and not a web app helps, cuz you're not worrying about "heavy queries" or whatnot)
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#79I'm a huge fan of Marvin [1]. It's an incredibly customizable app that lets you create a ToDo app that works for you. Unfortunately the web page doesn't make it clear how customizable it is, and how many unique features it has, but this may give you an idea [2]. [1] https://amazingmarvin.com/ [2] https://imgur.com/a/kPzzdko
Seconded. Marvin is an incredible app which can be as simple or as complex as you want it to be, and it has a very calm / friendly feel to it. People I've recommended it to have been using it for years now.
They've built the app based on productivity / procrastination science and have a lot of "strategies"[0] to help you deal with different issues you might be facing like "analysis paralysis", "procrastination", "prioritization", "overwhelm", "time management", etc.
Their team is very helpful and responsive and help you figure out your best workflow. It is a breath of fresh air really. If this sounds like an ad, it's because it really is that good.
If the OP resonates with you, you really should give Marvin a shot.
[0] https://help.amazingmarvin.com/en/collections/1139197-strate...
Re: Todo apps are meant for robots
#80Anybody building something that takes these principles into account? Particularly 3 (sense of accomplishment) and 7 (context).
Check out Amazing Marvin (https://amazingmarvin.com/)