Stuff (to do): Time to Tick Off Some Tasks

Once upon a time, not that long ago, to-do lists were written in planning diaries or on post-it notes next to the computer. Today, thanks to iPhone applications such as GOPrice’s Stuff (to do), you can carry your list of pressing tasks with you wherever you go.

Stuff (to do) does the basics well. With a simple, easy-to-use interface, the application lets you enter a task and the date and time when it’s due. You can set an alarm to nag you into getting it done or, if it’s a task you’d prefer to delegate to someone else (clean bathroom, pick up groceries on the way home, etc), you can send the details on via text or email.

If you set up tags such as ‘study’ or ‘work’ or the name of the person you want to complete the job, you view all the items in each category. However, you’re limited to one category per task, so the bathroom cleaning unfortunately can’t be filed under both ‘flatmates’ and ‘home’.

Another limitation comes from new items being added to the end of the list, rather than being sorted by due date. Perhaps this wouldn’t be a problem if you only had one or two things to do, but if you’ve got a long list and you don’t scroll through it regularly, it may be all too easy to forget about an impending deadline.

A final flaw in the application is that there’s no quick way of entering reoccurring tasks. If you wanted a reminder to eat breakfast or take a tablet at a certain time every day, for example, you’d have to enter that information over and over again. When this repeating event functionality is available on the iPhone’s in-built calendar, it’s hard to justify paying £1.79 for an application without it.

Overall, the current version of Stuff (to do) seems a good start, but there is definitely more stuff the developers could do to make it a competitive choice. Until then, I’m sticking with the free apps and, as a second option, a post-it note.