For many of us, lists are necessary when it comes to getting things done. We end up with so many tasks during the day, it's hard to remember every single thing that needs to be done unless it's laid out in an organized list or project in front of us. This is especially true for those of us who are in front of our Macs all day long, so here are the best to-do apps for Mac to help you stay on task.
Things
Microsoft's To Do list app replaced Wunderlist in May. Download To Do on iOS, Android, Mac or Windows. Or open the web app. And tap the menu bar at the top of the screen. Jan 10, 2020 One of the best features of 2Do is the ability to create simple tasks, checklists, or even projects with sub-tasks. Every task item in these can have notes, attachments, and even multiple alarms (sometimes we need that extra push). 2Do also not just does lists, but there are smart lists, which utilize filters and custom views. Jan 31, 2019 Evernote, OneNote, or any other note taking application can work very well as a to do list, and most offer a Mac app. TaskHeat allows you to organize your to do list as a flowchart, which is neat, but it can't sync with any other platform. Wunderlist used to be a no-brainer for lists. Jul 22, 2018 Download TaskTab: Simple To Do List for macOS 10.10 or later and enjoy it on your Mac. TaskTab places the focus squarely on your to do list. We've intentionally kept the app as simple as possible to allow you to quickly add, check off and manage your tasks without being distracted by pointless features that overly complicate the key purpose of a to do list app.
Things is my personal favorite of the bunch. While it appears simple, it actually has a lot of powerful features but is still super intuitive and easy to use, even for non-power-users.
For one, you can easily capture new tasks into Things from anywhere, no matter what app you're in, thanks to the Quick Entry feature. I also love the fact that you can create 'Goals' and add projects into them, and you can see your progress from there. And when creating tasks, it's easy to add notes, make it recurring, assign a due date or deadline, add tags for organization and searching, create nested checklists, and flag priority items.
I've been using Things for a few years now, and it's my go-to app when it comes to staying on top of everything. This is especially true when you integrate your calendars into Things as well, so you get everything in your schedule at once.
OmniFocus 3
If you want even more powerful features than Things, then you should look at the opposite side of the coin: OmniFocus 3.
OmniFocus 3 follows in the more traditional GTD (Get Things Done) format, which can take some time to learn and understand fully. But once you get the hang of it, OmniFocus 3 becomes incredibly powerful. There are a ton of ways for you to organize your tasks, such as location, project, context, priorities, people, and much more. There are now enhanced repeating tasks, so you can set things up like 'on the first weekday of each month.' OmniFocus 3 also supports attachments (graphics, video, audio), making it even more invaluable to those who need these things for their tasks.
OmniFocus 3 is free to download and try for 2-weeks. If you want to get the Standard version, it will be $50. There's also a Pro version that costs $100, though you can get it for $50 if you upgrade from Standard.
Todoist
Todoist is another great service to check out, and it's especially useful for those who like automation and insights.
With Todoist, you'll get your basic task management features, including a way to quickly add a task with a natural language parser. But the real magic with Todoist lies behind all of the app integrations, including IFTTT, Slack, Zapier, Amazon Alexa, and more. There are more than 60 of them to go through, so there are a ton of possibilities with what you can do with Todoist.
While Todoist is free to use forever, you can also upgrade to Premium for things like long-term goals and planning. But if you don't need the extras, then the free version should be fine.
Microsoft To-Do
Since Microsoft bought Wunderlist a while back, they've been using that to help develop their own task management software called Microsoft To-Do. And it just recently became available on the Mac.
With Microsoft To-Do, managing your tasks has never been easier. You can create as many lists as needed, and assign them all a color for easy recognition. All of your lists will become available on any device, as long as you sign in to your account. Your tasks can be broken down into more manageable steps if needed, and there is support for files and notes.
A unique feature is the 'suggested tasks,' which may help you remember things you'll otherwise forget. It's personalized just for you and is designed to help you stay focused. Microsoft To-Do also syncs with Outlook, giving you a seamless experience. And if you need to share your lists with friends, family, or coworkers, it's no problem!
2Do
If you like the idea of GTD, but don't want to be over-intimidated by software like OmniFocus, then you should give 2Do a try. It's like OmniFocus, but much easier to pick up and use.
One of the best features of 2Do is the ability to create simple tasks, checklists, or even projects with sub-tasks. Every task item in these can have notes, attachments, and even multiple alarms (sometimes we need that extra push). 2Do also not just does lists, but there are smart lists, which utilize filters and custom views. There is tag support to make organization a breeze, as well as a ton more features.
I used 2Do (along with everything else here) a while ago and must say that it's definitely one of the more underrated to-do apps out there.
Any.do
If sharing is a big priority for you when it comes to task management, then Any.do should be on the top of your list.
Any.do features a clean and smart design that is easy for anyone to pick up the app and start using it without fuss or hassles. You can share lists or even tasks themselves with others, such as your spouse, a family member, friend, or coworker. Any changes are pushed immediately, so you work together in real-time. The cloud syncing is fast and seamless, and there's also support for subtasks, attachments, notes, and more. Any.do can capture and do it all!
Any.do is free to download and use, but there are more features in the Premium subscription. This includes unlimited access to moments, themes, files, and collaboration for $3 a month or $27 a year.
Your favorite?
These are some of the best to-do apps we found on the Mac App Store. What are your favorites? Let us know in the comments!
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My heartThis timelapse of macOS 10.0 through 10.15 is a nostalgic wonder
The very first version of macOS, or Mac OS X as it was known, arrived almost 20 years ago. This video takes us through every major update the Mac has seen since in one amazing timelapse.
I recently switched from Windows to a Mac and one of the first things I noticed was the lack of calendar in the menu bar. While there are plenty of full-fledged Calendar apps for Mac, I wanted a simple and easy app that sits on the Menu bar. Let’s check those out.
A calendar is an important utility app that every OS should have and macOS does have a pretty good Calendar app that syncs with your iCloud account. However, you can’t actually see the calendar in the menu ba and there is no widget to go with it as well. The apps listed below are built to offer that functionality in mind and have a few other options to enhance the user experience.
Best Calendars Apps
1. iCultus
Let’s start with a simple Calendar app, iCultus is the Calendar that should have been available by default. It sits on the Menu bar at the top and shows you a calendar for the current month when you click the icon.
To be honest that’s all I need for a widget to do and maybe move forward and backward in months to plan any upcoming holidays. While it doesn’t show any events lined up on your iCloud calendar, it gives you a button to launch the Calendar app so that you can take action in the real app. It is also open-source and free if you care about that kind of stuff.
Get iCultus (free)
2. Quick View Calendar
This next app does exactly what iCultus did, so why would you choose this app over the previous one? One word; aesthetics, if you care about consistency and want a Calendar app that matches the overall theme and layout of the OS then this app is perfect.
It has that translucent interface with a dark gray and white color scheme that matches well with the Dark theme on macOS. The icon sits on the Menu bar for quick access and has arrow keys to look up upcoming and past months.
Get Quick View Calendar (free)
3. ItsyCal
Okay, we’ve got the basics covered so let’s talk about some actual features. ItsyCal is built for easy access but also offers some functionality that you would want from a Calendar app. You can customize the app to your preferences, for example, you can set the theme to match the system, highlight a day of the week, get upcoming events notification in the widget itself, and the ability to create events and appointments.
The app can also automatically launch itself at the restart, unlike the above two apps which mean I don’t have to restart the app every time the Mac reboots.
The app syncs everything to the iCloud so whatever you have planned would show up on the widget. I like ItsyCal because of two features; pinning the widget to keep it on the top, and real-time Date and Month on the Menu bar icon. Also, it’s free.
Get ItsyCal (free)
4. Quick Calendar
We’ve got enough apps covered that sit on the Menu bar so let’s include one that sits in the Notification area. We all check out the notifications area anyway so it would be a good idea to put a small calendar there. Quick Calendar needs to be added manually by going to the edit menu on the bottom of the notifications panel. After you enable it, it will stay in the notifications panel.
Feature-wise, it is as basic as it gets, it only shows the current month and arrow keys to look upcoming and past months. However, if you want to have a quick glance at the Calendar while checking out Notifications, then Quick Calendar is the one.
Get Quick Calendar (free)
Ios Todo List App
5. Next Meeting
![Todo Todo](https://sebsauvage.net/streisand.me/korben/?m=https://korben.info/app/uploads/2020/02/windows-1-1024x1011.png)
Windows Todo List App
Next Meeting is a little widget that shows you upcoming events on the Menu Bar. Let’s say you plan out your week in advance and have meetings at different hours, this app would take that info from the iCloud and slap it on the Menu bar so that you can miss it ever. If you click the icon, it shows you upcoming events in the coming days. You can customize which meetings to display and choose between in-progress, today’s meetings, and all-day meetings.
Get Next Meeting (free)
6. Calendars
Calendars is not like other apps in the list, instead of giving you a simple Calendar Widget on the Menu bar, it gives you full-fledged Calendar with lots of features. For starters, you can set a different picture for every month, just like a real calendar, if that’s not your jam, you can make it subtle and translucent to match the theme of your System.
It syncs with your iCloud, Facebook, and Google Calendar to keep you updated. If that wasn’t enough, you can also enable weather options in this app and you would get a real-time day-wise forecast, right below each day.
Calendars is a free app on the App Store but you can upgrade either with the Subscription($0.99/mo) or one-time license fee ($19.99).
Get Calendars (free)
7. InstaCal
While Calendars app is great for remembering birthdays from Facebook and getting reminders from Google, InstaCal is meant for professionals who use Office 365, Google Calendar, and Outlook. You can integrate, view and respond to invitations right from the Menubar pop up. Along with the menu bar, InstaCal also has a Dock app which lets you use the app to its full potential.
Apart from events, you can also view your reminders within the app and create new ones. The themes can be customized and the app has Touchbar support as well. With all these features combined, you only have to $5 to own this app which in my opinion is pretty good.
Get InstaCal ($4.99)
Best Easy Calendar Apps for Mac
Well, these were my picks for best easy calendar apps for mac when you want more than what native Calendar app offers. Itsycal, Quick View Calendar, iCultus, are great choices when you just want a quick way to look at the Calendar. Next Meeting serves its own niche where it reminds you of upcoming events, and Calendars let you integrate Facebook and Google Calendar. Instacal is best for people who want a professional Calendar app with integrations for Outlook, Office 365, etc. Which app would you use, let me know in the comments?