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Todoist Things



Sometimes, you might be keeping track of tasks in another program or spreadsheet, but then you want to import them into Todoist. No problem — simply export your tasks from the other program or spreadsheet into a CSV file and then import them into Todoist. When importing tasks using a CSV file you must stick to a specific format that Todoist can recognize.

  • Join 25 million people and teams that organize, plan, and collaborate on tasks and projects with Todoist. 'The best to-do list' by The Verge.
  • Todoist gives you the confidence that everything’s organized and accounted for, so you can make progress on the things that are important to you. Start each day feeling calm and in control Get a clear overview of everything on your plate and never lose track of an important task.

Whether you’re managing a project or planning an exercise routine, Todoist can help. Learn the basics to stay on top of work and life.

Let’s begin

Start with a project

Todoist projects keep all your tasks organized so you can achieve your goals — large and small.

You can create projects to:

  • Make a teaching plan
  • Track a marketing campaign
  • Share a grocery list

Todoist Team

Try a template

Add your first task

All projects begin with a single step, but don’t stop there! Add every task that comes to mind.

The most achievable tasks tend to be:

  • Super specific and clear
  • Actionable
  • Less than an hour long

Stay on schedule

Life’s smoother if you know what needs to happen when. Todoist can auto-detect due dates, nearly any way you write them!

Todoist understands things like:

  • Today
  • This weekend
  • Sept 15 at 2pm
  • Every 3rd Tues for 6 months starting in April
Get the whole list

Split big tasks into sub-tasks

Task

Small tasks are far easier to complete than big ones, so break large goals into manageable to-dos.

  • Divide tough tasks into short, easy ones
  • Track all of your progress
  • Collapse for calm, expand to complete

Organize tasks into sections

Tidy up your long task lists with sections. You can neatly divide your project any way that works for you.

  • Complete projects in stages
  • Try sections like To Do, Doing, Done
  • Set a schedule by day, week, lunar cycle, whatever!
Find section inspiration

Get things out of your head

Not sure which project a new task should go in? Add the task to your Inbox — the home for tasks without projects (yet).

Plan your future

Find every task due today, this week, or any week in your Today and Upcoming views.

Prioritize your day

It’s easy to get lost in your task list when there’s a lot on your plate. Keep your focus with color-coded priority levels.

  • Pick only a few must-do tasks each day
  • Do your hardest task first
  • Reschedule any tasks you don’t check off

Celebrate your accomplishments

Small steps add up to big achievements over time. So take a moment to look back on all the progress you’ve made.

  • Track your successes
  • Note the challenges
  • Reward yourself for a job well done!
Uncomplete tasks, too

Everybody’s talking about Things 3. Now that I’m on the bandwagon, here is my take on what makes it presently the best task manager for macOS and iOS — for me at least. Inevitably this mean comparison with what I turned over along the way. Running pathological optimism means I’ve tried them all, but Todoist got left behind this time round. I’m not here to run that app down, it remains excellent for many reasons — maybe even better in ways that don’t matter to my workflow. But, should you be wondering, is Things 3 better than Todoist, perhaps this will be useful.

Todoist Vs Things 3 2019

Todoist or not Todoist

I‘ve only been using Things 3 for a few months. In truth, I’m generally suspicious of trends, so I tried to avoid it while I still had good reason to. Even if I’m only making excuses, I need more than new and shiny. Thankfully, a genuine reason presented itself when my Todoist subscription was up for renewal. The cost of renewing that sub wasn’t much less than buying the Things 3 suite outright. Between the annually recurrent cost, and various Todoist annoyances, it was worth kicking the tyres. As it turned out, a trial on macOS convinced me to jump.

Initially there were two features I missed from Todoist. I’m over them both already. First, the API allowed me to use Zapier, and/or IFTTT for various automations. Second is the natural language parsing for task entry. At least I missed that until I realised it’s either a bonhomie for laziness, or an easy way to fill up a task list with lots of nonsense you’ll never do. Never mind that with a keyboard the difference in keystrokes is minimal. I’m not saying I wouldn’t like to see better natural language support added to Things 3 — it does include some basic date parsing abilities — but it doesn’t come close to being the show stopper I thought it might. If anything, the relative slowdown — minimal as it is — helps add a little more deliberation into the process.

To the first point, with native automation Cultured Code has made significant inroads to mitigate some of the abilities lost by not having an API. By all accounts, the recent addition of a deep, and flexible URL scheme is just the beginning, with other innovations on the way.I would argue that inter-app automation is not just as useful, but in some ways more relevant. The automation I used most would automatically copy editorial tasks to Trello. I was able to create an analogue of that on iOS, using Workflow. Anyone who complains about the ‘extra step’ of pushing a button could look out the window once in a while.

Todoist Versus Things

Native inter-app automation breaks dependence on the web. In the process it cuts back the surface area of data-sharing with third-parties. More than that, there is an immediacy to working locally that allows for sharing rich data. Being able to delineate notes, mind maps, or outlines into actions opens up all kinds of possibility for continuity. Particularly for a writing workflow. This makes a lot of sense for academic work, research, and writing. Or for any other kind of work that includes creative planning.

It’s true the barrier to entry for URL based automation is a little higher than web automation. It’s not that it’s difficult to grasp, more that building the links themselves can be tedious. Cultured Code appear wise to this, having created a link building tool on their website. With nothing left to miss, one can enjoy all the benefits delivered by clever design choices, and opinionated simplicity. Ironically, my biggest concern over both those features was the possibility for double handling and time wasting. And yet, Things 3 is both an app I would rather spend time using, and one I don’t have to.

Subtleties

While these new automation features are getting all the attention right now, it’s a couple of subtle, but significant design choices that make Things 3 so effective. I found the flexibility of Todoist equal parts powerful and beguiling. Getting the most from it requires one to configure projects, labels, and priorities to facilitate query filters built around those different pieces of metadata. If you get it right you can contextualise your workload with extremely specific queries. This is a major strength if you need that kind of detail, however, with so much configuring, and fiddling to get it right, it can also be a headache. I never felt like I had it configured very well, so the temptation to reconfigure always hovered.

Things 3 is completely different. I’m not going to run through all of its features, there are better places for that. For my money, what makes Things 3 worth recommending is a couple of subtleties that mean I spend less time managing my task list.

The first touch is indicative of the user experience in general. The way Things 3 handles the inbox. Processing is simple, a task only requires one touch for removal from view. If all you ever want to do is put due dates on your tasks, Things 3 will consider them processed and essentially remove them from view, until the day they require actioning. If you’re wired to slowly disintegrate when faced with growing clutter, this is priceless. Most task mangers have some kind of filtered view to show you only the tasks you need to see, but they all require a lot more interaction. Things 3 is designed to cut back on over-processing by making it extremely simple to get a hold on what needs doing. In that way it’s the opposite of Todoist, but that doesn’t mean it is without flexibility.

The emphasis in the Things 3 user experience is on aesthetics. As a method for task management, it leans on visual organisation. Elements like headings, tags, and manual ordering, can be employed in the myriad ways. They can even constitute productivity systems favoured by nerds. On the flipside, Things offers enough customisation to avoid forcing users into an inflexible, or totalising system. Configuration requires little fuss if simplicity is your thing. Or, the various organisational delimiters apply to whatever bespoke version of getting things done you run with.

Data Security

With this app being written about so much, I might surprised to have hardly seen security mentioned, if it weren’t for the fact this is an area that very little light is shined on in general with task managers. Given I was using Todoist, it would be a little rich to take Things 3 to task over security holes. I would argue that Todoist does the minimum required for data security; they could do more. While the mechanics are similar, it’s a fact that Things 3 is better than Todoist on security. Cultured Code use better encryption, and provide better insight into what they are doing. Nonetheless, the proprietary syncing would be dramatically improved with client side encryption.

From a personal point of view — and this was the same stance I had with Todoist — should anyone hack them, my own task list would not be the most exciting or revelatory reading. Unfortunately, in taking this stance I’m part of the problem, as it overlooks the importance of data security in general. Users so commonly make these kinds of compromises, we excuse developers from making improvements. Who can blame them for focusing on the squeeky door? A little more noise would go a long way to ensuring security standards are improved more generally.

Todoist Toggl

Cultured Code suggests they may add client side encryption ‘at a later time’, I would add that it is on users to ensure they do that by making clear it is necessary. This remains an opportunity for them, especially considering the OmniGroup are setting the standard for end-to-end encryption in their software. Which means, if you cannot afford to compromise on security at all, I would recommend using OmniFocus. With all the changes coming this year, OmniFocus is worth keeping an eye on. Should they drastically improve the user experience, the security factor will have me sorely tempted to jump again. In the meantime, if you’re using Things 3, know that your data is pretty secure, but not that secure.

Todoist Vs Things

Is Things the best Task Manager for macOS and iOS?

That seems to be the question everyone wants answered, but changing your task manager for the sake of it is madness. Unless it’s your hobby, in which case I can’t help you. 1 If you have something that is working well for you nEverybody’s talking about Things 3. Now that I’m on the bandwagon, here is my take on what makes it presently the best task manager for macOS and iOSow, I’m an advocate for the ‘ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ adage. On the other hand, if you’re struggling with an unnecessarily complex setup, or software that ends up being another thing to manage, you could do a lot worse than give Things 3 a look. It is being talked about with good reason. 2 If you have never used a task manager before, choosing the right one can be confusing, but I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to new users.

For my own purposes, right now Things 3 is the best task manager for macOS and iOS. While not perfect by any means, it manages to walk the fine line between simplicity, and customisation. Again, my aim is not to deride Todoist, nothing has stopped it bearing the standard for cross platform support, collaboration, and web automation. But, if you’re already half way out the door, in many ways I have found Things 3 better than Todoist.

Todoist Getting Things Done

For macOS users, a free trial for Things 3 is available, or you can pick it up on the Mac App Store. Unfortunately, the iOS app is not universal, so you do have to buy seperate apps for iPhone and iPad. Although, that does mean if you want to try it out on iOS without going all in, you can purchase the cheaper iPhone version to get started.

Todoist Task

  1. Unless I can recommend a good book ↩
  2. For one thing, it is the first task manager that hasn’t found a way to truly annoy me. ↩