Why downloading Todoist should be on your to-do list

For years, people have been using to-do lists, filofax’s and calendars to make sure they conquer their busy day. Ever since the App store, countless apps have been produced to combine all these tools into one. Scrolling through productivity and business categories will prove how popular ‘to-do list’ apps are.

After the ‘Top Ten Business Apps’ article released last week, another task manager app called ‘Todoist‘ was brough to our attention. Having previewed the app for a couple of days, it soon became clear that this beautifully simplistic app was the answer to all the problems other productivity-boosting apps faced.

Minutes after using the app for the first time, the first thing you will fall in love with is it’s appearance. The subtly behind the layout makes navigating the app effortless. The week view design is also a nice touch, so like traditional to-do lists, you can see how busy or free your week is at a glance. The premium version of this app also lets you colour your tasks, so you can bring some character and personality to your Todoist profile.

Coupled with this great design, the app is also incredibly easy to use. Set quick tasks, schedule them and plan reminders as well as prioritising them, this app provides features that other task manager apps had been lacking. Todoist makes you realise how annoying other task manager apps are without these features. Projects, filters and labels make it easy to manage your tasks at a glance, keeping the layout neat and tidy, instead of having your screen cluttered with numerous tasks.

Todoist also excels cross-platform. Pick up a project you started on your laptop and carry on straight away from your phone with absolute ease. The app also brings you closer to people you work with, allowing you to share assignments, and assign tasks to other people.

This app has answered the prayers of so many frustrated task manager app users, but there are a few complaints.

At times, the app can be fiddly to use. Seeing reminders for specific dates and times can drag on a bit, and there is no way to set reminders for multiple days, they have to be done individually. Once the reminders are set, you are also unable to edit them. To change the reminder you have to delete it, and set it again. Not the biggest inconvenience, but annoying when you consider how easy the rest of the app is to use.

The quick tasks aren’t the quickest they can be, either. it is possible to comply a simple list of tasks without reminders of prioritising them, which many users will do. However, to get the full experience of the app, you have to set aside some time to label and prioritise them correctly, which can be frustrating at times.

The problem any task manager app has is that it is always going to be compared to Evernote, and Todoist is no different. Having scooped up a number of awards and with over 100 million users worldwide, there’s a reason why Evernote is the go-to task manager app. Todoist is a brilliant app for keeping your busy day in check, but Evernote is a creative hub for your business. Features like being able to annotate PDF’s and drag documents into projects are incredibly useful, and are aspects that apps like Todoist are missing.

It is a shame that this beautifully crafted, easy to use app has to linger in the shadows of an app that has reigned supreme for so long. With an update just been released, Todoist is getting better, faster. It is safe to say that this app has the potential to one day knock Evernote of its podium, and Todoist will also begin to be recognised on one of the best business apps around.

Charlie Atkinson