Computer Tips From A Computer Guy

Keep track of tasks with uToDo task manager software

Posted: 21 Oct 2009 03:57 AM PDT

Throughout history, people have had “to do” lists. Whether it was something as mundane as taking out the trash on Friday, or as elaborate as conquering the Roman Empire, at some point, we have had to jot down a task somewhere in case we forgot. In doing so, we also had to recall where we wrote down what we had to do. Had we not remembered where the note went, the trash would have been there on Saturday, or plans of overthrowing Rome may have fell victim to procrastination.

Getting into the habit of keeping notes and tasks handy always needs some amount of personal perseverance. Thankfully, when it comes to using technology to help cover the “where” in this matter, matters become somewhat easier. There are numerous solutions ranging from enterprise level shared project creation software, to desktop based digital notes, though sometimes we just need a simple way to track our to do lists.

One of the utilities in the freeware software realm, uToDo (found here), helps track our tasks with a straightforward interface. Built with the idea of keeping things easy to understand, uToDo foregoes complex options and overbearing, graphic intensive views to deliver a simplistic view of managing tasks. Light on system resources, it is easy to install and work with.

Previous task managers that I had written about before that you might be interested in include TaskBin and HiTask. You may also want to check out a free online to-do list service.

From the base setup, uToDo already has categories for your use. Located on the menu section, on the left-hand side, these headings may be what you need, and if not, they can be removed. The uToDo tips section contains a “how to” set of entries discussing the use of uToDo. Project X and Project Y are simply place holders for showing examples of separate lists with pre-built items included. When you click on one of the Todo List, the associated tasks appear in the right-hand side of uToDo’s window.

Should you wish to categorize your tasks, you can use uToDo’s Tags. Clicking on the Tags tab, next to Todo Lists, will change the menu view. Again, the initially places Tags are samples, and you may create your own. If you click on one of the Tags, then all tasks with that Tag will appear on the right-hand side of your view.

Now that we know a little about Lists and Tags, what about the tasks? To create a task, or list, click on File then New Task. At this point, uToDo will put a cursor over next to the Add button. Here you will add a Due Date, Tag, and Priority if needed. Then click on Add task to list. This task will be created in whichever list you are currently in.

Now this does not mean that you cannot change details of the task after this point. You have the ability to easily alter a task. All you have to do it right-click on one of the tasks, and a small pop-up menu will open. Here you can quickly change Title, Tag, Due Date, Priority, or any Notes attached to the task. You also have the option to relocate the task in a different list, if you created task in the wrong list. If you so choose, you can also create a Sticky Note that sits on your Windows desktop as a reminder.

When it comes to a search feature, uToDo does something a little different. There is a bar between the typical Windows type menus (File, View, etc.) and the tabs. The Filters bar takes the idea of a search section, and turns it into a click friendly, quick way to locate your tasks based on particular criteria.

Each part of the Filters bar can be clicked on. You can choose which list you want to look at (or pick All for all of them), use the Hide Done toggle switch (to show or hide completed tasks), choose to show Priority (Low, Medium, High), and select dates (Yesterday, Today, without a Date, a Week from Now, and others). Each time, the results will be displayed in the right-hand portion of uToDo.

For those of us who still like a paper print out to check items off of, or post to a web site, uToDo does offer the ability to export a list to a text or HTML file. In this example, we will export to an HTML format. Click on Tools, then Export to HTML. After doing this, your default web browser will open up to show the data.

Each person has their own quirks about them when it comes to keeping a list of tasks, projects, and notes. uToDo may not be for everyone because it does not have a completely standardized interface. For others, it may be a welcome solution for their needs. In any case, uToDo is good at sorting and categorizing everyday tasks and makes for a good organizing utility.

Copyright © 2007
Online Tech Tips.
Aseem Kishore (digitalfingerprint: a59a56dce36427d83e23b501579944fcakmk1980 (74.125.44.136) )

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Keep track of tasks with uToDo task manager software