todo app pain points

“But the problem is not the hammer, more the Hammersmith. Each time I use a new app, I fill it with my todos but after few days, I don’t maintain it anymore. And this reproduce each time, repeating like an endless dream or should I call it nightmare.”

“I really don’t know what is wrong, why I struggle like this to keep a habit of filling / emptying the task list after a short period of time.”

“I have pretty bad ADHD and am not very good at organizing. Usually what ends up happening is I use those todo apps, I add all my todos, but over time it gets very messy and I stop using the app altogether.”

“You will will this with every other Todo App on the market. Please don’t be angry with me, but I speak from experience of coaching with methodologies. As long as you don’t structure yourself and learn discipline, even an AI won’t help you.”

“Over the past 2-3 years, I’ve developed a pretty good organisation/productivity system for me. It just requires to check my todo list and calendar + do maybe 5-10 mins maintenance each day. Every single time I try to it however, I stuck it for less than a week then I invariably always end up just not sticking with it.”

“I don’t get it, what am I doing wrong? This has genuinely been going on for years. Why any I just stick with it?”

“I keep trying apps that will keep me more organized, the problem I have is actually using them. I constantly forget to put a task into todoist or I'll put it in and then forget that I'm supposed to be checking it to get things done.”

“I started using Todoist about seven years ago, and the gamification really helped at the outset, and then I trailed off a bit.”

“I do. Well, I try to but the ADHD fucks with it. Unfortunately I doesn't help me much.”

“I've used simple To-Do List apps and sort of had the same problem. They're just these massive lists of things I need to do and end up avoiding because the list seems so daunting and more and more things just keep getting added.”

“And never ever EVER over bombard the list with tasks. As this leads to decision fatigue and then ultimately nothing being done due to overwhelm.”

“If things roll over my list of 2 things on Monday turn into a list of 15 things that rolled over by Friday.”

“too much tasks and unrealistic estimations to finish in the timespan you want to finish them. Maybe not breaking tasks down into small enough tasks and feeling overwhelmed.”

“Maybe your system was finally too cumbersome, even with "only 5-10 min" maintenance. Try to craft your system to keep it simple with no maintenance”

“too big tasks -> chunk down into smaller tasks”

“too many tasks -> sort by priority, keep max. 4 tasks on the list, put the rest into backlog”

“When I first started using, I was way too ambitious with what could get done and ended up with a growing mountain of overdue items. That meant I was just ignoring it when it was saying anything because yeah I know I know I planned to do X thing and haven’t.”

“Adding only things you 100% will do has been key for me.”

“I have this same issue with todo tools not working. I just don’t get it done.”

“I've spent COUNTLESS hours looking for this magical app. It does not exist.”

“I’m looking for a todo list app that is less hands-off and has some sort of system built-in, like GTD or some other method.”

“I’m looking for a good to do app (not apple Notes) where I can compile my ideas and thoughts of what I need to achieve.”

“The best one is the one that suits your needs. For me that's TickTick, because it has an integrated pomodoro timer and habit tracker, supports kanban lists, and it's cheap.”

“I'm looking for a simple to do app with great features, Todoist. If you want an app that has a great to do list and a daily planner with calendar timeblocking to fully plan your day, Sunsama.”

“From your perspective ladies and gents, why are there so many apps todo apps with little differentiation between them?”

“Are there any apps or systems that would allow me to work like this, that you know of? Or something close to it?”

“I keep trying apps that will keep me more organized, the problem I have is actually using them.”

“I'm looking for a todo list that incorporates some kind of system for managing tasks, built-in.”

“Something that's not "endlessly customizable" like notion, but rather helps you manage existing tasks and sends you frequent reminders.”

“I feel like I need something to show me how to maximize my productivity vs maximize my checked items… what do you guys do? Any suggestions on how to use todo apps?”

“I’m looking for a todo list app that is less hands-off and has some sort of system built-in, like GTD or some other method.”

“It keeps 3 lists of tasks, called "today", "this week", and "some time". Every day I could set a reminder to move some tasks from "this week" to "today". And if I have stuff in "this week" that I entered more than 7 days ago, I could get a notification too.”

“What tricks do you use within todoist to keep you on track? I wonder if I'm not using projects, labels, and such to my advantage.”

“I think the only one I haven't given a good shake is Google tasks. I appreciate the tips! It's so hard to be an organized person when it isn't a natural trait.”

“To combat the tech distraction I would suggest a good old-fashioned paper list. Get a cheap notebook or lined pad. And put it in a place you frequent a lot. You will never forget to check it if it is in a visual place.”

“My mom is a productivity fiend, and she just uses pen and paper.”

“I’m still on paper. Every app leads me back to paper, which I can leave in plain sight.”

“I use a letter-sized notepad with all of my projects gridded out on one page. Every few days, I re-write it on the following page with the old stuff removed, and toss the old one. It lives on my desk right in front of me where I can always see it, and I look at it whenever I start getting into dopamine-seeking mode.”

“I literally make list after list and then I combine them all on one list after I have to many list all over the place.”

“Honestly, for as many apps as there are and as many as I've tried, I've only stuck with one (Paperless) and it's my grocery list. It's simple and gives me exactly what I want - a checklist that I can mark off completed items. I always go back to paper and pen for daily to-dos or work to-dos and I think it's because my brain works better if I write out a list each day - and it feels more satisfying to check off someone on paper than it does on an app.”

“I have a similar approach to todos (inspired by Scott Young's Weekly/Daily goals) and I'm wondering what you are using now, a few months later? :)”

“I think that the key is to be consistant with it that helps tackle more and more.”

“I also found it helps to break tasks down into really small chunks and set timers for each task - that way you feel like 'i only have to do this for x number of minutes' and once you've achieved that it's easier to keep going.”

“I also wonder too, if part of the frustration people have, is even though it's on the list, they can't inspire themselves to do the task. Like writing it on the list will give it more cadence.”

“I would love to hear thoughts on this because I do the same thing. For me I’ve noticed that there is a task on the list that is in some way “hard” and I sort of run away from it. It could be something sensitive or just a pita.”

“Me too. I avoid some for me disturbing tasso that generally are the most important.”

“There are several problems I had with todo lists myself. I list them for you and tell you what helped me: - some tasks stayed untouched -> start with the one that you are most afraid of”

“Something about the lists or the tasks themselves could be repelling you. Are they actually tasks that have been clarified into action steps?”

“I'm looking for a todo list that is less hands-off and has some sort of system built-in, like GTD or some other method.”

“Usually I'm against any AI slop but if there's an app out there that does a good job integrating AI with this task flow system then even better. I've used ChatGPT to help me manage tasks through the chat app, and it's great but it obviously doesn't have a UI for this. So a good UI + AI built in would be amazing.”

“To really differentiate and add value (ie. More than the user's effort and discipline) you need integrations and AI. This is much harder to do than creating a Kanban with some reminders.”

“I'd like to see a tool that could connect to all the apps I use, hell even Zoom transcripts, and build a list for me. If such a service could help us messy humans be more productive and not forget stuff it would be very valuable.”

“Maybe a helpful tip for ADHD people, like me, coming from the book 'getting things done': The mind is for being creative, not remembering things. Let a system do that job.”

“I have learned that the apps can be helpful only if you open them every day, but since we use our devices for much more than productivity we fall into the rabbit hole of scrolling or games. I personally get overwhelmed by too many notifications so I end up muting them and well...Out of sight out of mind.”

“I'm currently using an app blocker that you can set to lock different apps after a certain amount of time. I put the widget on my home screen so I can see everything I'm spending time on, all day long.”

“I turned off all notifications from anything that isn't productive or inspiring, and I set a random reminder app to go off throughout the day with things I want to be thinking about and perspectives I want to be having.”

“I keep my whole life in here and have built off of todoist as a base, integrating timeblocking and other methodologies over the years. Three, this is less a reason and more a practice, I keep todoist up on my second screen almost all the time, so it helps guide my day.”

“I've been trying to set a habit of looking at it right when I get up to remind my brain that it's important. I make sure when I go to sleep that the only apps open are my todo list and whatever I'm using to sleep (spotify/youtube), so it's easier to notice when I automatically open up my last used apps to find other stuff I usually have open.”

“I have a guess, probably has to do with no interesting / challenging task, or my difficulties to identify what need to be tackle first or when.”

“I think if you can create time blocks or break smaller tasks down into manageable things, it isnt so bad.”

“Use a calendar and block your tasks as chucks of time. This will force you to created tasks which are actionable and reasonable. Not to detailed to have 50 meetings a day, not to vague you are wasting your time not able to block chunks of your day. It forces prioritization.”

“It keeps 3 lists of tasks, called "today", "this week", and "some time". Every day I could set a reminder to move some tasks from "this week" to "today". And if I have stuff in "this week" that I entered more than 7 days ago, I could get a notification too.”

“This way I can plan my days last minute and flexibly, which is what I find difficult to do with all the calendar based todo apps, and still get my tasks done!”

“Maybe the due dates/times aren't realistic or something.”