Getting Things Done, the iPad Way
April 25, 2012
When it comes to the seemingly simple concept of the “to-do list,” there is a mind-bogglingly large number of apps available in the iTunes store that want to help us keep track of the many things we all commit to doing on a day-to-day basis. They range from simple to complex and from free to shockingly expensive, and yet they all have the same goal: remember what to do and when it has to be done by. Luckily for you, we’ve added “sort through all of these productivity apps” and “make sure it’s cheap” to our own to-do list. Read on to see what we came up with.
Wunderlist for iPhone (Free) & Wunderlist HD for iPad (Free) – This clean, simple app sets out to do one thing and it does it well: make lists. Title your list and then get to adding entries on it. Each entry gets a name, a space for additional notes, a due date, a priority rating (a star to say if it’s extra special) and an optional reminder to be sent via in-phone notification or e-mail at a user-defined time. Sounds easy, right? That’s the point! Sort by list, overall priority, due date, or overdue items and then get to checking them off. What makes Wunderlist additionally great is that it creates an account for you that constantly syncs, and your lists are accessible via just about every platform or standard web browser.
TaskCurrent (Free) – It’s hard to build a to-do list aimed at achieving a certain goal if you don’t actually know what to do along the path to that goal. That’s where TaskCurrent comes in, which maker Comitify Corp. calls a “Superhub for Advice.” You start by picking an aspect of your life that you’d like to improve or introduce for the first time, which the app calls a “stream.” This could be related to personal improvement, like getting fit or learning a new skill, or be related to a more social goal, like exploring the city more or showing affection to a loved one. Then TaskCurrent will begin to send you helpful tips, advice, and motivational quotes, doled out over time in order to keep you on task. Sometimes it just takes a nudge to send you down a stream towards your goal.
Evernote (Free) – List are all well and good, but sometimes you need a more robust format to pack in all your information than just a row of bullet points. Enter Evernote, a deceptively huge app that aims to be a virtual file cabinet for all of the notes, text, images and other assorted information that you just can’t let go of. Record voice notes or snap photos, copy pages from the web, or build lists within your notes and Evernote will organize them into “notebooks” that correspond to all of your individual projects. Like Wunderlist, Evernote creates an account for you and syncs everything back to their servers where you can access it from a variety of different platforms as well as the web.
Packing ($.99) – Going someplace? Don’t forget to put “Install Packing” on your to-do list, as this app is extremely handy for any frequent traveller. Build lists focused on what you’ll need on any given trip, separated by categories such as ‘clothes,’ ‘toiletries,’ and ‘gadgets’ for quick access. Then assign those items weights and monetary values, both important aspects to consider when it’s all going in a bag on your back and then off into the woods.
Penultimate ($.99) – When words fail you, there’s sketching app Penultimate. Crack open a fresh notebook and go to town sketching out your thoughts and plans in your own handwriting. Import photos to draw over and to enhance your notes, or buy additional paper types for special diagramming or music composition. Because it’s virtual, there is never another blank page waiting for additional notes. Just don’t let your next to-do list span so many pages that you never see the first items again.
Alexei Bochenek is a lifelong tech nerd & film buff based in Los Angeles. When he’s not playing with his phone, it’s because the movie has started. Shhhhh!
