My Favorite Organizing App!

People know I’m organized, and that I’m into apps on my smartphone.  I often get asked about my favorite apps.  I know a bit about a whole bunch of them, but I have my favorite, and I wanted to tell you about it today. 

I use Any.do to help me keep my to-do list in order.  I use it every day, and it has become my go-to spot to jot down anything I want to remember. As soon as it goes into that app, I know it’s captured, and it will be there for me when I’m ready to start focusing on it. 

So, what’s special about Any.do ?  It’s an easy interface to build and manage tasks, and I can make the information that I attach to it as complex (reminders, locations, scheduling, subtasks) or as simple (just the task) as I want. 

What can it do for you??

Create your tasks:

• Type it in. Preloaded with tons of predictive text to make it easier (like typing in “Oi” starts to prompt “Oil change”, “Oil change for”, “Oil change for car”, “Oil change and”, etc. and you can tap on the one that gets you closest.
• Speak it in.  Both work.  (Yes, dictation probably needs some editing, but it’s pretty good.)
• Create subtasks, within a broader task, with the note function

Manage your tasks:

• Determine when you want to do it either for a specific date, or in time buckets (TODAY, TOMORROW, UPCOMING and SOMEDAY)
• Switch seamlessly to additional days in time buckets
• Create folders to organize your tasks (Home, Work, Kids, etc.)
• Set priority (set text in red, instead of default blue)
• “Any.do Moment” prompts you (on the days and at the times you want) to review what’s on your list today, and either schedule it or pass it off to a specific time in the future
• Switch seamlessly to additional days in time buckets
• Review tasks in a list format or in a calendar form, just by turning your phone sideways

Get reminded of your tasks:

• Reminded on a specific day — set a date and time for a prompt
• Reminded in a specific place — location-based reminders, to be triggered when your phone’s location services knows you’re in the right place
• Calendar integration (either the Any.do version or their Calendar app, which can integrate all of your calendars together)

Collaborate on your tasks:

• Connect with contacts, and send/share tasks, so that they live on other people’s lists, when they have an Any.do account

Access your tasks, wherever you are:

• Apps are iOS or Android based, working on phones or tablets
• Google Chrome extension allows for synching to a web-based access to the list, as long as you use Chrome, of course
• NEW:  Any.do has just begun a beta program for an access-anywhere, web-based site, with full functionality to add and manage your tasks.  I received a beta invitation, and I’m enjoying it so far; when I’m at home, I tend to use my macbook way more than my iPhone for most web-based activity.

Complete tasks:

• A swipe across the task indicates that you’ve completed it.
• Completed tasks will remain until you delete them…. providing the “look at all I’ve accomplished today!” view of all the crossed off items, if you want it.
• Get a “reward”. After every 5 completed tasks, you are provided with access to a deal or coupon on a product.  (Not really for me; I’ve disabled it, but it could be great motivation for others!)

Here is the website for the app with some good videos.