Are you looking for a way to improve your productivity and make positive changes in your life? If so, you might want to consider using a to-do app like the one I’ve been using for the past three months. I’d like to share my feedback on how it has affected my life, and how it might be able to help you too.
I’ve been working on a fairly straight forward to-do app on Android and iOS mobile and I’d like to share my experiences of using the app.
The app is available on,
Web: https://lazy-chef-58429.web.app
Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.martinogg.dailytodo&hl=en&gl=US
iOS: https://apps.apple.com/gb/app/daily-todo/id1559454238
Firstly, I have to say that my experience with this to-do app has been very positive. The app is simple yet very effective, and I find myself looking forward to checking it each day to see what I can accomplish. In fact, it feels like there is a lot of correlation between the ideas explained in James Clear’s book “Atomic Habits”, particularly the concept that doing small, regular habits can have a huge, compound effect over time.
Using this app has turned each day into a game of seeing what I can do in the moment to improve myself. It provides me with the motivation to do the smaller tasks that I might usually put off, which has made a big difference in my life.
For instance, I’m not a big fan of going to the gym. It’s expensive, and I don’t enjoy my time there. However, I do realise the importance of keeping fit. With that in mind, I use the to-do app to set a series of smaller exercises throughout the day at home, like planking for 2 minutes, doing 20 press-ups, and various 2-minute stretches. Since each of these tasks is its own item to be checked off, I get a sense of reward and accomplishment from completing them.
Similarly, I’ve set tasks to eat a banana and an apple every day, even though I don’t particularly enjoy eating fruit. But the fact of ticking off these items on my to-do list is enough to motivate me to do it anyway.
This app has also been helpful for my FIRE lifestyle (Financially Independent, Retire Early), where my days could potentially have absolutely zero structure. It provides me with a way to make meaningful achievements throughout the day while still having total freedom and control over how I accomplish my tasks.
Another great thing about the app is that it helps me take care of infrequent tasks that are easily forgotten. For instance, I have a task to check the solar panel metre reading every three weeks, to ensure that the solar panel system is still functional and no problems have arisen. I also have a task to vacuum the house once every three days, and to check Epic Games for free games every four days. These reminders help me stay on top of things that I might otherwise forget.
Additionally, I’ve set tasks to limit my overdoing of certain activities. For example, I have a task to play video games for only one hour every day, to watch one TV show per day, and to watch one movie every three days. This helps me stay balanced and avoid spending too much time on these activities.
To further optimise my use of the app, I even used Chat GPT to analyse my tasks and provide recommendations for new ones. Some of the suggestions I received were to learn to play a musical instrument, keep in touch with friends, and explore more spiritual or subjective aspects of life rather than only focusing on objective ones.
One challenge I’ve faced, however, is finding time for deep work, which requires a lot of blocked time each day. While I’ve set daily tasks for writing a blog article, programming for two hours, and studying Japanese for two hours, I’ve found that I don’t frequently accomplish them. I still need to work on finding a way to make these tasks happen more frequently in my day-to-day life.
In summary, the daily tasks app has made a huge positive impact on my life. It has helped me create structure and discipline in my daily routine, which is particularly useful for someone like me who has a FIRE lifestyle with no fixed daily routine.
By breaking down larger tasks into smaller, achievable ones, the app has helped me to tackle projects that I might have otherwise put off or forgotten about. It has also been useful in limiting my time spent on activities that I enjoy but can easily become excessive, like playing video games or watching TV.
However, I am still working on finding a way to consistently incorporate the daily tasks that require longer blocks of time, like writing, programming, and language study, into my routine.
Overall, the daily tasks app has been a great tool for improving my productivity and making meaningful progress towards my goals. If you are someone who struggles with staying organised or motivated, I highly recommend giving a daily tasks app a try. It may take some trial and error to find the right balance and set of tasks that work for you, but the benefits can be substantial.
