# What todo list program should I use **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 27, 2004, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393 "2004-06-27T10:29:09Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 5\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 10:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393/1 "2004-06-27T10:29:09Z")
In part of my new drive to become an organised person I’m spending more time posting on message boards. No, wait, I mean, I have a centralised todo list. Currently it’s a text file on my computer, looking something like this: ```auto SOCIAL - FAMILY Ring mum. Look for grandma bday pres. SOCIAL - FRIENDS Email Tim Buy stuff for picnic sat. JOB - LOOKING Update CV Prepare for interview mon ``` And then I copy & paste all the one’s I’ll do today into another section and the top. Then do them. The shortfalls are: (1) immediate tasks get confused with long-term tasks. (2) hard to add dates in any meaningful way (3) have to delete things when they’re done. (4) there’s some things which have been urgent for ages to the point where ‘urgent, but another week won’t make any difference now’ is a category of itself, which I’m not sure how to record. Does anyone have a favorite program (shareware? outlook? write my own database?) they think could help? Or for that matter a useful method of using index cards or something. ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [June 27, 2004, 1:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393/2 "2004-06-27T13:24:24Z")
Do you use Microsoft Outlook for your email? If you do, it includes a “task list” thing which will do everything you mention. ---
**Author:** ![pesch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pesch/32/4925_2.png) [@pesch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pesch)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 12:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393/3 "2004-06-28T00:33:36Z")
I use Time and Chaos on my computer. A quick check at their Web site reveals [they’ve released a new version.](http://www.chaossoftware.com/) I don’t use it much nowadays. My wife loved it because she could put in her regular chores and time them to pop up at various intervals (like clean ceiling fans every month, flip mattresses every three months, renew auto registration once a year). ---
**Author:** ![broys](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/5e9695/32.png) [@broys](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/broys)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393/4 "2004-06-28T03:04:15Z")
If you already have MS Outlook (XP or 2003 version, older versions weren’t very good in my opinion) I would suggest using it. That’s what I used before I went and bought a Palm Zire 31. $135 and it does everything I want. If all you want to do is keep a to do list then buying a PDA is probably overkill but considering you can buy an older PDA for less than $40 nowadays it might be just what you need. ---
**Author:** ![Shade](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/2bfe46/32.png) [@Shade](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shade)\ **Post date:** [June 28, 2004, 9:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-todo-list-program-should-i-use/252393/5 "2004-06-28T09:56:27Z")
> [@broys](#): > > If you already have MS Outlook (XP or 2003 version, older versions weren’t very good in my opinion) I would suggest using it. That might be it - I have an older version, but I could probably get XP. Thanks for all the suggestions everyone.