This free to-do record app retains me organized and sane

For a very long time I questioned if I used to be merely proof against the productiveness advantages of to-do record apps since they didn’t really assist me full my objectives within the long-term. It appeared like if I wasn’t capable of full a process instantly, it could disappear into the ether, by no means to be seen once more or in the end accomplished.

Then a colleague recommended TickTick to me in 2018. The app impressed me a lot that I exploit it to this present day regardless that more moderen productiveness apps have launched in the marketplace — it has turn into one of many free apps I can’t dwell with out.

A standard downside I encounter when utilizing productiveness apps is that they attempt to do an excessive amount of directly and it really takes a while to set them up and get acquainted with their options. Contemplating I’ve ADHD, an app that may assist me maintain organized makes my life simpler. However on the identical time, I get overwhelmed when there’s an excessive amount of data to absorb and an excessive amount of to study in a brief time frame.

It additionally signifies that when a process is just not front-and-center, I’ll typically overlook about it. You possibly can’t depend on me to open an app each day to examine my reminders if it’s not already in my each day routine.

And that’s the place TickTick excels — it’s easy and intuitive and doesn’t power you to become familiar with all of its options directly. In truth, you don’t must even create an account to get began. You merely set up the app and begin including duties instantly. These duties could be as easy or as sophisticated as you need them to be. For instance, I normally set my duties to be a easy textual content be aware that pops up at a sure time. However if you wish to categorize your reminders, you possibly can add tags, subtasks, precedence flags, and attachments. You too can assign them to particular lists if you wish to arrange your duties additional. For instance, I’ve lists for Buying, Work, and Private objects.

Different options embrace a calendar view (although some calendar views are locked behind a paywall), a behavior tracker, an Eisenhower Matrix tab, and a newly launched countdown characteristic. However I principally use it for the reminder options, together with different free apps that maintain me organized.

After I set reminders, in addition they dwell in my notification bar, even when I dismiss the preliminary popup. This takes care of the issue of needing a process to stay front-and-center. Each time I examine my telephone, the record of each day duties is there ready for me.

Apart from its easy but highly effective interface, there’s one other characteristic that retains me coming again to TickTick — the flexibility to snooze my notifications. That is the very first thing that set aside the app for me and it ensured that even when I couldn’t get to a process instantly, I might be reminded of it later.

You could possibly argue that this simply feeds into my behavior of procrastinating, however most of the time, it provides me the time to organize for the duty and get began. For instance, I could get a reminder to e-mail somebody once I’m not at present at my desk — so I can snooze it for quarter-hour whereas I end my espresso and switch my PC on.

If I understand I gained’t be attending to my process that day, I can snooze it to ping me the following day as a substitute. That is good on days the place one thing interrupts my schedule or I find yourself with an surprising migraine and may’t full my duties for the day.

On the identical time, the app doesn’t consistently ship me notifications for decrease precedence duties. If it did, the notifications would really hamper my productiveness slightly than bolster it. I’ve a reminder for a weblog publish that has been sitting in my TickTick inbox for weeks, however that’s not as a result of me forgetting it, however me struggling to seek out the time to finish it. So I let it sit in my inbox in order that it stays within the periphery of duties I have to finally accomplish, with out it changing into a nuisance that causes me to prematurely dismiss it.

So if TickTick is such an awesome app, why don’t I subscribe to the premium plan? This principally has to do with my very own private preferences and protecting my software program subscriptions to a minimal. There was a time I used to be subscribed to the app’s premium plan, however I ended up canceling my subscription as a result of I wasn’t utilizing the premium options sufficient to justify the associated fee.

That mentioned, I do assume that TickTick’s premium model is likely one of the higher choices on the market if you happen to’re in search of a to-do record app that may combine with different software program and sync a number of calendars. The annual plan prices $35.99, making it extra reasonably priced than a lot of its options. With the premium model, you get entry to extra calendar views, the filter characteristic, extra lists, extra lively duties, the Fixed Reminder characteristic, and extra attachments per day.

Since I worth TickTick’s simplicity, its free plan does greater than sufficient for me. I’m additionally capable of sync my smartphone’s native calendars while not having the premium plan. However if you happen to like TickTick and also you simply wish to prolong its performance, then I’d advocate making an attempt out its premium model.

Whereas TickTick is ideal for my wants, you may nonetheless be looking out for different to-do record apps which have sure options or integrations. Whereas the premium model of TickTick helps integration with calendars and extra calendar views, not everybody needs to must pay for a reminder app.

If TickTick isn’t for you, contemplate one among these options:

• Todoist: Whereas some individuals may discover Todoist a bit overwhelming, it consists of loads of options in its free model. One among Todoist’s finest options is the supply of templates, which you’ll be able to copy over to create duties from. For instance, the Buying Record template provides you classes and objects you possibly can edit after which examine off. Its calendar view can also be higher at getting a days-long overview of what you’ve gotten forward of you. I additionally like that you may allow morning and night overviews in your duties, which might be helpful for those that prefer to check-in with their each day progress.
• Google Duties: When you’re in search of a totally free to-do record app, then Duties consists of important options equivalent to checklists and reminders. The app is finest suited for many who already use different Google apps equivalent to Google Calendar and Gmail because it permits you to create new duties from inside them.
• Microsoft To Do: When you’re a heavy person of Microsoft’s apps, then Microsoft To Do is a becoming choice to kind and arrange your duties. The app does require a Microsoft account to enroll, however this lets you combine your flagged Outlook emails as duties and sync assigned duties with Planner.
• Any.do: One other strong free to-do record app, Any.do has helpful options like an outline tab in your schedule and an intuitive, categorized grocery record template. Its calendar view can also be extra intuitive than TickTick’s restricted free calendar view.
• ClickUp: When you’re in search of an app that also has a free model, however packs in a bunch of productiveness options, then ClickUp is an effective alternative that features to-do lists and reminders. Along with your duties, you may as well add paperwork and occasions, observe time spent on duties, and collaborate with group members.

Every to-do record app has its power and weaknesses, however I discover that TickTick is essentially the most feature-rich whereas additionally addressing the particular ache factors I’ve with reminder apps. Then once more, you can all the time get ChatGPT to ship you reminders.