I was on the hunt for the best task management application two years ago.

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I wasted countless hours evaluating all available apps such as Things 3, Todoist, Nirvanahq, Asana, Jira, Trello, TickTick, Any.do, Omni Focus, Google Task, ClickUp, etc.

If I could go back and tell my two years younger self, I would tell him not to do that massive research.

Instead, pick an app and start using it. The countless hours we spent researching are holding us back from achieving tremendous results we could gain using any app.

So, I had to select a task management app.

Too many things were going on in my work and personal life.

My responsibilities at work significantly increased, and I needed to manage about 50 people working on many projects across multiple teams. Additionally, I gained traction in my writing initiatives with 150,000 monthly views on my Medium articles. I wanted to put more time and attention into my writing activities.

I started losing track of things.

It was too much to handle without a solid task management system. So after a deep retrospective of assessing my situation, I was hit by the difficult choice of which tool to use for managing my tasks.

There were so many good choices.

Things 3, Todoist, Nirvanahq, Asana, Jira, Trello, TickTick, Any.do, Omni Focus, Google Task, Clickup. Those are all great apps with lots of credibilities. I have used Trello, and I know how great it was.

But I was not 100% convinced that Trello is a perfect tool for handling my massive list of areas of responsibilities.

I picked Things 3 as my task management app.

After so much consideration, I decided to pick Things 3.

The following are the reasons why I made this choice two years ago.

1. I was following a few people to learn task management, and they were using Things 3.

Using Things 3, allowed me to copy their workflow and tweak their examples for my use, which allowed me to focus more on my project and less on a tool.

2. Todoist was incredible, and I upgraded to their pro version.

But Todoist felt techie. I wanted something intuitive and not technical. It was also when I was trying to get out of my techie image and wanted people to know me as a leader, not a programmer.

3. Asana was great as a non-technical tool. The marketing team at my 9–5 job was using it so that I would have gained their support.

But I found it was limited for my purpose. Asana makes you feel limited without upgrading to their paid plans.

So after considering many factors and countless hours, I picked Things 3 as my task management tool.

I wanted something intuitive but could also support GTD methodology. It has been two years since then, and I was able to stick with Things 3.

​Things 3 have helped me organize my life.

I use it for managing my work & personal projects, my daily task list, and weekly reviews. It has allowed me to switch between 10,000 feet view of my life (1 year, three years and ten years aspiration) and what's happening now (quarterly, weekly and daily focus).

Following is how my Things 3 look today.

It has organically grown to this structure like my backyard garden. Now with the BASB cohort with Tiago, I am going to restructure to align the new concepts I will learn.

What next

Please stick around as I will share my journey.

Two years ago, I picked Things 3 and Workflowy as my tools; now, it will be Things 3, Evernote and many other tools.

This time, I am not trying to pick one tool for everything. Instead, I will try to build a solid system with a few robust tools.

What do you think about Things 3 as my task management app and the thought process I used to pick it up? Please share your views in the comment.

Book of the week

Getting Things Done by David Allen

David Allen is an expert on personal and organizational productivity. I started following David back in 2009.

Getting Things Done, or GTD is a productivity methodology based on a few simple concepts. David says the human brain is excellent at processing ideas and being creative but not a great storage facility.

A crucial part of GTD is getting all ideas, projects and commitments out of your brain and into a trusted system or external brain. For me, it has been Things 3 and Workflowy.

The five stages to master GDT are Capture, Clarify, Organise, Reflect and Engage.

View on Amazon​

Article of the week

​Manage your energy, not your time by Shonna Waters, PhD

Most time management gurus would tell you to pick the most critical task. But there is a concept of picking a task based on your energy level. Managing your energy and choosing the most suitable task will change how you do things and feel.

Tool of the week

​Things 3 by Cultured Code

I have been using it for two years and love it. Please remember you will need a tool and a methodology. I use Things 3 as my tool and GTD as my methodology.

Alright - that's a wrap!

What do you think about Things 3 as my task Management app and the thought process I used to pick it up? Please share your views by replying to this email.

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Vinod

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