How I stopped using Microsoft Todo and learned to love... | Gamedev Dairy #77
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TL;DR
Why is a to-do list such a big deal?
Why do I find Microsoft Todo a half-baked tool?
If you can’t build them, join them!
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Why is a to-do list such a big deal?
I realized the hard way that a half-baked productivity tool might be a problem in doing anything. Once I noticed I'm using multiple apps for to-do lists, I realized there was a problem to be fixed first. After all, a system is as effective as its least effective subsystem, right?
Why do I find Microsoft Todo a half-baked tool?
I worked with Microsoft Todo since they acquired Wunderlist, I think. I was inspired by GTD and was searching for a good and free tool. Back then, I was happy with it, but as time passes, lists grow bigger, and so do expectations for tools like this.
At first, I took the proactive approach. I tried to convince Microsoft developers to implement some functions, they redirected me to a special site, I shared my insight, and... it got stuck in feature request limbo.
It's a typical user story when you think about it. That's why all these sites have a voting mechanism so that users vote on each other showing how many of them can a developer satisfy with one new function. No big deal.
What functions did I miss in Todo? Well, a few:
a smarter list, e. g. by user queries
better tags, the kind you set without Outlook
subtasks that can be treated as regular tasks
After months of waiting, when I noticed that Todo barely changes I even thought of creating a Todo alternative and conquering the world! (I'm serious) But in the end even that requires a proper todo list app 😉
If you can’t build them, join them!
That's why I started searching for an alternative! With sites like alternativeto.net and IFTTT (if you like to automate stuff, it's good to check your options) I only had to check for pricing and features.
After all this text I still went with the most obvious choice…
Why? It has all the features I wanted to build ;-) And so far, I can’t believe how half-baked Microsoft Todo remained all these years. It’s basically a glorified shopping list. While Todoist allows us to actually plan something.
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