There’s extremely powerful and complex task management apps like OmniFocus that are the subject of books and screencasts. Then, there’s the barebones, dead-simple task lists like Clear, or plain text todo lists that feel more like text editors, such as TaskPaper.
But perhaps you want something different. An app, perhaps, that has features like due dates and tags you’d expect in a professional task app, but that’s simple and uncluttered. You want a todo list that’s great with a mouse, but equally great with just your keyboard. And you don’t want to spend a fortune.
How does $4.99 for a menubar todo list app with scheduled tasks, tags and task notes, and rich keyboard support sound? That’s exactly what Taskdeck is.
Simple Menubar Productivity
There’s something about menubar apps that just makes them great for productivity. They’re right at the top of your screen, even when you’re using a full-screen app, ready for you to use them whenever you need. They keep you productive without cluttering your desktop, out of the way but never out of reach.
That’s exactly what Taskdeck is for tasks. Designed by Karl Traunmüller at microLARGE, which you might already know for the Spotlight alternate Disklens, Taskdeck is a simpler take on a todo list that makes it simple to keep up with what you need to do from your menubar. And for keyboard aficionados, you can start Taskdeck, add new tasks and lists, filter through them, and find more info on the tasks you need to complete all from your keyboard.
Taskdeck is a list orientated todo list. You’ll first need to add lists for your tasks, either from the plus button or by pressing CMD-N. Then, click the arrow or tap your arrow key to jump into the list, where you can add tasks in the same way. Enter the task, tab to add a description or tags, click the plus to add a link to a related file, or click the checkmark then select the date the task is due to schedule the task. Unfortunately, there’s no way to type in a date right now, so you’ll have to stick to selecting dates from the calendar popover.
Filtering your tasks is simple as well. You can use the search bar to find any task in the list you’re in, searching for words contained in the task or its tags (there’s no global search, though, unfortunately). Or, you can filter by tasks that are due today or overdue, either with a click or by pressing CMD+3 or 4. Back in your list view, you’ll be able to see how many tasks each list has, as well as how many tasks are due today or in the future as seen above.
You can navigate through the whole app with your keyboard, opening it with a CTRL+CMD+Space, adding tasks with CMD+N, and going back and forth between tasks and lists with your arrow keys. You can delete tasks or whole lists by pressing CMD+delete, or undo changes by pressing CMD-Z, just as you’d expect. It’s a simple way to keep up with the stuff you need to do without having to deal with a complex app.
A Promising App With More to Come
You might have noticed that I didn’t mention sync or a companion mobile app. Neither of these are available yet, but the upcoming v1.1 update will bring syncing between Macs and iOS devices, along with a dedicated universal iOS app so you can keep your tasks with you. That’ll make Taskdeck an even better way to manage the stuff you need to do.
Even today, though, Taskdeck’s nice take on menubar and keyboard-powered productivity with a balance between simplicity and power features makes it a nice choice if you don’t have a favorite todo list app yet. Its price is attractive as well, especially in a market where Clear costs $10 and more popular full-featured apps cost $50 or more.
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