Tools I Actually Use: Todoist

What It Is

Todoist is a cross-platform task manager that combines speed, structure, and minimalism. It lets you capture tasks in seconds, organize them into projects, and sort by date, priority, or label. You can use it as a simple to-do list or as a more advanced productivity system with boards, filters, recurring tasks, and calendar integration.

What makes Todoist stand out is how quickly you can move from thought to task without friction. Natural language input like “Email report every Friday at 10am” just works. It’s a tool built for people who want to spend less time managing a system and more time executing.

Why I Use It

Todoist is my dedicated work task manager. I don’t blend in personal life—Apple Notes handles that. This separation keeps my systems clean and my mind focused. I keep tasks high-level, limited to the task name only. No long notes. No noise.

I used Trello for a while but it never felt built for task-first productivity. Todoist’s board view gave me just enough structure, without the bloat. It doesn’t match Trello on automations, but it doesn’t need to. What it offers is momentum. I can capture a task, see it on my board, move it when it’s in progress, and mark it done. That’s the flow.

I use Todoist alongside Raycast to speed up how I interact with my task list. Instead of opening the full app every time, I can hit a simple keyboard shortcut to bring up the Raycast launcher and immediately create tasks, open projects, or search my to-dos. This workflow keeps friction low and focus high. It lets me stay in flow without context switching. I especially like being able to “Quick Add” tasks or jump to a specific project using just my keyboard. The Todoist extension for Raycast makes it feel like a true command center for my workday.

Features I rely on:

• Recurring tasks for weekly routines and reviews
• Gmail and Chrome extensions to instantly send emails to my task list
• Labels like @waiting or @priority to sort fast
• Subtasks for breaking down deliverables
• Board view to visualize progress
• Natural language input to save time
• Templates to kickstart projects

How I Use It

Todoist is always open in the lower-right corner of my 49-inch ultra-wide monitor. It’s part of my visual workspace. I don’t just check it—I work out of it. My system is simple:

• Projects in Kanban board view with columns like Open, In Progress, and Done
• Quick tasks added using keyboard shortcuts or browser extensions
• Weekly review every Friday, scheduled as a recurring task
• Subtasks when a task involves multiple steps but doesn’t warrant its own project
• Filters for views like “Today” or “High Priority”
• Templates from Todoist’s library for structure when needed

Calendar Sync and Time-Blocking

I’ve connected Todoist to my Google Calendar to view tasks and meetings side by side. When I assign a date and time to a task, it appears as a time-blocked event on my calendar. This lets me see workload realistically and adjust based on availability. I use the Calendar layout in Todoist’s Upcoming view to visually plan the week—drag and drop tasks into open blocks of time. It’s not just helpful. It’s essential.

What I Do Not Use It For

Todoist isn’t my digital notebook. I don’t write meeting notes or journal ideas here. That’s Notion and Obsidian territory. I also don’t track tickets, documents, or team-wide workflows. Todoist is my execution layer. It helps me remember what needs doing, not why or how.

I avoid over-customization. I don’t use color-coding, comments, or attachments. I want to move fast. Every added detail is another reason not to complete the task. Todoist stays valuable to me because I keep it simple and focused.

Would I Recommend It

Yes. I’d recommend Todoist to any individual who wants a powerful, reliable system for managing their own work. It’s fast. It’s stable. It has just enough structure to keep you grounded without becoming a project itself.

It’s not built for teams who need complex collaboration or heavy workflows. If you’re looking for deep automation or client-facing dashboards, there are better tools. But for personal task management, Todoist excels.

I moved from Trello to Todoist for a reason. It respects my time and matches my workflow. If you want a clean, focused system that you’ll actually use every day, this is it.