# What do you use for your "To Do List"? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [January 21, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322 "2009-01-21T17:26:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 11\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/1 "2009-01-21T17:26:21Z")
Somewhat related to my thread [What do you put on your second (small & touchscreen) monitor?](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=502843) is another organizational question. How do you manage your to-do list? Digital and wireless, or analog and hipster? I currently manage my to-do list with my cell phone. I set up reminders in my scheduler/calender with things like “groc:milk,bread,beer” and “movie”, each set to go off at a certain time that I need “to do” the items on that list. Some of them go off every day at the same time, some of them I set when I need to. I delete alarms as I go along to clean up my to-do list (making sure I don’t delete the still-recurring versions of the same alarm). Anybody know which cell phone would be the best for this? I’m thinking iphone, but I haven’t really done any research. I’d like for my integration to be as seamless as possible. I currently use an LG Fusic with the stock scheduler. Soon I’ll try to set it up so I can bluetooth my cell phone and laptop’s calendar back and forth. In the meantime, what sort of ways do you manage your list? ---
**Author:** ![Karyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/fbc32d/32.png) [@Karyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Karyn)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/2 "2009-01-21T18:07:56Z")
When I was working my calendar and to-do list were electronic but now that I’ve retired I find myself using a desk calendar to keep track of things. Now that I’m not managing 5 meetings a day and 3 projects at a time I just have to keep track of when I watered and fed things in the garden and the occasional appointment. I never want to hear an automated nanny beep at me again. ---
**Author:** ![Omegaman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/e480ec/32.png) [@Omegaman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omegaman)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/3 "2009-01-21T18:24:42Z")
Component failure. ---
**Author:** ![New\_Beginning](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/90db22/32.png) [@New\_Beginning](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/New_Beginning)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/4 "2009-01-21T18:29:49Z")
Post-it notes, combined with a calendar on my computer. I would _love_ to switch over to using my cellphone for calendar/todo, and have tried to do so many times, but it has never been as quick/convenient as jotting down a note. Maybe better luck with an iPhone or some smartphone competitor. ---
**Author:** ![Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tastes_of_chocolate/32/3232_2.png) [@Tastes\_of\_Chocolate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tastes_of_Chocolate)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/5 "2009-01-21T18:32:07Z")
At work, the calendar in MS Outlook, combined with a paper day-at-a-glance calendar. At home, a white board in the kitchen. ---
**Author:** ![FallenAngel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@FallenAngel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FallenAngel)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 6:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/6 "2009-01-21T18:36:14Z")
Scratch pads and alarm notifications for important events in Outlook at work or my cell anywhere else. I’ve tried electronic scheduling and it sucks for me. I also like being able to physically check off items as I finish them. ---
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/7 "2009-01-21T19:00:10Z")
> [@FallenAngel](#): > > I also like being able to physically check off items as I finish them. I would like that functionality, too, but only in electronic form. Currently I delete them, but I would like to be able to ‘tag’ or ‘flag’ them as completed instead. This would keep a record of it but still remove it from my active items. Stemming from this, I would like to be able to create multiple to-do lists, for items that I “HAVE to do”, “SHOULD do”, and merely “WANT to do”. ---
**Author:** ![pbbth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/f9ae1b/32.png) [@pbbth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pbbth)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/8 "2009-01-21T19:07:30Z")
Important events that must be remembered get noted in my cell phone calendar function. Anything else just gets jotted down on a post-it or an envelope or something and jammed into my purse until I actually need it. ---
**Author:** ![Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/f1d935/32.png) [@Dilton\_Doiley\_Philosopher\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dilton_Doiley_Philosopher_King)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 7:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/9 "2009-01-21T19:19:40Z")
I forgot to mention: My scheduler has a character limit for task descriptions. When adding multiple events that need done on a certain day, I set them all to go off in the morning at the beginning of my day. For example, I have an appt at 9:01am, 9:02am, 9:03am, etc, and I re-schedule them for later that day, or I delete them as I go along. ---
**Author:** ![JackofHearts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/8c91f0/32.png) [@JackofHearts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JackofHearts)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/10 "2009-01-21T20:56:47Z")
I use the iPhone for mine and it works fine. With Mobile Me service, I can set reminders from each of my 2 computers or the phone itself and they alert me on all of them. I use the same system you do with calendar alerts going off, instead of actual to-do lists. I can then snooze the alerts as much as i need. My only minor annoyance is a seeming inability to have the alert go off at the same time I schedule the event…the closest it can remind me is 5 minutes prior. Minor but somewhat annoying. I’ve played around with some of the “GTD” list managers on the iPhone. I imagine I will like these much better when apple gets around to implementing their “push” notification service for apps. I want it to remind me of things automatically, and as it stands for the 3rd party apps, you have to have the app running or open it and check lists, rather than get an automatic popup, alert, or text… ---
**Author:** ![Lionne](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8e8cbc/32.png) [@Lionne](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lionne)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-do-you-use-for-your-to-do-list/482322/11 "2009-01-21T20:58:16Z")
My cell phone calendar for general events such as “lunch with CM” or “game night - Eric’s” My planner for more detailed, less common stuff like appointment times with numbers, assignments due, etc.