Refinding Which To Do List To Use

Now that I want to use a to do list again, to help structure non-client work time, I have to look at what kind of to do list to use.

I used to use Outlook, and had a list there. When I stopped using a PDA, I started writing myself e-mails with a long to do list for the month or upcoming period of time that I could revise, print out, etc. I try not to have the epic to do list capturing all of my hopes and dreams, because that's not where I'm at. It is a good idea for some people.

Now I just want to capture tasks and ideas so I can sit down in a block of time and remember what I wanted to be doing generally, and pick some based on urgency/interest/impending staleness of task/attention/energy level, for example.

I want it to be

  • somewhere I can find it
  • somewhere I remember it
  • easy to see everything on
  • easy to get rid of completed tasks
  • easy to sort
  • not overly complicated

In an ideal world, I would be able to

  • access it on any computer online
  • access it on my computer offline
  • print it out easy

When/if I get a smartphone it will change again. For now I'm playing with gmail tasks and notes in mac Mail. The most important things, though are

  • adding things to do and things to write to my list
  • reviewing my list regularly

And those are things I would remind others of. To do lists, as I always seem to be saying, are tools to make things easier. They help you to remember what you want to remember. They save time because you don't have to think up all the things you had to do- or they ought to. They help you stay focused by writing down a thought/potential distraction as something to attend to later. If they don't help you remember stuff, stay focused on the task at hand, and organize your time, they aren't working.