Todoist

Easy-to-use task management

Todoist is a task management app that excels in simplicity and ease of use. As a personal productivity tool, it helps users organise their day by breaking tasks down into manageable to-dos, without unnecessary complexity. For individuals or small teams looking for a straightforward tool to track daily tasks, Todoist is ideal. It’s perfect for those who want to create checklists, set due dates, and categorise tasks without the need for a complex project management system.

Simple interface and workflow

Todoist’s interface is clean, minimalist, and intuitive. It focuses solely on the essentials: task creation, task management, and deadline tracking. This makes it an excellent choice for individuals who want to stay organised but don’t need the more advanced features offered by other tools. For personal use or small team collaboration, Todoist is a no-fuss solution to keep track of work, both professionally and personally.

Cross-device syncing and collaboration

One of the benefits of Todoist is its ability to sync across multiple devices. Whether you’re using the web version, mobile app, or desktop app, your tasks are always up to date. Additionally, Todoist supports collaboration features, allowing you to share tasks and projects with others. This can be useful for small teams or collaborators who need a simple tool to manage joint tasks or share personal to-do lists.

Limited project management features

While Todoist is excellent for personal task management, it’s not designed to handle complex project management needs. It lacks the detailed reporting, time tracking, and advanced workflow features that tools like ClickUp or Asana offer. If your team needs robust project management capabilities, Todoist may not be enough to support your needs. However, for personal to-do lists or light project tracking, Todoist works perfectly well.

Pricing and limitations

Todoist is free to use for basic tasks, but for premium features like advanced filtering, reminders, and task labels, you’ll need to upgrade to a paid plan. The free version offers plenty of functionality for individual users, but businesses or teams may find the premium plan necessary for more advanced features. The paid plan is reasonably priced, but for those who don’t need advanced features, the free version is more than sufficient.

I first tried Todoist back in 2017 and found it to be a great tool for personal productivity. Since then, I’ve kept an eye on it as it has evolved, but I’ve personally stuck with Notion for task management. I’ve also moved to ClickUp and Asana, but in the end, I’m back at Notion because of its greater flexibility. This review is based on desk research, as I haven’t used Todoist actively in recent years, but I’ve kept up with its features and updates.

Strengths of Todoist

The primary strength of Todoist is its simplicity. It’s incredibly easy to use and doesn’t overwhelm you with unnecessary features. If you just need to track your personal tasks, Todoist provides a clean and efficient way to stay organised. You can quickly create tasks, set deadlines, and organise them by projects or categories. The mobile app is particularly handy for users who want to track their tasks on the go, and the syncing across devices ensures that your to-do list is always up to date.

Todoist also supports collaboration, which makes it suitable for small teams. You can share tasks and projects with others, assign responsibilities, and set due dates. While it’s not as feature-rich as tools like Asana or ClickUp, it works well for smaller projects or personal to-do lists. The cross-device syncing also ensures that you can keep track of your tasks regardless of the device you're using.

Limitations of Todoist

While Todoist excels at personal task management, it has its limitations when it comes to more complex project management. For example, it lacks the detailed reporting features that tools like ClickUp or Asana provide. If you're managing larger projects or need to track the time spent on tasks, Todoist falls short. Its project management features are basic, and it doesn’t offer the same level of customisation or advanced workflows that other tools do.

Another limitation of Todoist is its lack of advanced task management features, like time tracking or resource management. For solo users, this isn't a problem, but for teams managing complex operations, these missing features could be a deal-breaker. While the premium version does add more functionality, for larger teams or businesses with more detailed needs, tools like ClickUp or Asana would be better suited.

Ideal fit for personal productivity

Todoist is perfect for individual users who want to stay organised without dealing with the complexity of more advanced project management tools. It’s great for managing personal tasks, setting reminders, and keeping track of small projects. The app’s simplicity and ease of use make it ideal for personal productivity and light team collaboration. However, if you need a tool to manage larger projects, track team progress, or run sophisticated workflows, Todoist may not provide the depth required.

If you’ve decided to give Todoist a try to improve your personal productivity, here’s a step-by-step guide on how to get started.

Create a Todoist account

To get started, visit the Todoist website and create an account. You can sign up using your Google or Apple account, or create a new account with your email address. Once you’ve signed up, you’ll be directed to your main dashboard, where you can start organising your tasks.

Set up your first project

After logging in, you’ll see an option to create your first project. Projects are the main way Todoist organises tasks. For example, you could create a project for “Marketing Campaigns” or “Personal Errands”. To create a project, click the “+” button, give your project a name, and start adding tasks.

Add tasks to your project

Once your project is set up, you can begin adding tasks. To do this, click the “Add task” button and type in the name of your task. You can set due dates for each task, which will appear in your task list and on the calendar. Todoist allows you to create recurring tasks as well, which is perfect for regularly scheduled activities such as weekly check-ins or monthly reporting.

Use labels and priorities to organise your tasks

To keep things organised, you can assign labels and priorities to your tasks. Labels allow you to categorise tasks based on their type, such as “urgent” or “important”. Priority levels (1 to 4) help you mark tasks based on their urgency, with Priority 1 being the highest. This feature helps you stay on top of your tasks and ensures that the most important ones get done first.

Set up reminders

Todoist’s reminder feature is useful for ensuring that you don’t forget important tasks. You can set reminders for specific tasks by selecting the “Remind me” option when creating or editing a task. You can choose to be reminded by push notification, email, or at a specific time.

Collaborate with others (if needed)

If you need to collaborate with a team, Todoist allows you to share projects and tasks with others. To do this, open the project you want to share, click the “Share” button, and invite others by entering their email addresses. You can assign tasks to team members and leave comments within the task, making it easy to track progress and communicate with others.

Sync across devices

Todoist works across multiple devices, including web, mobile, and desktop apps. To ensure you’re always on top of your tasks, download the Todoist app on your phone or tablet. Your tasks will automatically sync across devices, so you can stay organised no matter where you are.

Advanced features (for premium users)

If you’re using the free version of Todoist, you’ll have access to all the basic task management features. However, if you upgrade to the premium version, you’ll gain access to more advanced features like reminders, productivity reports, and the ability to create more detailed filters and views. Premium users also have access to the Todoist Karma feature, which tracks your productivity and gives you insights into how well you’re managing your tasks.

Conclusion

Todoist is a fantastic tool for personal task management and productivity. It’s simple, intuitive, and easy to use, making it a great choice for individuals looking to stay organised. Whether you’re managing daily tasks, long-term projects, or personal goals, Todoist helps you track everything in one place. For B2B marketers, entrepreneurs, or anyone looking to get organised without overcomplicating things, Todoist is an excellent choice. While it may not be the best fit for large-scale teams or complex project management, it shines for personal productivity and smaller-scale collaborations.

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