As a mom, do you wish you had one place you could collect your whole to do list so you could always see which task you need to complete next?
These five apps for Apple devices can have you organize your life into bite-size chunks that you can check off as you keep track of everything going on around you: cleaning, cooking, school, kids’ activities, and whatever else life throws at you.
You can use any of these apps by themselves or combine them to add their pros (or cancel out the cons!)
Todoist
Pros of Todoist:
- Lets you “nest” topics to break down tasks into individual steps.
- Can easily repeat tasks by adding commands such as “daily” or “every other Tuesday” to the task.
- Lets you create lists for individual projects so you can keep your grocery list separate from your honey-do list (unless that just includes getting groceries).
- Displays today’s tasks from across all your projects to give you a bird’s-eye view of your day.
Cons of Todoist:
- Daily view won’t organize tasks by project, even if the project and tasks are all set to repeat at the same interval.
- Boring layout. While you can select a few different color combos for the app appearance, the overall design is quite boring.
- Can’t send push notifications to remind you of the tasks you have due.
Trello
Pros of Trello:
- See lists side by side to get overview of your project’s overall scope.
- Allows you to include permanent subheadings with checklists underneath
- Can add more information inside cards. This can be in the form of files, photos, links, and more!
- Can drag to complete a task. This adds a satisfying visual representation of moving your tasks from “to do” to “done.”
- Customizable background, including some colors and a wide range of photos to match the theme of your board.
Cons of Trello:
- Can’t repeat tasks in the free version. Theoretically you can have limited access to Trello’s “power ups” on the free version, but on all my devices, I’ve never been able to select the one that allows you to repeat cards.
- Can’t nest topics outside of creating a checklist underneath a card.
Asana
Pros of Asana:
- Can add checklists underneath individual tasks instead of having every single item (overall job and its individual steps) being checklist points.
- Allows you to toggle between board (like Trello) and last (like Todoist) formats, so you’re not locked into only one format.
- Can view tasks in calendar mode so you know what you have coming up.
- Allows collaboration with others, but can still be used by an individual just fine.
Cons of Asana:
- Free version only allows access to list and board layouts
- Not very customizable or attractive appearance-wise
Reminders
Pros of Reminders:
- Easy to repeat tasks by typing “daily” or “first of every month.” Similar to Todoist.
- Fits in well with Apple devices since it already exists on the phone and can sync to any other devices that share the same Apple ID.
- Sends push notifications to remind you what need to get done.
Cons of Reminders:
- Can’t nest topics, only list them as another item on the list.
- Can’t customize. You’re limited to Apple’s plain, white design. Although you can choose different colors for the title of each individual list.
Notes
Pros of Notes:
- Allows bullet points and checklists. You can even use a mixture of both in the same document.
- Can attach photos, documents, and hand-drawn documents. This allows you to keep all your information handy, including a picture of a handwritten list (as a photo or scanned document), a drawing your 4-year-old made, or the document the school sent home that you’ve been meaning to print off and sign.
- Can nest tasks by hitting “tab”, just like other programs where you use outlines.
Cons of Notes:
- Can’t repeat tasks. I mean, you can if you copy and paste or re-type them every time, but I guess this keeps Notes from taking over too much of Reminders’ thunder.
- Your to-do lists might get lost with your other notes. Since your note-taking and to-do list all fall under the same app, your individual lists may get lost. Thank goodness for the “search” function.
- Can’t customize. You’re stuck with the layout Apple gives you.
- Can’t set reminders. Again, this keeps it from being too much like Reminders.
Evernote
Pros of Evernote:
- Doesn’t lock you into a certain format. This can be nice for the free-thinkers out there who want to format their lists in their own unique way.
- Helpful for tasks that involve lots of text. Not that you can’t put lots of text in applications listed above, but
- Can attach documents and photos.
Cons of Evernote:
- Limited to two devices per account.
- Can’t repeat tasks.
Each of these apps also has the added bonus of syncing your tasks, files, and notes to any of your other devices connected to your account. So if you make a grocery list on your tablet or computer at home, you can easily pull it up and not leave yourself standing in the middle of the canned goods aisle wondering if you needed refried beans or kidney beans.
My Top Picks
Most visually-pleasing – Trello
Most flexible – Asana
Best for repeating tasks – Todoist
Still not sure which of these apps is right for you? That’s okay! Since they’re all free, download them all (or open them in the case of Reminders and Notes) and try them out.
Keep the ones you like, delete the ones you hate, use only the features that help you get more done each day. There’s no right or wrong answer besides which one is right for you.
Which of these is your go-to app for your to-do list? Do you have a favorite that’s not on the list? Leave a comment and let us know!
