my favorite organizing / to-do list app

today i’m answering a question i have heard a lot in here…

“how do you organize your to-do list?”

there are so many amazing apps for organizing your projects and ideas….as well as maintaining and compiling your important to-do lists. i’ve tried several apps over the years, but there is one app in particular that, for me, trumps all others. maybe it’s because it was the first app i started with, so i am biased or just simply more comfortable navigating the app because it’s second nature to me. but truly, i would be an unorganized mess without it. not to mention, my brain would be a big jumbled mess because as soon as something comes to mind, i immediately do a brain dump into this app. 🙂

i’d like to first say that everyone functions differently when it comes to a to-do list that keeps them focused and on top of tasks. this is my own personal opinion…and i was not paid or compensated in any way to mention this app on my blog. this really is the one and only organizing app i use.

i found this app more than 3 years ago and would be completely lost without it.

am sure many of you may love the old pen and paper technique when it comes to keeping a to-do list. i get that…and there are a few projects i do myself that seem to get done faster when i write them on paper. but for those who are looking for a technology-based task manager where you can track daily to-do’s as well as long-term goals….this app will not let you down.

it’s called wunderlist…

and not only is it an amazing task manager – but it’s SO easy to use, pretty to look at and FREE!

there are so many features i love about this app…the main feature being there is an app on my desktop as well as on my smart phone. and they sync with one another whenever i make an update! i tend to use the desktop application more than i do my phone app. but it sure is nice to have my to-do list available to me on the go in the event i have a bit of free time to run errands.

i have to say the main reason i love this app is because it functions that way MY brain functions. for example, i have several categories in my life that need to be organized…and within those categories there are individual to-do items. this app operates the exact same way. and that is why it has worked so well for me.

some other features you may like…

you can set up email notifications
you can add a deadline date for any to-do item within a list
create a new task straight from your e-mail inbox
share your lists through e-mail, Facebook, twitter and other social media
print out hard copies of lists

to give you a better inside look at the app, i’m going to share my actual lists with you and show you the inside of one of my lists. here is how my desktop app looks as it is today…

it’s a very clean looking app on your desktop.

now i’ll show you a more detailed look into the way i organize my lists…

you’ll notice this list is called “school”. anytime i have a school item on my list, it gets plopped into this category. currently i have 3 items in this category, but that is growing fast as back to school info gears up. you can also see that 2 of those to-do items have a date attached – seen at the end of that white to-do item line. that keeps me on top of each to-do and makes sure i get it done on time.

you’ll also notice at the bottom where i circled the “today” with a number 2 in red above it. each day when i open the app i can simply click on that “today” button to see what i have set up for myself to accomplish. if you are a plan ahead type of person, you can also click through the “tomorrow” button or see a full list for the next 7 days.

the square section to the right are all of my main categories. these are my current categories…

to-do: general home to-do items
blog topics: there are almost 70 projects listed in here – and they all pertain to things i plan on blogging about 🙂 that list is always growing!
blog design goals: this is my list of blog hopes and dreams….as well as some design things i’d like to incorporate at some point
family binder info: this is a very long list of household binder forms i’m going to create and share here or in my etsy shop
scrapbooking/photos: my list of scrapbooks to finish or start, as well as some photo goals i have in mind
school: as shown above
kids: anything related to the kids; sports, future gift ideas, clothing needs, etc
ebay/sell: a list of items i have lined up to sell
shopping: this tends to be my extended family gift list and ideas i have run across that i think would make a great gift for fellow family members
research: items i would like to investigate further
photos for family: photos i need to print and mail out to family members – some of whom have been begging me for images for quite a while now. oops!
kids activities: something new i have discovered in our area that i would love to take the kids to see when we have the time.

there was a time when i kept our grocery list in here, but found i wasn’t using it as much because the old pen and paper technique works better for me in that dept. 🙂

there are so many ways you can use this app and customize it to your life. if you are using an app, i’d love to hear about it…or if you don’t have a technology-based app, i hope i’ve encouraged you to give this one a try. it really is awesome!

Allie - This Yellow House says:

July 27, 2012 at 9:44 pm

That sounds awesome! I will check it out 🙂

Karen At Home says:

July 28, 2012 at 1:56 am

I love trying out new apps, especially ones that make my
life easier. Hoping to try it out this weekend.

Have a good weekend Sam!

Motivated Mommy of two says:

July 28, 2012 at 11:30 pm

I have to tryout this app thanks for sharing

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