Wunderlist, Save Me!

It's Day 6 of the 30-day blog challenge and we have arrived at our first Thursday. The potential for 'cutesy' names to associate with today abound. There's Trendy Thursday or the classic Throwback Thursday...but I'm not sure they fit The Geeky Side.  Ok I lied... it is very possible that this Throwback Thursday photo from my Facebook fits The Geeky Side just perfectly, but in an effort to not embarrass myself on a weekly basis, I have decided on a different theme! Welcome to the first Technology Thursday. I plan on talking about things related to technology including devices, apps and the frustration that goes with them. Today, I'm going to review an app that I have had for years on my iPad but just never used, but now that I have discovered the wonders of Wunderlist, I just can't stop using it. So, let's talk apps!

Wunderlist falls into the category of an organizing or to-do app. It's been sitting on my iPad being ignored for quite a while, but when I started to look for a to-do/task organization system, Wunderlist kept popping up.

The Wunderlist Logo

I took it for a spin, and I have no idea how I made it through life without it. It's available on iOS, Mac, Andriod, Windows and Web platforms for free. So you can check it out without risk, because like a good friend of mine, Jana Oliver (a great writer - but that's for another blog), you may not like it. For some, it will have too many options, for others not enough, but before we go too far - let's talk about what I love about it.

Honesty here, My brain can't keep track of everything anymore. I remember the days when I could tell you my schedule and what all I had to do with no problem, plucking the items from thin air as if I was a magician waving my magic wand only to find a rabbit in the hat. Now, I'm not going to say it's because I'm getting older...which I am...I prefer to think it is because my life is packed to the gills. If there is a girl with one too many irons in the fire, it is most likely me. And I need help getting the irons organized as well as where I put the blasted things.

Here's what my Wunderlist screen looks like.

On the left-hand-side is a list of categories/lists. I created categories for each of the main 'areas' I have to-do list for to help me keep things organized. I have a category for each class that I teach as well as general things for work, the student organization (KMA) and continuing education. If we take a look at my 3800 category (the one highlighted in blue) it has the list of to-dos associated with it in the middle block of the page. Now, since this is a to-do list for one of my classes, I set it up for each week of the course to have its own subtask list. The subtask list for week 10 is on the right hand side of the page. For instance, in week 10 I need to grade the gaming discussion, record theater presentation, upload the theater presentation, create test # 3 and grade the rest of the field experiences - and this is for only one of the three classes I teach.  I can't remember all that - and if I don't remember to do it, which has happened oh so many times, I fall behind.  Then there is late nights, no-sleep and me stressing to catch-up.

Once I finish all the subtasks - I can check it off the big to-do list in the center - and viola! it appears on the bottom of the page reminding me that I did get something accomplished! I love that you can 'star' items to highlight them. I use the stars to indicate what I need to get done this week since I set -up the task for my classes at the beginning of the semester. It can be difficult to trudge through the categories I have on the left-hand side to find the 'do it now' tasks - the starred function helps me do that.

A feature of Wunderlist that I don't use much is the add list member function. I keep hoping my husband and I will collaborate on the grocery list, but so far his invitation is still pending. Wonder if he is trying to tell me something? You can also schedule reminders, set due dates and add notes to subtask entries. There is a print option, and most important for me - it syncs across devices and the web. They have a Pro version with some additional features, but the free version is working great for me.

Also don't forget to check out their Wunderlist blog. The recently did a social media promotion on Twitter to encourage students to submit their best #studywithWunderlist tips. Great suggestions both for how to use the app and studying in general.