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I am a 'beginner' to web-based to-do lists (started yesterday), and I am wondering which service is the best.

So far, I have accounts on:

I have only really used Todoist - it looks clean and simple, which is its biggest selling point, IMHO. Remember The Milk looks weird (compared to Todoist), but I have heard people on Productivity.SE mentioning it. I had not heard of Producteev, but this article recommends it; I am undecided about its UI.

I would like to use my to-do list for:

  • Homework/Projects
  • Learning (Math, Programming)
  • Software to install/Fiddling around with my computer
  • URLs (Like Todoist's Chrome extension)

My ideal list manager should have the following, in order of greatest to least:

  • Free (I am a student; maybe I will pay when I am older, but not now)
  • "Permanent" Account (No 30-Day Trials!)
  • User Interface
    • Clean
    • Minimalistic
    • Scalable (If I have a thousand projects, i.e.)
  • Powerful System
    • Task nesting ("Unlimited" levels of sub-tasks; kind of like indented bullets)
    • Categories
    • Labels
    • Due date
    • Reminders (1 day before due date)
    • Search
  • SSL/TSL (Encryption)
  • Good user service and Community/Fan base
  • Chrome Extension
  • Import/Export
  • Task sharing (I don't think anyone I know uses to-do lists anyways.)

Again, I am new to this, so I do not know what exactly I need.

Producteev and Todoist have that 'new' feel, which makes me like them more:

  • Videos (Todoist/Producteev)
  • Multiple OpenID association/account (Producteev)
  • Chrome Extension (Todoist)
  • TSL Encryption (Producteev)
  • Import from RTM (Producteev)
  • On Google+ with constant updates (Todoist)
share|improve this question
welcome. Obviously you've thought about what you're looking for in a to do list. But this is really a recommendation question, generally discouraged on SE sites (gaming, B&CG for the reasons explained. Our meta has a discussion about recommendations, which although infant offers good guidance. Please try re-phrasing your question along the lines of a guide: how to pick, not what to pick. – Adam Wuerl♦ Dec 12 '11 at 16:13
Incidentally, this type of discussion (what tool should I use) seems perfectly suited for chat. Plus, that format will allow for a more freewheeling dialogue where people can help you tease our your true requirements, discover work-arounds in case nothing existing fully meets your needs, etc. – Adam Wuerl♦ Dec 12 '11 at 16:19

closed as not constructive by Rory Alsop♦, Adam Wuerl♦ Dec 12 '11 at 16:14

As it currently stands, this question is not a good fit for our Q&A format. We expect answers to be supported by facts, references, or specific expertise, but this question will likely solicit debate, arguments, polling, or extended discussion. If you feel that this question can be improved and possibly reopened, see the FAQ for guidance.

1 Answer

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I suggest using mGSD on a file sharing service such as Dropbox.

mGSD is a tiddlywiki - a single HTML+javascript file that you store locally and can run in any browser. It supports the full GTD process, including organising tasks into projects and subprojects, setting contexts for tasks, setting waiting and future actions, ticklers to remind you of deadlines and much more. There is a demo page here.

You can also use it for storing notes about your project and journal entries. You can include hyperlinks to other pages, images, tables, and most of the other stuff you can do in HTML.

By keeping the mGSD file on a sharing service such as dropbox you not only can access it from anywhere with a network connection but you also have somewhere to store other files associated with the project.

You can also create as many mGSD files as you want, if you want to keep your projects completely separate from each other.

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