Tasks

A text-based task list can save a lot of time because it keeps your fingers on the keyboard and your mind free from deciphering interface baubles and unnecessary bells and whistles. Todo.txt is just one way of keeping a plaintext task list, and is not even the simplest way, but it is a great format that has a great community building great software around it.

I created a unique way of using Todo.txt to manage the numerous projects and tasks I handle each day. It is optimized to help me quickly prioritize today's work, rather than for project planning, and to allow for rapid capture of new tasks. The following sections describe the reasoning behind my choices and provide tips and tricks to getting todo.txt to work well for you.

Contents

• Why Todo.txt?
• My Preferred Todo.txt Software for Windows and iOS
• How I Organize My Todo.txt File
• Due Dates and Todo.txt
• Accountability: Todo.txt and Done.txt

Key points

• Your task list should be a essential tool to help you manage your day.
• Keep you task list simple, both for speed, and to keep focus where it should be: on working, not on managing tasks.
• Capture all your tasks as soon as possible, as quickly as possible.
• Organize your task list based on your priorities, right now to keep your next actions up top and ready to be pounced upon.
• Keep your task list current, and keep only current tasks in it. Try to keep tasks that you are not certain you will off of your task list. This includes future tasks and project plans, which belong in different files outside your main task list.