Wunderlist: The To-Do List App to Beat

Most of us struggle with too many things to do. From projects you need to complete at work or school to the random things you need to fix at your house, there’s simply too much to do each day. There are dozens of to-do list and project management apps for Windows, Mac, mobile, as well as standalone webapps so you can keep up with your tasks online. Many of them are beautifully designed and are simple to use, but they’re often expensive and only work on one platform.

Very few to-do list apps offer an integrated solution to keep your tasks synced between all of your devices. The last thing you need to do is to manage a complicated to-do list sync when you’re already struggling under too many things to do. But many popular apps still don’t sync seamlessly. Today we’re going to look at a new beautifully designed to-do list app that blows all of this away: Wunderlist.

And Then There Was Wunderlist

It’s always exciting when a brand new company springs up and turns a whole category of software around. 6Wunderkit is a firm that did just that. They had planned on making an advanced project management app, but first, they set down and designed a free to-do list app to prove their concept. This app, Wunderlist, was initially released for Windows and OS X, but then was soon released for iPhone, iPad, and Android devices. Finally, they’ve brought the entire Wunderlist app to the web, so you can keep up with your tasks no matter what device you’re using. For a free app, it’s incredibly impressive how quickly they’ve iterated on their original concept.

Each of Wunderlist’s apps work almost the same, and they all tie into your online Wunderlist account to keep your tasks in sync across all of your devices. You can even share lists with others and see any tasks or notes they’ve added to the list right in your own Wunderlist account.

If you’ve already tried out their mobile apps, you should already have a Wunderlist account that’ll be ready to use with the webapp. Otherwise, just head to http://wunderlist.com/ and create a brand new account for free.

As soon as you’ve created an account, you’ll be logged into your new Wunderlist, which will be pre-populated with a tutorial task list to help you quickly get started. Even if you don’t have a new mobile device, the Wunderlist webapp includes all of the features you’d find in the other platforms, so you’re not missing out at all. All of the apps work the same, since Wunderlist was built on the Titanium framework, though it’s still amazing to see this level of multiplatform integration even today. Wunderlist is organized with your tasks in the main center pane, and your task lists are organized on the right sidebar. Along the bottom, you can sort you tasks by their due date or priority, and you can search for tasks from the sidebar as well.

Your Tasks, Your Way

Wunderlist is not just a simply functional task list. It’s also a beautifully styled app that makes it fun to keep up with your tasks. Wunderlist uses a wood grain background by default, but you can choose from a dozen high quality backgrounds on the bottom menu. These range from stylish to simple to whimsical, so you should find something to suite your tastes.

You can also customize how your tasks are organized. Just click and drag to rearrange your tasks, or drop the task in another list on the right to move it. Need to edit a task? Just double-click it, and type in your changes. Or, if you need to prioritize your tasks, click the star on the left to move it to the top and add a bookmark to it.

Save All Your Tasks

Adding tasks is quick and easy. Just type in anything you need to do in the text box on the top, then click the clock on the left to add a due date to the task. Alternately, you can leave the due date blank if your task doesn’t have to be done by a particular time. I personally have a list of things I’d like to do that’s entirely unscheduled, and I add things to it as I think of them throughout the week. Then, on Monday, I’ll go through and schedule out the things that need to be done this week, adding in any of those tasks I think I can get done.

If you prefer using your keyboard to navigate your computer, Wunderlist works great with keyboard shortcuts, too. Tap T or N to enter a new task, L to start a new list, F to search your lists, and more. You’ll find a complete list of shortcuts in the help menu on the bottom of the sidebar.

Sometimes tasks need more explanation than you can include in a one-line to-do entry. If you need to add more info, just click the note icon on the right of your task, then enter any extra notes you have about your task. Links will automatically be clickable, so this is a great way to organize research you’ve done online about your task. Unfortunately, Wunderlist’s search only searches the tasks themselves, so you won’t be able to find a task from data in its notes.

Outsource Your Tasks

Perhaps you don’t actually plan to do the tasks alone. Many things you need to do will be done in groups, and Wunderlist works great for this, too. You can share your lists directly with others in Wunderlist, or can email or print a list of tasks to share with anyone. Alternately, click the cloud icon on a list to share an HTML version of your list via CloudApp, so you can share your list online with your social network, website viewers, or others.

The best way is to share directly in Wunderlist. Just click the people icon beside the list you want to share, and then enter your friend’s email address. If they already have a Wunderlist account, they’ll get an invite email to join your shared list. Seconds later, you’ll both see the same set of tasks, and can easily collaborate on tasks. I’ve been using it to collaborate with colleagues around the globe, and it’s worked great so far for us!

No Task Left Behind

The Wunderlist webapp works great in any modern browser, and even can be used in a mobile browser. However, sometimes it’s simpler to use a native app to manage your tasks. You can download Wunderlist for free for your Mac or PC, iPhone, iPad, or Android device. You’ll get all of the great features of Wunderlist on your favorite platform, and can keep up with your tasks even when you’re offline. Best of all, everything’s kept in sync across all of your devices!

Conclusion

No matter what device you prefer to use to organize your tasks, Wunderlist is a brilliant solution to keep track of what you need to do. You can organize your own to-dos, share lists with family and coworkers, and keep everything synced no matter how many devices you use. Best of all, it’s free. It’s very exciting to see a webapp that feels this much like a desktop app, so if you haven’t already tried it out, you definitely should just to see how it works.

If your team is looking for a more integrated project manager, definitely keep an eye on 6Wunderkinder’s upcoming premium app, Wunderkit. We’re excited to see how it turns out, after Wunderlist is such a nice app. Plus, if you’d like to dig into Wunderlist and tweak it to your liking, you can even download its source code from GitHub. Now, what more could you ask?