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Comment by Mayzie | Hacker News Reader

Can somebody please explain the advantages of a todo app, like Todoist, over say a calendar app like Google Calendar? Everyone seems to love them, but cannot give me a good reason _why_, other than "I use it to jot down little tasks which I don't think a Calendar app is suitable for." I'm a current subscriber to Todoist, but just don't see why I should pay when Google Calendar seems to do everything I need (and more)? As an ADHD sufferer, the reminder system in most todo apps only remind you once about 30 minutes prior to the task due and that's it, instead of being able to delay a reminder and remind me again 5 minutes before a task is due, 1 minute, or even 5 minutes after a task is due.

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It's part of a process. I'm following more or less GTD.

When I realize I have something to do and it doesn't need to be done right away, I log it in my task inbox. Everyday I start the day by reviewing the inbox and qualifying it - is there a due date, how long will it take, is it important, etc. Then I plan my day by peaking things based on the triage. Once a week I review the entire list of tasks.

Calendars work for meetings, but for a more advanced system it doesn't.

I used to be on Wunderlist, migrated to ms to-do, the "my day" feature is awesome.

Hey, as a fellow ADHD sufferer, I totally agree that fine-grained reminders and the "remind me again in X minutes" functionality is huge in a productivity app. I find that a reminders-based app needs to have a fairly specific level of forcefulness, or basically the ability to "nag" you. Too often, and it becomes noise. Too forceful, and I find myself hating the experience and it backfires.

That said, I'm actually getting a lot of mileage from a new one I'm trying "Due" (iOS/mac only. unfortunately). Really lightweight reminder system with a great snooze feature at its core. Recommend giving it a shot.

My current system is two-tiered. I have a traditional to-do manager (Omnifocus) for more abstract project tracking, and a lighter weight app (Due) for reminders. Not having it all in one system, or integrated between the two is kind of a plus for me in some ways. When I get a reminder, I don't have to "load" the full context (and emotional baggage) of the overall project/task in order to make a decision. It becomes more reflexive, with the easiest options being to just do it or pick another time for the reminder.

One thing a calendar app wouldn't handle as well is tasks that don't have due dates, per se.

The other reason I use a task list is for tasks that have subtasks. E.g. I have to renew my driver's license but to do that I need to file a foobar form and print out a proof of address etc..

You may be interested in my app that has subtasks as calendar events: https://getartemis.app

When I develop, which unfortunately isn’t very often now, I usually try to split a project/task into smaller manageable chunks. This makes it easier for me to estimate and track work and feel like I am doing progress when I check things off. You can see an example here https://twitter.com/amix3k/status/1138363500147937281?s=21

I keep many lists in Wunderlist and I hardly ever set reminders or due dates.

Not to plug my own product here, but I'm working on a todo list + calendar app (https://getartemis.app) because I think I am the same way as you (even though I don't have diagnosed ADHD specifically) with regards to todo list apps. I want to know exactly what I'm doing at all times, as it's too easy to procrastinate with a todo list ("I can just do it later..."). Google Calendar doesn't have the same advantages of tracking even though it works well for knowing what to do when; it can't for example, track that you're working in a specific project with its own subtasks, as each event/task in GCal is discrete and has no semantic connection to another.

Additonally, why can't I say, for example, that I want to work on a project for 10 hours a week, and my calendar automatically schedules it for me, to work on an hour and a half each day, based on some preferences like morning, afternoon, evening time periods? These are some of the things I want to address with my app.

I use a todo list for prioritization. I'm not good at letting a calendar run my life, because I can't be sure I'll be in the mindframe to do a given task well and happily ahead of time. A todo list lets me track tasks without committing to times.

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