Free Online Task Tools

by Angela Yee

There is a great selection of online tools out there to help you manage your tasks. And better yet, many of them are free! Free is good. So is less stress through managing your task load.

The advantage of having an online task list (as opposed to using a program that resides on your computer) is that you can access it anywhere - at work, at home, or on your cell phone if you have Internet access.

Most sites allow you to add notes, have checkboxes that hide hidden tasks, allow due dates or repetition of tasks, and include categories for grouping.

Each system has different features. When evaluating which one to use, consider the following to see which ones are high priority for you:

Due dates. Do you need to write down a specific date for your tasks, or are you just looking for an all-purpose list without dates?
Prioritizing. Not all of the programs allow you to prioritize your tasks. Only some have this feature.
Email reminders. Some sites will send tickler reminders to your email or phone, letting you know an upcoming task is due soon.
RSS feeds. You can send RSS feed reminders on some sites, another handy way of remembering what is due.
Shared lists. Do you need to share your task list with others?
Color. Some sites assign colors to your task based on priority or due date. Others let you customize colors. Some sites use colors but when you print out your list everything turns to black. How important is color to you?
Task repetition. If you redo tasks (such as paying bills once a month), this feature is helpful. Others don't have this feature you will manually have to assign a new date to your task.
Printing format. Toodledo is the only site I have seen so far where you can create a little booklet of your tasks. Others will print out only the tasks without all the menu interfaces. And still others print out everything on the screen exactly as you see it.
Storing of completed items. How important is it to you to be able to see the tasks you have completed? Some will store them; others disappear into a black hole and are never seen again.
Notes storage. You can cut and paste emails or write notes to attach to each task with some of the lists. This feature is helpful for more complex tasks where you have to remember information (like an address for an errand you have to run).