Apps that help you tackle everyday tasks

The Wunderlist app might be a glorified to-do list but it'll help you cut down the mental energy expended figuring out what needs to get done and when.

A Macbook Pro Laptop In Wunderlist Mode. Future / REX Shutterstock

GTD (Getting Things Done) has become a mantra in the business community, thanks to David Allen’s book of the same name. It’s all about freeing up the mental energy expended each day by figuring out what needs to get done when – toggling between the small details and the big picture — which can overwhelm us and make us procrastinate.

The solution: break a project down into bite-size tasks as soon as it’s assigned, record them in a way that’s easy to understand, then methodically work your way through them, recording your progress as you go.

It’s a productivity technique as old as the humble to-do list, but a host of apps are streamlining the process by walking you through each step, allowing you to organise the various things you need to remember and sending you reminders to keep you on track.

Arguably the top pick of the bunch is Wunderlist, which syncs easily and seamlessly across all devices – including not only Android and iOS gadgets but even Windows Phones.

There’s a free version that covers everything most users should need, although there are two premium subscription levels that offer elements such as unlimited file attachment sizes and a greater choice of backgrounds.

At heart, the app is just a glorified to-do list, but its simplicity is also its strength.

First you make task lists (for instance: home, work, personal finance); within these you then enter tasks (tonight’s shopping, a business report, a tax return) and tasks are made up of to-do items (buy milk, schedule meeting, fill in quarterly income streams). The software allows you to instantly record anything you need to remember straight away, and then find it quickly when you need your memory jogged.

It also lets you create reminders and due dates for the lists and share them with colleagues or family members, who can be assigned tasks. The process works for everything, from complex projects to reminding your partner to pick up the milk.

Q&A

What’s wrong with a piece of paper and a pen for making lists?

If you’re anything like me, you make plenty of lists using paper and pen, but they are scattered over notebooks and stray Post-Its. My phone is the one thing I always have on me. I used to use the iPhone’s inbuilt “Notes” app to record things I wanted to remember, such as book recommendations, but even those notes are easy to forget and hard to find. Now I have a “recommendations” list that I can check when I’m looking for something to read – and the same principle applies to everything from grocery shopping to getting my finances in order.

What about lists relating to shared or collaborative tasks?

This is where the app really comes into its own. All members of the team need to have signed up for Wunderlist too. You can either generate a private URL so that other people can look at the list online, or you can assign tasks (and reminders) to other people, who can then cross the tasks off the list when they’re done. Images, documents and notes can be added to the task by any user, and all members of a team can communicate via a chat bubble.

What are the downsides?

Some users prefer more complex task management apps such as OmniFocus, which gives you alerts based on your geographical location, and others have found that the syncing can be erratic on some mobile devices.

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