Organizing Your Lists

So great, you’ve gotten to the point of writing things down on a to-do list—this is a good start! But, what happens when your list gets too long, overwhelming, or disorganized? Just like our closets, our to-do lists need some TLC every now and again. It’s important to categorize your lists to prevent them from being another venue to shove “items” or ideas into. Some categories may include: personal, work, home, groceries, restaurants to try, music, movies to watch, books to read, etc. As with any space, digital or reality, you’ve gotta make time to dust if off and reassess priorities every week or two.

Here are some great to-do list applications that can help you manage your lists:

1. Trello is a collaborative forum that organizes your to-dos into Pinterest-esque, multi-media boards. Each board is made up of a variety of lists and can have different uses. On your personal dashboard, Trello illustrates your current work, collaborative projects, and pending projects. Trello is completely free and, for the moment, does not offer any additional for-pay features. Another pro of the organizational app is that it translates nicely to both your mobile and desktop.

2.Wunderlist allows you to categorize your lists, collaborate with others, print your lists, email, and turn on/off list alarms. Lists can be sorted alphabetically by due date, creation date, by assignee, or priority. Another bonus: the basic level of this application is free (yay!). When you complete a task, you “check” it off, sounding off a cute little chime noise! Wunderlist also allows you to see completed items, making you feel productive. On the flipside, I’m not a huge fan of the user interface. You can’t customize the background. However, this is my own personal opinion, others may not be bothered by it. As with most applications, there is an option to pay. The premium membership allows you to add larger to-do files, delegate lists, add sub tasks, it also gives you 10 more options for backgrounds. In my opinion, the pro option for $4.99/month or $49.99/year is not quite worth it.

3. Similar to Wunderlist, Any.Do allows you to categorize and personalize lists. However, the user interface is much simpler and lets users connect with Facebook or Google. Any.Do gives you the satisfaction of crossing out tasks when they are complete—an action which is personally, very satisfying! The premium option allots unlimited file sizes, so you can attach photos, videos, voice recordings, PDF's, and more. It also provides

unlimited ability to share tasks, collaborate with friends and colleagues, a selection of custom backgrounds, and customize recurring tasks. The premium is $2.99/moth or you can commit to a year and pay $2.25/month. Again, I don’t recommend buying the premium until you find yourself needing the unlimited file space option.