20 votes

Looking for a simple lists app

I've been using Google Keep (check boxes mode) for my work and personal to-do lists for a while now, and it's almost perfect for my use case. I love the simplicity and lack of options gumming up my process, and specifically I like the UI of having nested subtasks that all move with their head task when you reorder the top level tasks. That is to say, when you drag a headline task, all of its subtasks "roll up" inside it and "unfurl" when you drop the task into its new location. The fact that it syncs across devices is also really great, but not necessarily a deal breaker.

What is becoming a deal breaker is that you can only have 2 levels: top level or nested. I want more nesting levels, but with the simple touch-and-drag UI to which I've become accustomed.

Have any of you heard of/used an app such as I've described? I have issues using bigger, more fleshed-out apps because all the features distract my goblin brain, and the friction of having to use various touch menus or the keyboard on my phone to adjust indent levels keeps me from getting crap done.

Thanks in advance!

Edit: for now, I have settled on Workflowy. It seems to offer the most similar functionality with an acceptable number of interactions to do the things I want to do. Thank you to everyone who offered their experience!

23 comments

  1. [3]
    davek804
    Link
    I use a combination of markdown and YAML in text files... but I'm also a heathen I suppose. shopping: groceries: - oranges - seitan - green onions household: - laundry detergent - soap hardware: -...

    I use a combination of markdown and YAML in text files... but I'm also a heathen I suppose.

    shopping:
      groceries:
        - oranges
        - seitan
        - green onions
      household:
        - laundry detergent
        - soap
      hardware:
        - snow shovel
    

    Obviously I don't care much whether it's perfectly formatted, because I'm not driving any system/application with it. I'm looking at it as a human. The crutch of the basic indentation/formatting/typing of the underlying language helps me organize things super easily.

    Plus side? I don't rely on any third party. Just a text file on my device(s).

    But again, I'm a heathen.

    Let's mock up your additional layers:

    shopping:
      storeA:
        groceries:
          - oranges
          - seitan
          - green onions
        household-goods:
          - lemon-pledge
          - mop
        random:
          - batteries
      storeB:
        - laundry detergent
        - soap
      storeC:
        - snow shovel
    

    It's kinda whatever. I'm done now ... I can't imagine you want my YAML nonsense anyways :D

    7 votes
    1. onceuponaban
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      I mean, there's plenty of value in fully human-readable simpler formats, and YAML is pretty much designed for that. As another example, Org-mode is an all-purpose organization scheme that can be...

      I can't imagine you want my YAML nonsense anyways :D

      I mean, there's plenty of value in fully human-readable simpler formats, and YAML is pretty much designed for that. As another example, Org-mode is an all-purpose organization scheme that can be used for among other things taking notes, and it's entirely implemented through plaintext markup. You can see it in action in this video, in this case in Emacs (which is the operating system editor it was originally designed for). OP would need to discard their existing workflow entirely to adopt it so that's probably not applicable in this specific case (also Emacs might be the furthest away possible from a simple note-taking application, although that's not the only editor that implements Org-mode), but it's definitely a valid approach.

      2 votes
  2. [2]
    Kryvens
    (edited )
    Link
    I have two suggestions, both of which fit the bill. First, and most simply is Magic Todo - https://goblin.tools. It's a super-simple todo list but I think it does exactly what you ask. edit - if...

    I have two suggestions, both of which fit the bill. First, and most simply is Magic Todo - https://goblin.tools. It's a super-simple todo list but I think it does exactly what you ask.

    edit - if you're ND, it can also help you to break down tasks into more achievable tasks if that's something you struggle with, but you don't need to use it for that. It's available on web completely free, as well as both Android and iOS for a small fee

    Second is more complex, but works really well for my particular brain. https://dynalist.io - This one is free to use but there is a premium option. If you're anything like me, the premium option is a downgrade as it allows you to have unlimited bookmarks as well as a bunch of integration guff that I just don't need.

    It's an outliner, rather than a todo list, but it's by far and a way the most intuitive one I've found. I use it for notes, tasks, projects, meeting minutes, in fact, everything I write down goes in there so long as it's not sensitive - it's a cloud service, after all.

    You can focus in on a very specific section, and then zoom out as far as you want in a second. There are apps for all platforms (well, at least for web, win, lin, mac, iOS, Android) and there are chromium & Firefox extensions too.

    7 votes
  3. [4]
    lou
    (edited )
    Link
    Dynalist is good and the free tier makes more sense than Workflowy. Workflowy limits the amount of items which I think is super weird. You're unlikely to need more than the Dynalist free tier. I...

    Dynalist is good and the free tier makes more sense than Workflowy. Workflowy limits the amount of items which I think is super weird. You're unlikely to need more than the Dynalist free tier.

    I use Org Mode on my laptop for things that are supposed to be on a computer. I tried syncing Org on multiple devices and it was awful. Emacs and Org-Mode were not designed for this. I suggest just using an app that does that for you. Also, don't get addicted to Emacs. It will take ages for you to construct your "perfect" Emacs. It is very hard for me to use anything else now, and that is not necessarily a good thing. For good or for worse, there is no going back.

    5 votes
    1. [3]
      onceuponaban
      (edited )
      Link Parent
      Emacs is a memetic hazard to the point I'm scared of trying it out and get sucked into yet another endless loop of spending 10x more time tinkering with my setup than actually using my computer to...

      Emacs is a memetic hazard to the point I'm scared of trying it out and get sucked into yet another endless loop of spending 10x more time tinkering with my setup than actually using my computer to perform tasks. I've already got enough of that with Arch Linux as a whole, so I stick to (neo)vim whenever I edit files in the terminal. That being said, fun fact: there is a clone of Org mode for neovim. I do not know how it compares to the original Emacs implementation (presumably more limited if only by the lack of the ecosystem to extend it on Emacs) but it exists. There's also Neorg that I'm currently trying out, which, while not designed as an outright clone of Emacs' Org Mode, has similarities and shares the overall scope.

      Regarding syncing files, is there anything specific that makes an external approach unworkable? I'm thinking something like a given combination of rsync/rclone, git, network storage of some description, stuff like that.

      4 votes
      1. [2]
        lou
        (edited )
        Link Parent
        If you're an IT person go for it. I'm just a writer who likes to use weird programs. I tried using Dropbox, which at the time was my only option which didn't involve stringing things together in...

        I'm thinking something like a given combination of rsync/rclone, git, network storage of some description, stuff like that.

        If you're an IT person go for it. I'm just a writer who likes to use weird programs. I tried using Dropbox, which at the time was my only option which didn't involve stringing things together in bash. There were neverending conflicted files. Nothing fixed it.

        Every Org for Vim or Neovim that I tested was a travesty compared to Emacs. I haven't tried Neorg though.

        Org was the main reason I started using Emacs.

        1. onceuponaban
          Link Parent
          ...So, I originally launched into several paragraphs of exploring a potential file syncing solution to suggest, but after stopping mid-way through to address something else and after coming back...

          ...So, I originally launched into several paragraphs of exploring a potential file syncing solution to suggest, but after stopping mid-way through to address something else and after coming back to this I'm realizing I was operating on the completely unfounded assumption that you haven't found a solution for it on your computers, and re-reading your original comment the sentence "I suggest just using an app that does that for you." implies, if anything, that you have. And now I feel silly. Instead of throwing a bunch of paragraphs at you based on what's probably a wrong assumption, I'll just mention that Git is a plausible candidate for that purpose. It might sound silly to use a VCS just to sync plaintext notes (...and it probably is, on the same level as using a Swiss army knife just for its screwdriver) but it could be appropriate, although with some important caveats that I can elaborate on if you (or someone else reading this) are interested.

          (and of course, Emacs itself, befitting its reputation as a software black hole, does have an entire ecosystem around Git integration, though that's probably one of the less surprising of its not-actually-text-editor features)

  4. Prodiggles
    Link
    Obsidian is a pretty cool app that works across devices. The format is in markdown files, that way you can make it easily accessible and portable instead of locking down to specific file types....

    Obsidian is a pretty cool app that works across devices. The format is in markdown files, that way you can make it easily accessible and portable instead of locking down to specific file types.

    They also have some near features to graphically connect different documents together to allow you to find your notes. I know it's actually sitting on top of other frameworks, but depends on how easy you want to make it for yourself.

    4 votes
  5. [2]
    foryth
    Link
    I like Colornote. though idk if it will fulfill your nesting request.

    I like Colornote. though idk if it will fulfill your nesting request.

    3 votes
  6. [4]
    mmrempen
    Link
    I use Workflowy and can highly recommend it. It’s extremely minimalistic (speaking as a fellow easily distractable and annoyable goblin brain), it has infinite nesting, a drag and drop UI (or easy...

    I use Workflowy and can highly recommend it. It’s extremely minimalistic (speaking as a fellow easily distractable and annoyable goblin brain), it has infinite nesting, a drag and drop UI (or easy keyboard controls if you prefer that), the lists can look like a simple list or kanban board (including nested inside each other), and it has other features like tags and such that I never need but which I’m sure are useful. It works great on mobile and desktop (including in-browser if you find yourself on a foreign computer) and syncs across everything. I used to use the apple notes app but Workflowy is my life now.

    3 votes
    1. bbvnvlt
      Link Parent
      I second workflowy! Been a happy user for ages now. Super simple but a good set of smart features making it quite powerful while not doing too much.

      I second workflowy! Been a happy user for ages now. Super simple but a good set of smart features making it quite powerful while not doing too much.

      3 votes
    2. [2]
      doors_cannot_stop_me
      Link Parent
      Tried it and I gotta say, I think it's the one. Does just what I need, and the slight differences in muscle memory seem like they'll be easy to adjust to. Thanks!

      Tried it and I gotta say, I think it's the one. Does just what I need, and the slight differences in muscle memory seem like they'll be easy to adjust to. Thanks!

      2 votes
  7. [2]
    X08
    (edited )
    Link
    Joplin is my notetaking app of choice. It can be self-hosted, is open source and multi-platform. Big fan! No drag&drop possibility tho I'm afraid.

    Joplin is my notetaking app of choice. It can be self-hosted, is open source and multi-platform. Big fan!

    No drag&drop possibility tho I'm afraid.

    3 votes
  8. [2]
    rodrigo
    Link
    It looks like you want a complicated lists app :)

    It looks like you want a complicated lists app :)

    2 votes
    1. doors_cannot_stop_me
      Link Parent
      Well, yes. But only a little complicated. As a treat.

      Well, yes. But only a little complicated. As a treat.

      3 votes
  9. [2]
    zonk
    Link
    I've seen you've settled on workflowy, but maybe have a quick look at checkvist. It really is like a fancy version of google keep and I've used it before to manage personal coding projects. I'm...

    I've seen you've settled on workflowy, but maybe have a quick look at checkvist. It really is like a fancy version of google keep and I've used it before to manage personal coding projects. I'm gonna have a look at workflowy, since I haven't heard of that before :)

    2 votes
    1. doors_cannot_stop_me
      Link Parent
      I tried it out (very) briefly just now, and the mobile version seems to lack gesture-based tier-changing. I'll keep it in mind for when I'm using a keyboard at work, though. Thanks!

      I tried it out (very) briefly just now, and the mobile version seems to lack gesture-based tier-changing. I'll keep it in mind for when I'm using a keyboard at work, though. Thanks!

      1 vote
  10. Plik
    Link
    I like and pay for Tick Tick.

    I like and pay for Tick Tick.

    1 vote