Got a long to-do list staring you in the face? Wondering how exactly you can possibly manage all the tasks you’ve gotta complete? We rounded up some tools for keeping your to-dos in order a little while ago, but since then there has been a lot of innovation in this realm. Besides, we could all use a little help with the whole organizing-our-life thing. These 15 apps for iOS, Android, web, and Windows Phones will help you prioritize and manage your task list so you can work on actually getting stuff done!
1. Epic Win ($2.99 on iOS): Is your to do list getting a little dull? This app lets you turn your to do lists into a game, complete with quests, points, and characters. This definitely taps into the video game nerd in all of us to get stuff done!
2. Carrot ($1.99 on iOS): This is basically a regular to-do list, with added attitude. If you complete your to-dos, you earn points, which will unlock upgrades, games, and kittens! If you don’t complete them, though, you’ll be subject to mockery from the app. It’s basically a little sarcastic taskmaster on your phone.
3. Grid (Free on iOS): When you’re planning and organizing projects with a group, spreadsheets tend to be a good go-to. But they’re also really ugly. Grid takes the organizational power of spreadsheets and lets you plan everything, collaboratively, in a visually appealing way so that you have all your information together in a way that’s easy and pleasant to read.
4. Clear ($2.99 on iOS): This aims to be a simple way to organize all your tasks. You can create different lists and easily manipulate the lists that you have. Just pull to create a new item and swipe to complete it. Oh, and naturally we’re loving the ombre interface.
5. Any.Do (Free on iOS and Android): You know those tasks that have been on your list forever but have never actually been finished? This app pushes you to get those done by asking you to update your list every day and decide when exactly you want to finish them: today, tomorrow, next week, or just delete them if they’re not worth the time. On top of that, Any.do has a lot of cool features, like auto-suggest and voice-recognition, so you can add to-dos quickly while you’re out and about.
6. Wunderlist (Free on iOS, Android, Windows, and Web): No matter what device you’re rocking, Wunderlist will help you rock your task list. It’s seamlessly syncs across your different devices so you always have access to your lists and you can easily ask a team member to jump in on a task if you could use an extra hand or mind. It also lets you create subtasks to break things down into steps so a big task like “decorate the office” doesn’t seem quite so daunting.
7. Stky ($.99 on iOS): You know that feeling of a huge to-do list where you have no idea where to start? Maybe you created your list for today in advance but priorities have shifted and rendered it totally out of date. Or maybe you just have a whole mess of tasks with no deadlines. This app starts each day fresh so you can plan your agenda based on the goals of that day. It references your broader calendar, but makes sure you’re not chained to it.
8. Well (Free on iOS): Everything else in your life is social, why not your to-dos? Let’s say you’re headed to New York City for a business trip. Wouldn’t it be great if your friends could suggest their favorite restaurants to add to your agenda? This app makes it easy to create and browse lists, solicit and give suggestions with friends, and re-list (similar to retweeting) cool items you see on other’s lists.
9. iDoneThis (Free on iOS): Sometimes we get so caught up in the minute-by-minute of our day that we forget to step back and check in about what we’ve really accomplished. This app helps you look at the bigger picture by asking what you’ve gotten done at the end of each day, making sure you’re actually getting stuff done, and allowing you to see how productive (or not!) you’ve been.
10. MustDoToday (Free on iOS): Need to be more productive? That’s the whole premise behind this app and it definitely gets the job done. It lets you schedule your tasks and forces you to be efficient by tracking and monitoring how much time it takes you to do each one. It keeps your stats so you can see what tasks are taking longer than they should and lets you cut down on wasted time. Genius!
11. LazyMeter (Free on Web): This is another one that provides you with stats so that you can see how well you’re doing with certain tasks. One cool thing that it offers you is the ability to see how well you’re planning your tasks. Are you not completing things because you’re being lazy, or are you over-scheduling yourself? Track your tasks here and you’ll figure it out.
12. Handle (Free on Web): Combine a great to-do list app with your email inbox and what do you get? Handle, a great new app for prioritizing your regular tasks and your emails in one place. We all know “respond to emails” is not a single task, but because there’s not an easy way to connect your email to your agenda, it ends up looking like that. This app lets you separate out all your email tasks and prioritize alongside manually entered tasks, giving you a good picture of what you’ve got to do today.
13. Toodledo ($2.99 on iOS): This app has everything you could possibly want in a to-do list: filters, flexible customization, collaboration tools, the ability to import tasks from other apps, and helpful sorting tools. It’s a beefed up version of jotting everything you need to do in a Word document, and we’re loving the simplicity of use combined with extensive features.
14. Astrid (Free on Android): Calling all Android users! We love this incredibly user-friendly task management app. It’s collaborative, color-coded, and simple to view and manipulate your various tasks. Two thumbs way up.
How do you work on tackling your to do list? Are there any productivity apps we should know about? Tell us your thoughts in the comments below.
