A to-do list addict comes clean
This post serves one purpose. It exists to let others know they are not alone. There are others out there that struggle just like you. I'm just like you.
I love a good to-do list. In reality, I don't necessarily like having the list to do, but if I have something to do, having a list is nice. Ground-breaking, I know. What I also love is the idea that somewhere there is a method for maintaining this list that will be ultra-convenient, simple and beautiful. So I'm admitting now that the search for this method is an obsession.
In the last three years (I'm kidding myself here), I've tried probably 30 different ways to manage my lists. Pen and paper almost always win out. The trouble is, since I run a web development business, I need a convenient way to deliver tasks quickly to my developers. So I'm not in the battle alone. I've chosen to-do list apps before that my developers don't like (Basecamp) and they've chosen apps for me that I don't like (Assembla).
But for now, this story has a happy ending. I've begun using Flow (getflow.com). There are four main reasons I love it:
* Nice web interface - it's beautiful (they seem to have been inspired by Things) and has some nice keyboard shortcuts that make using it day-to-day a joy. They built in some nice touches as well. For example, the notification icon updates when an action is taken by another user on your account. As a bonus, the iPad version has 80% of the functionality of the traditional browser version. I'd love to see a dedicated iPad app in the future, but that's a minor gripe.
* Great iPhone app - not much to say here other than it's a nice mobile version. I like the ubiquitous new task button and the calendar selection for due dates is really nice.
* Quick entry Mac app - easily my favorite feature. With one keystroke I can pull up the quick task entry window and create a new task, set a due date, assign to one of my developers and tag - all from the keyboard. I use command+alt+control+t as the keystroke - a command+enter saves the task. This is incredibly helpful when I have a task that enters my head that needs to quickly hit my list.
* Easy task delegation - I started by simply adding a few tasks and assigning those to the email addresses of my developers. That served as an invite and immediately added them to the list I chose. I can also pay for the accounts of others, which makes adoption of the service much easier.
I've been using the service for three weeks and I'm still thrilled with it. With my multi-user discount, I pay $6.99 a month for each account. For my needs, I don't believe I could do much better.
