To-do list applications for the iphone/ipod touch

I love todo list applications. They are such a nice illusion to make you think that you can organize your life in an easy way. The reality is, if you're disorganized, it's pretty hard to get organized...you might start using to-do list software, but I'm pretty sure that you'll abandon it after a couple of weeks. If you can't manage a simple list with pen and paper, it's very probable that you're going to fail with any todo list software. But there's always hope.

I probably use and own 10 applications in different platforms to help me manage my todo list (apps for s60, the nokia n810, ipod touch, the pc, and the mac). I thought that the perfect application should have a lot of features: categorization of the lists, labels/tags, color schemes, let you attach images and notes, specify priority. I have a different opinion now, specially if you're just starting with todo lists. The application should be as simple as possible: a simple app that lets you enter your todo item, a delivery date, and maybe a priority. If the app is very simple, it's more probable that you'll continue using it...in the end, once you're used to it, you can always upgrade to better applications with more features.

So, if you're looking for an application to help you manage to-do lists on your iphone or ipod touch, let me tell you something: there are lots and lots of applications in the app store. So my first suggestion for you is to just choose any, any app that is free or costs .99 cents. I'm sure that it won't be very good, and will lack tons of features, but the main thing is that you get used to input lists, and follow them. The goal here is that you get used to the system of using to-do lists. If you're disorganized, it won't matter if you buy a very good or expensive application, because you just won't use it. Remember, start simple.

That said, if you're ready to move to a better to-do list application for your iphone or ipod touch, I can suggest two:

Remember the Milk: I love RTM. It's very simple to use, but it's also full of features. The nicest thing about it is that there are quite a few applications for different platforms (one of them is the iphone), and all of them can be in sync. They have an api as well, which means that if there's no application for your selected platform, you can always create one, if you're a programmer, of course. Anyway, back to topic, the Remember the Milk app for iphone is free, but you need a pro account (for $25 a year) to use it with your RTM account. It lets you work offline and online, and sync all of your todo lists. I think the biggest advantage is that you can manage your todo list from anywhere (as long as you have a browser), so this app won't limit your to-do list management to the iphone only.

The other nice application is Things. It is very simple to use, and again, is full of features, so it's a pleasure to manage a todo list with it. What else can I say about it? well, it's a beautiful app, well designed, and very useful. It's a bit expensive compared to other iphone apps, but you won't regret it.