ForumsNewsWe’re Back
We’re Back
| Author | Message |
|---|---|
|
jzamoras |
Hi guys, I finally pulled the plug and moved out to ticktick. I will be using both systems a couple of weeks and then I'll delete my account.
Good luck to everyone! |
|
mgacsaly |
I am also a very long-time user of Toodledo (2011). I have recommended it to many over the years. For years there was very slow, but steady, improvements without substantial cost increases. I have reviewed many of the other todo list programs and none support the full GTD framework that I have come to rely on. I use context, location, priority, & status very heavily.
Since the sale of the business the improvements stopped, communications became poor to nonexistent, then finally the ios beta came and every time I used it I found new bugs, and each new release was worse than the last. Lifetime licenses are generally a scam to gain some cash before getting out of town – so I did not participate. I have completely lost all faith in the current Toodledo team. So it is with a heavy heart that I give up on Toodledo. I am currently using Todoist. I have exported all my tasks and wrote a vba Excel program to convert context, status, location, and tags to Todoist tags, formulaically covert the great Toodeldo priorities, star, & status to the limited 1-4 Todoist priorities plus tags creating one project csv for each Toodledo folder. Todoist has many features I like – much better Siri integration, native windows app, better note formatting, better use of color, along with more responsive customer support and a recent history of regular improvements. It also has substantial weaknesses – it lacks the GTD Context+Location+Priority+Status framework that allows me to clearly deal with What-I-am-Doing X Where-I-Am X What-is-Important X What-is-Blocked. Toodledo’s Priority+Star+Status gives me 20 levels of priority that are easy and clear and I actually use. The screen format (particularly on the web and windows) is pretty but rather low information density. The worst is the limitations on reporting/views – there is no way to create anything like the Toodledo Importance algorithm and the flexibility of views is quite limited, particularly sorting. I will continue to check in - and if someone buys out Toodledo with the resources to support it, and progress is clear, I would consider it. |
|
Stephen |
I'm gone, goodbye Toodledo and R.I.P.
I'm also a long-time user, since 2008, and finally also pulled the plug. I want to give some thoughs to other TD users. I am sorry for quitting TD as it has still the best GTD coverage on the market but I have lost all faith in the management and technical capabilities of the current team. A short look at the history and how things got worse over time * cost increase: the subscription cost was longtime USD 14.99 per year for the silver subscription, then rose in 2018 to 19.99 and when Aaron came as new CEO he introduced new plans, resulting in a yearly cost for the new standard subscription of 35.88 (which comes closest to the former silver subs). For this cost increase I would have expected at least a technical refresh of the apps, but nothing happened, the improvements stopped. * communications became poor to nonexistent * For 3 years there was no update (apart from a website refresh) and then the 2 iOS updates 3.4 and 3.4.1 in June/July 2020 were full of bugs and seemed widely untested, no bugfix since then and no reaction to users who recommended a fallback to the stable version 3.3.10 * According to many forum entries there are also problems with subscription renewals That was too much for me as I rely on such a tool. I started looking for alternatives. When it was clear to me that I will get away from TD, it took me 3 evenings to migrate * day 1: evaluated key alternatives (see at the end of this post) * day 2: tested migration and look-and-feel of ticktick * day 3: migrated to ticktick, set up tags for GTD status * posted a feature request to support GTD status * After 7 days I was very happy with ticktick, although I miss the other key GTD features like context, location and star. But they provide many other features supporting task handling and overview. And the handling as such is much more modern and easy-going. * After 10 days I do not want to go back anymore. One last wish and one last statement * I only wish that a new management team takes over and does a real and tested upgrade and technical refresh. * The current team ruined a great application, it's a shame! Just hand over to a more capable crew and then get lost and never come back! Alternatives I checked and my impressions * RTM: very small buttons and functional features did not really convince me * ClickUp: seems more like a comprehensive project management tool * TickTick: apart from the missing key GTD features (see above), main drawbacks are the company location (HongKong: data privacy issue with China, or other sources say the company is based in San Francisco) and unclear team: they do not mention any names * Taskangel: syncs with Toodledo in the background * Todoist: quite expensive and thus did not have closer look at it * Things3: must be bought separately per device type, thus quite expensive, did not have closer look at it All the best to you current and ex TD users and thanks to all who have contributed to the forums. This message was edited Oct 03, 2020. |
|
Ummagumma |
We’ve discussed TickTick here a few years ago. The domain owner address was registered in mainland China, the headquarters were, supposedly, in Hong Kong (which is still China), and they claimed that the foreign (or perhaps just American) users’ data was stored on the servers located in the US. Which means nothing when the people with access to these servers are in China.
So, I could not use TT, as I am dealing with some proprietary business data for work, and use attachments a lot. I am using my own system that’s very simple and centered around due dates and plaintext tags. So far, it’s been working ok. Can’t give up on TD forum yet... |
|
wickendeng |
Posted by Philippe Lahalle:
Hi wickendeng, Why did you write that there is chaos in Toodledo? I think that you answered your own question in your subsequent posts. |
|
Stephen |
Thanks Ummagumma for the information regarding TickTick owner address. I assumed this but did not know for sure. As I am not using attachments a lot, I think TickTick is okay for my work.
I will also check the TD forum, at least for a while... Posted by Ummagumma: We’ve discussed TickTick here a few years ago. The domain owner address was registered in mainland China, the headquarters were, supposedly, in Hong Kong (which is still China), and they claimed that the foreign (or perhaps just American) users’ data was stored on the servers located in the US. Which means nothing when the people with access to these servers are in China.
So, I could not use TT, as I am dealing with some proprietary business data for work, and use attachments a lot. I am using my own system that’s very simple and centered around due dates and plaintext tags. So far, it’s been working ok. Can’t give up on TD forum yet... |
|
Ummagumma |
Posted by Stephen:
Thanks Ummagumma for the information regarding TickTick owner address. I assumed this but did not know for sure. As I am not using attachments a lot, I think TickTick is okay for my work. I will also check the TD forum, at least for a while... Posted by Ummagumma: We’ve discussed TickTick here a few years ago. The domain owner address was registered in mainland China, the headquarters were, supposedly, in Hong Kong (which is still China), and they claimed that the foreign (or perhaps just American) users’ data was stored on the servers located in the US. Which means nothing when the people with access to these servers are in China. So, I could not use TT, as I am dealing with some proprietary business data for work, and use attachments a lot. I am using my own system that’s very simple and centered around due dates and plaintext tags. So far, it’s been working ok. Can’t give up on TD forum yet... It all depends on the kind of information you are comfortable with sharing, and whether all of this info belongs to you. Attachments are especially bad because they contain so much data, but then there are things like project locations, descriptions, people's names, product designations etc. A simple task like "Estimate for Magneto for Plant XXX due by 9/30" already tells someone that there's a product codenamed Magneto, Plant XXX is considered for production, and it's already in the estimate phase (so, depending on the particular company, if it has a fairly well defined product development process, you may be able to figure out the development phase and when it's about to hit the market). And perhaps the few names of people mentioned in other tasks relating to the same project may provide enough data for someone to figure out what kind of product it is. Which could be very valuable information for a competitor, or a company that would like the new product to end up outsourced to their plant and not XXX. On the other hand, if you're dealing with less sensitive data, it probably won't hurt. If some foreign intelligence wants to know my deck repair schedule, all they have to do is ask :) |
|
SquidgyFishy |
Does anybody else notice the irony of us all posting about how we are leaving Toodledo in the forum called "we're back"?
I am really going to miss Toodles. Member since 2009 and it has been the home for everything for the past 6 years, and despite having looked at alternatives, nothing has really jelled for me yet. Thank you for the Tick Tick recommendation. Remember the Milk is next up for me. I've also looked at: Nozbe - super expensive and simplistic Facile Things - seems really hard to use Amazing Marvin - enjoyed it, but fundamentally didn't like the way they did projects. Seems really well supported though Todoist - similar to marvin Clickup - really didn't like their inbox Momentum Earth - really liked this too, but no app yet and after the initial bulk of updates it seems to have slowed to nothing now Wish you all well and hoping against hope that someone takes over Toodles and gets it back on its feet. This message was edited Oct 06, 2020. |
|
Brigitte Gemme |
I have been a user since 2010 and I didn't want to live in fear of seeing my task system evaporate overnight. I decided to go to RememberTheMilk because I was familiar with the platform. I do miss the separate outlines but it's working out OK. I decided to move tasks manually, decluttering old stuff along the way. Not quite done, but should be by November 1st...
Best of luck to everyone! And keep getting stuff done. This message was edited Oct 06, 2020. |
|
kenckar |
Task Angel is pretty similar interface to ToodleDo
ZenKit also has some promise I'm staying for now. They do seem to be making progress. Slowly though. |
|
CharleneTX |
I'm still looking for a good replacement. I follow MYN, not GTD. I've tried lots of other task managers and they're all lacking. I was seriously considering getting an Office 365 subscription so I could get Outlook Tasks, but Microsoft seems to be phasing that out, too.
|
|
samrwalker |
Finally followed through on cancelling my subscription.
I'm gutted that ToodleDo has capitulated so thoroughly - I loved its Importance algorithm, and its Scheduler tool, but like others have said, the constant insincere promises about development, which are never backed up, have left a really bad taste in the mouth. It really seems like, for the money we've all paid them, it really wouldn't have needed much effort at all to make a few improvements here and there - and it's galling that nothing was even attempted. Thanks to everyone who has suggested alternatives - I'm off to try a few. |
|
Ummagumma |
Posted by CharleneTX:
I'm still looking for a good replacement. I follow MYN, not GTD. I've tried lots of other task managers and they're all lacking. I was seriously considering getting an Office 365 subscription so I could get Outlook Tasks, but Microsoft seems to be phasing that out, too. MYN is all start date based, isn't it ? The solution I came up with was to use Due date as Start date, and put actual Due date in front of subject. I also use a TgDue tag to indicate tasks that have actual hard deadlines. This way, I can sort by Subject and get due date sorting, and by Due date to get the order of execution sorting. Like this: 2020.10.12 Task 1 #TgDue (Due 10/8) - task is due on 10/12, I plan to start on in on 10/8, it's a hard deadline Task # 2 (Due 10/12) - task has no hard deadline, start (planned) date is 10/12 If you do most of your entry on a desktop, then adding dates and tags can be automated so you only type a short abbreviation. Most of time I sort by due date (order of execution) and only use Subject sort if I want to see what actual deadlines I have coming up. I've been using this approach for about two years now, and it worked just fine for me. It can be used with any task manager, which was the whole idea. |
|
CharleneTX |
MYN is Start date based. But the other major problem I'm having is other apps have 3 priorities and I'm using 4.
|
|
Ummagumma |
Posted by CharleneTX:
MYN is Start date based. But the other major problem I'm having is other apps have 3 priorities and I'm using 4. Basically, seems like you've built your task management workflow around the specific feature set of Toodledo, which would make it really tough to replace it without adjusting the workflow. Personally, - and this is very subjective approach - I only use two priorities, important and regular. The rest is all date driven. If a task has a hard due date, it has to be done, and can't be postponed, then the relative priority of that task is meaningless - it needs to be done, and it needs to be done by specific date. The tasks that don't have the specific due date, but must be eventually done sooner rather than later, are marked as important. The rest are all prioritized by setting the start date (using due date field). When that date comes, I will either work on them, or re-schedule (re-prioritize) them. This way, I really don't need to have the full feature set of Toodledo. Any service that has a due date, sort by subject, and (optionally) a star / priority (even if just a two-way toggle) works just fine. |
|
erhenius |
Posted by SquidgyFishy:
Clickup - really didn't like their inbox. I switched to Clickup, The inbox is indeed a bit meh. HOWEVER, Clickup is so customizable that it is a non-issue. They have frequent updates adding functionality. Once you go through the program and some YT videos you see how crazy powerful the service is. Posted by CharleneTX: MYN is Start date based. But the other major problem I'm having is other apps have 3 priorities and I'm using 4. Clickup has 5 priorities (none, low, normal, high, urgent). Furthermore, Clickup is so configurable that you all your task organization needs can be met. For your priorities, you can use the default prio column but you can also add a generic column with for example numbers and call it priority, the amount of possible priorities becomes practically infinite. As with all columns you can sort it as you with. ____________________________ I find this situation extremely weird, I keep returning to the forums to point people towards other products. One thing is for sure, there are better solutions than TD, really. I though there were none like TD, which is true to an extent, however the alternatives are now so much bewetter. I myself swear by Clickup. I'm extremely happy with it. The things I thought I would miss in TD I don't miss at all. The one thing that I really hated letting go were the lists and habbits. Lists were easy to resolve with the various environments Clickup offers and habit tracking I do now with dedicated app my phone and watch (I use streaks combined with health kit), which is a muuuuuch better solution.Sorry for sounding like a Clickup shill, but I am pretty amazed how good it works. It was a sobering experience to realize there is so much more better things around. No one has to tolerate what TD is doing now, that is why I have no qualms coming here and preaching alternatives. This message was edited Oct 09, 2020. |
|
Ummagumma |
I tried Clickup. Unfortunately, I just couldn't get over their terrible iOS mobile app.Horrible interface with tiny, gray fonts on gray background that made me strain my eyes until my head hurt. No Siri support. No natural language entry. Slow, clunky, and glitchy.
On the other hand, it's very feature full and configurable, and if you stick to the web version, most of these complaints go away. |
|
CharleneTX |
Posted by Ummagumma:
Basically, seems like you've built your task management workflow around the specific feature set of Toodledo, which would make it really tough to replace it without adjusting the workflow. Not quite. Manage Your Now is a workflow management system in the same way that Get Things Done is a workflow management system. Toodledo and Outlook tasks are customizable enough to use for MYN. Most of the apps I've tried seem to be designed for GTd, which I don't do. The closest I've found so far was Remember the Milk and I found it extremely clunky to use on desktop. |
|
Ummagumma |
Posted by CharleneTX:
Posted by Ummagumma: Basically, seems like you've built your task management workflow around the specific feature set of Toodledo, which would make it really tough to replace it without adjusting the workflow. Not quite. Manage Your Now is a workflow management system in the same way that Get Things Done is a workflow management system. Toodledo and Outlook tasks are customizable enough to use for MYN. Most of the apps I've tried seem to be designed for GTd, which I don't do. The closest I've found so far was Remember the Milk and I found it extremely clunky to use on desktop. This system (and I am somewhat familiar with MYN) is probably more appropriate to call a workload or task management. But this is semantics. To me, there's a task management system (principles of task management) that you use to manage your workload - be it MYN, GTD, or any other. Then, there's workflow, which is the set of tools and processes you implement to support that system. The system may set the principles of management, but it doesn't have to dictate the workflow tools. You can adjust your workflow to suit both a particular task management software or service and workload management system. In my case, I was heavily dependent on start date, and I just used Due date field for Start Date and Subject for Due date, so after that I am no longer reliant on the ever decreasing pool of task managers that support the start date, yet I still have this functionality. There is probably a way to implement four priorities without actually using four priorities (Outlook only supports 3 anyway). There's a lot that you can do in Outlook using plain text tags and custom views and conditional formatting, the problem is none of this translates to mobile. The thing is, I would not want to depend on Toodledo in long term because it's very doubtful that it will be there in long term. So, I'd suggest trying to work out a workflow that is not dependent on this particular service's feature set, unless one day you want to be forced to come up with it on the spot. |
|
M |
Thank you for the mentions of Clickup. Looks interesting.
I've been managing my tasks in Excel, but even Microsoft apps seem "iffy" these days, with the focus on appearance on not on stability. |
You cannot reply yet
U Back to topic home
R Post a reply
To participate in these forums, you must be signed in.