Using Toodledo to Get Things Done
I previously mentioned Toodledo in my ‘Living Life Online‘ post. However, it’s such a big part of my personal and professional life now that I wanted to write about it in more detail.
I’ve always kept lists of things to do… whether they be in my head (despite the ever-increasing danger of forgetting them), on pieces of paper (which often get lost), or on PDAs / mobile phones (which I’ve usually been more successful with). I’ve also tried keeping lists online and using ‘To Do’ sites in the past (e.g. Remember the Milk), but I didn’t spend much time exploring them.
Then, last summer, I found some software called iGTD. This completely changed my organisation, as I started to keep my ‘To Do’ items in a central place, adding due dates and categories to give me a greater sense of what to do and when. The lists could also be synced between computers, giving me access to them at home and at school.
After using iGTD for a number of months, I then stumbled across the online tool Toodledo and became instantly hooked. All tasks are kept on the Internet, meaning that they can be accessed anywhere you have an Internet connection (or synced for offline use - more on that later). You can add lots of different labels to each of your tasks:
- Folders - these can be used for tasks linked to particular projects / activities. For example, I have folders which remind me of Assessment tasks, as well as folders for my ICT jobs at school.
- Contexts - I have three contexts (Personal, School, and Websites). This is extremely useful as when I’m at school, I can view all of the school-related tasks, and when I have spare time to work on my websites, I can view those tasks without other jobs to distract me.
- Start date - These remind me when I can begin a task. If a task cannot be started until a date in the future, it can be hidden until that time.
- Due date - For me, this is the most important one, as it reminds me when I need to get something done by. Never forget a deadline again!
- Repeat - Many tasks are things which need to be done regularly (e.g. computer backups and paying bills!). I also use this option to remind me to buy birthdays and anniversary gifts for friends and family.
- Length - How long does each task last? If I only have 10 minutes to get things done, I can order the tasks in terms of length and get lots of little jobs done.
Two other key features of the system are:
Twitter integration - If you have a Twitter account, you can also send and receive tasks with that. For example, if I’m away from a computer, I use the mobile features of Twitter to send an SMS to Toodledo. For example, ‘d toodledo Book laptops for Monday @school‘ will add the task ‘Book laptops for Monday’ to the ‘School’ context in my Toodledo account.
It’s also possible to add folder information, due dates and much more via SMS, but I often just send the task to Toodledo to get it out of my head. I will then add the other relevant information when I’m back at my computer. It’s also possible to request a list of tasks via Twitter, and Toodledo will send you a message back listing the tasks for the appropriate folder / context that you requested. Very handy!
iPhone viewing - As an iPhone user, I can also access a ‘Slim’ version of the Toodledo site which allows you to see your tasks in a simple interface. This relies on having an Internet connection. However, Appigo have just released the application ‘To Do‘ (shown here), which will sync with the Toodledo site, allowing you to download your tasks, check them off as the day goes by, add new ones, and then sync the tasks online again when you get a chance. I find it really handy having access to my list of tasks as I’m working at school, which I then tick off as they are completed.
Overall, Toodledo has made a considerable difference in the way that I work. I also read David Allen’s Getting Things Done book, which taught me some great tips about organising things. I don’t follow every practise in great detail, but it (along with tools like Toodledo) have definitely helped me to become more efficient, and have a ‘mind like water’ where I trust my organisational system to remember everything for me, so my brain doesn’t have to worry about it all!
One other thing I try to follow within the GTD system is the ‘Two Minute Rule’. If a job / task comes up and it only takes a few minutes to complete, I try to get it done straight away. Quite often, someone will put a piece of paper in my pigeon hole which only takes a few minutes to read or fill in. I used to collect these on the desk in my classroom and would usually then have another member of staff chasing me up to complete or return it. By doing it straight away, it’s done, it’s out of my head, and I can get more important things done.
How do you organise your tasks? Do you have a system in place, or do you try to remember it all?
September 30th, 2008 at 10:52 pm
Hi Mark,
I have purchased a copy of the David Allen book after you mentioned it in this blog post. It looks like it could be very useful, thank you! I now just need to find the time to read it!!
[Reply]
Mark Warner Reply:
October 1st, 2008 at 6:13 pm
@James: I hope that it’s useful to you… as I said in the post, I don’t follow it in detail, but it’s got some useful ideas which certainly help me to work more efficiently.
[Reply]