Most of the products I've been and will be testing I've heard about from a number of different sources, but I've only heard about Teux Deux from one source and it's this YouTube video. It seemed like the type of software I'm looking for so I thought I would give this a go.
At the moment I'm testing this using the free month you get at the start, but if you choose to use it for longer it's only $2 to $3 a month and so isn't a big expense at all. This software is actually a website based one or an iPhone app (I have an android phone), so to use it I made a link on my phone's home screen which I can click through to the website. I do sometimes use it when I'm on my laptop, and visually it's a little bit better to view that way, but I mostly use it on my mobile and that's what I'll be talking about here.
The app itself is a pretty easy app to use. When you first open it up there are already tasks set up for you that explain how to use the software. It is pretty self explanatory, but these were still good to have, as was the video you could watch, and then you're on your way.
To add a task you just go to the day you want to carry it out on, touch an empty line and type in the task name, click enter and you're done. To edit a task just click on the pencil on the right, make the changes, and then press enter (you can also delete the task complete but deleting all the text).
Once the task is complete then just touch it and it'll become grey with a line through it. If you prefer a clean page instead of seeing all the tasks you've done you can then touch the cross on the right and it disappears completely.
One of the things I like most about this app is that it automatically moves incomplete tasks to the next day for you, just make sure you change your timezone in settings for this to actually work on time. Incidentally, you can also change the colour of the app in settings as well (just click on the colours tab). I'm not really a bright red person, too emergency for me, so I've moved to my favourite calming colour instead.
If you want a task to repeat on a regular basis this is really simple to set up. When you're typing a task out just end with 'every' followed by how often you want it to repeat. Once you press enter this part will disappear from the title but you'll now see the tasks set up in the future in grey.
At the bottom of the app (which you can just scroll down to on the website, but click on the arrow at the bottom for the app) there's a section called 'Someday' where you can add running or unimportant to dos and you can edit the names of the other sections for other lists you want to keep. I've decided to put my monthly, over-arching to-dos here.
This is a very simple app with a very simple layout, but I have to admit that there's something very functional about it that means it beats the other apps I've tested so far, and that's probably due to the layout. I like the fact that each day is laid out in a separate square very similar to that in a actual calendar or diary. This is the type of feel that I was looking for and the one that works the best with the way my brain works. I've also found that I can limit my daily tasks much more easily with this layout of separate days instead of just a scrolling list. I've been using the size of my mobile screen as a limiter, only adding the number of task that fit into that space. No scrolling down, or at least very rarely.
The only one down side I can see to this app is it's not really designed for you to add larger tasks which you then work through on a daily basis, similar to Todoist where you can produce an over-arching task that is then broken down into sub-tasks, all with given due dates. I have kinda worked around this by breaking the tasks down outside of the app and then adding each one in separately with the over-arching task being kept at the bottom of the screen.
To be honest, the sub-tasks issue is not really a big problem for me as it's not the main reason I use to dos, but it might be something you want to think about if you're looking for an app that will work for you. I have to admit I really like this app and it's simple but functional layout. It might even have knocked Microsoft To Do off as my favourite one so far, but I'll keep on testing other apps for now and I might come back to this at the end of the year. Whilst I am trying to find free apps here, the cost of this one is so small that I don't think it would be a problem for me. Definitely worth giving this one a try.
I guess all that leaves me to say is 'Thanks Matt'.
Next month: Actions by Moleskine.
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