TaskPaper – Plain text to-dos 4+

So hard to encapsulate what a joy it is to use this app. It is fast. It is easy to learn. It is reliable. With fast search and tag filters, I am able to track dozens of projects and tasks and notes with ease. My list does not become overwhelming because I can quickly and intuitively filter it to zoom in on a set of tasks by context, by due date, etc. What really stands out for me is the way it adapts to the way I generally think about tasks and projects — it is usually a non-linear process where thinking about one task or project triggers a memory about another thing to do. From anywhere in the app I can immediately start adding a new project or task. I don’t need to click-click-click to get to a Project view or Inbox view and then proceed from there. It is that ease of capturing projects and tasks that gives me a sense of calm and “ninja-ness” in managing what I need to do.

I have been playing around with various To-Do apps for several years. Only recently did I get rid of several overwhelming projects that pressed on me so hard that I could hardly choose what to do, but could only do what was necessary--usually at the last moment.
In the last month I tried several To-Do apps. The SECRET to using this app is (1) that it is simply a text file which can be edited in any text editor, BUT (2) the Menu provides a ton of options for managing your list. I haven't tried it yet, but it appears that there are options for making changes to your heart's content thru stylesheets and scripts. This is my new "very mostest favoritest"* app.

* Comes from hanging around with grandchildren!

My favorite task management app. It just gets out of your way and lets you organize your tasks in whatever way is best for you. Since it's outline-based, you can add arbitrary levels of subtasks to any item. You can easily narrow your focus down to single projects, or quickly move and tag items with the keyboard.

The file format is simple plain-text outlines, but the app provides so many powerful tools to manipulate your tasks and projects. You can create very powerful searches, you can create custom commands with JavaScript and can customize the way your tasks are presented with stylesheets. Lots of pre-written scripts and stylesheets are available on the Taskpaper forum.

Because it's just plaintext, it's easy to view and manipulate your task lists with other applications.