I hadn't actually heard of Tick Tick before doing this but after finding it on Google Play Store I decided to keep it a try. It actually turned out to be a much better piece of software than I was expecting.
This is a piece of software that you can download onto multiple devices which then sync between each other, allowing you to keep an eye on your tasks wherever you are. You can also sync your calendar to this app, allowing you to plan out your day much more easily and realistically. There is also a premium version that you can get (which costs $27.99 a year), but as I'm just testing this software I decided to not register and just use the free option on my phone only. I'm not sure if I would get the premium version even if I did decide to use Tick Tick long term as I don't think it necessarily has any additional features that I would use, at least not for now.
As you're setting up the app it gives you a number of lists that you can pick, I just picked work and personal here, and these can be added later on as well if you need to.
There is a general inbox for any miscellaneous tasks you don't want to add to a specific list or haven't decided which list to add the task to at the start.
One of the good things about this app is the number of pre-made tasks which take you through how to use the software (just like Teux Deux and Todoist). After your all set up adding tasks is pretty much the same as all the previous apps I've tried up till now. First, you click on the cross at the bottom of the page (this can be done on pretty much any of the pages you might be on).
Next type in the name you want to give the task. From this point, you can click on the calendar to add the date.
This is also where you can put in the time of the task, add a reminder, and put if the task repeats. This can also be added to the task by typing it into the task name (similar to Todoist) which is then translated by the software for you. You can also add the duration that you think the task should take, but only if you've brought the premium package.
If you have added a reminder to your task it helpfully appears on your lock screen with a little chime. I found this quite a helpful little addition.
You can also click on the flag to add how important the task is and add a tag (by clicking on the tag) to the tasks, which is good if you're wanting to work on a project in which you've split into smaller tasks. These can also be added to the task title just like the date and time by typing a number of ! for importance and a # for the tag.
You can see all the project's tasks together in the tag pages. The tags can be added as you set up each task, however, you can just set up the project (tag) first and add each task from this page, meaning that each task will automatically be given the tag.
When setting up the task you can also add it to a specific list (as before this can also be typed in using ~). Then you just press the arrow to add the task. All tasks can be edited later just by double-clicking on them.
The menu allows you to jump through and manage all these different tags and lists, as well as going back to what tasks you have specifically for that day.
Clicking on the calendar tab allows you to look at the tasks you've allocated to each day. This is another part of this app that I like as its layout is similar to a physical calendar, just as in Teux Deux, and this allows you to get a proper look at how you've laid out your tasks throughout the week or even month. As with the previous app I've been using the size of the screen as a limiter of how many tasks I put on each day.
Back in the tasks tab, if there is a lot of tasks to get through that day and you're feeling a little overwhelmed you can just click on the two circles on the top right. This then brings up one task at a time, allowing you to concentrate on only that. From here you can just work on it till it's complete, delete it if you realise it's not needed, change when you do it that day (by clicking on today), or leave it to later and start work on another task. If you don't have the premium package you only get to use this a certain number of times in a week, so you need to use it very wisely.
When playing around in the settings section I found some extra tabs I could add, habits and a Pomo timer. I did have habits added to the previous apps I've been testing, but these were just added like another task. However, it turns out I actually quite like having them added to my day in this more distinctive way, separate from my general tasks. It also keeps a tally of them, which acts as a little incentive to keep going once you've started.
As with the tasks, you can add a habit by clicking on the cross at the bottom. If you don't have the premium package you can only add five habits. However, I find that if I add too many habits to track I tend to not get them all done and get a little disheartened so this actually suits me.
You can also only create a new habit if you have the premium, but you can edit habits that are already there so I find it doesn't matter too much. So I just picked one of the habits and clicked on it.
Here you can change the name and picture, or just leave it as is, and click next.
And this is where you can add how often you want to do this task, what days you want to do them on, how many units there are per habit (such as 8 glasses of water), and if you want to have a reminder. Then save it.
As with the tasks, if you've put a reminder for the habit it will appear on your lock screen.
I love having the Pomo timer integrated into this app instead of having to have a completely separate app. This can just be started as a normal Pomo timer, but perhaps the best part is that if you click on 'Focus' you can then pick which task or even habit you specifically want to work on.
Once you've completed the task or habitat you can tick it from this tab by clicking on the tasks name at any point in the Pomo timer and mark it completed. You can then pick the next task to work on.
I do really like this app, and it's probably taken the top spot as the favourite task app so far. For me, the layout of the app definitely works with the way my brain works and it does come across as a good initiative way of keeping everything organised and in one place. Having the habits in this more colourful way also somehow makes more of an incentive to complete them. Also, being able to save everything to the cloud means you don't have to worry about losing anything if you lose one of your devices. I would definitely recommend using this software, or at least give it a proper go.
Next up for testing, Journal It.
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