[kwlug-disc] Todo Lists and task management

[Raul Suarez]

At work I use the Lotus notes to-do list.

Since I started using that, tasks don't fall through the cracks.

For personal reminders and tasks I use the Yahoo calendar and task list. I know, not open source but ubiquitous for me that don't carry a cellphone.

I know that many people are fond of flat files. Not me.

What's wrong with the plain old paper Agenda?

Raul Suarez

Technology consultant
Software, Hardware and Practices
_________________
http://rarsa.blogspot.com/ 
An eclectic collection of random thoughts


--- On Tue, 3/16/10, Chris Irwin <chris at chrisirwin.ca> wrote:

> From: Chris Irwin <chris at chrisirwin.ca>
> Subject: [kwlug-disc] Todo Lists and task management
> To: "KWLug" <kwlug-disc at kwlug.org>
> Received: Tuesday, March 16, 2010, 12:31 PM
> Is anybody else keeping an electronic
> todo list? Are you finding it
> effective? I'm trying to get a feel for what works for
> everybody. I
> haven't found anything that works great for me yet, and
> typically have
> spent more time managing tasks than just doing them (My
> tasks span
> everything from "Update package dependancies for new
> version" to
> "Build a deck before winter (deferred from 2009)" with the
> odd "Sell
> awesome project for billion dollars before 2012" thrown in
> for fun).
> 
> My requirements are pretty simple:
> - Priorities
> - Notes for each task
> - Simple data store I can parse with scripts (e.g. for
> display in
> conky, count tasks completed last week to guilt me into
> doing more
> this week)
> 
> Things I would prefer, but are not critical:
> - Due dates
> - Completion dates
> - Dependancies
> - Task recurrence
> 
> I had been using a plain text file with vim, but I find
> that once I
> add a few notes under each task it becomes a pain to get a
> task
> overview, I have to drop to a shell and grep. The other
> downside is
> that it is computer/console-only, so i have no ability to
> add or
> review tasks from my phone.
> 
> I've just started to switch again, and before failing to
> adapt to a
> new process (or get such process to adapt to me) I figured
> I would at
> least see what others are using. Somebody else *must* be
> doing
> something better. There is so much software out there to
> tackle todo
> lists ("Getting things Done" seems to be all the rage
> lately), but it
> all seems to fall flat in one area or another, whether it
> is a backend
> format that needs a million lines of code and five XML
> libraries to
> parse, or a complex interface that is a pain to use (thus I
> will
> "update it later"), or stuck to a specific device that I
> won't always
> have around.
> 
> The current plan I'm considering is using an email inbox
> with a unique
> address. It gives me a create date, subject, and notes
> (message body).
> I get an outline in my email client, and can open specific
> tasks to
> review. I've always got evolution open anyway, and it is an
> interface
> I am already accustomed to. My mail is pulled to maildir on
> my
> workstation, so I effectively have all the simplicity
> features I had
> with the text file. It does give me comparable support on
> my phone and
> any computer I can access my webmail. It doesn't give me
> due dates,
> completion dates or dependancies though, and my priority
> range would
> be limited to important/normal.
> 
> So the email option looks rather favourable since it seems
> to strike a
> balance of simple and hit most of the features I want. But
> Todo lists
> should not be that hard, and the general rule I follow is
> "If you need
> to invent something simple, somebody smarter has already
> done it
> better". So, back to the original question: What is
> everybody else
> using, and do you find it effective?
> 
> -- 
> Chris Irwin
> <chris at chrisirwin.ca>
> 
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