From Chaos to Calm: How I Use Todoist to Stay On Top of Tasks

When you’re juggling a design business, multiple websites, four kids, a lifestyle property, pets, and everything else life throws your way, things can fall through the cracks. That little voice saying “Don’t forget to…” becomes a constant companion.

I’ve been there. And for the past six years, I’ve relied on a simple solution that’s made all the difference: Todoist.

Why Todoist?

I started using Todoist in February 2019, drawn to its integration with Alexa. We could simply call out items to add to our shopping list while cooking, and the Amazon Echo would capture them. No more floury hands reaching for a pen or trying to remember that we needed more paprika.

But what kept me using it was the perfect balance of simplicity and smart features. The interface is clean… refreshingly free of “helpful” AI prompts and unnecessary complexity. Yet it’s powerful enough to understand when I say “in two weeks” or “next Thursday.”

My Simple Setup

I keep my Todoist organization intentionally minimal:

• Shopping list – Shared with my husband so whoever’s at the store can see what we need. We’ll sometimes add dates for planned meals (like fresh salmon for Tuesday dinner) or labels for specific stores (Costco vs. supermarket).
• Jobs & Errands – All the day-to-day tasks relating to kids’ activities, home maintenance, and appointments to schedule.
• Future – Things I want to remember but don’t need cluttering my current view. This is my “someday” list.
• Recommendations – Books, movies, podcasts, or products people suggest. When movie night comes around, I have a curated list ready to go.

And that’s it. No complex project hierarchies or color-coding systems. Just capture and organize.

Capturing in the Moment

For me, the magic of Todoist lies in how easily it captures thoughts when they surface:

• When I’m driving and my child mentions they need new socks (because how many conversations about which things kids need happen in the car!), I can dictate it to my Apple Watch or my kids add it to Todoist on my phone (they know the deal by now).
• As we use the last of something in the pantry, it goes straight on the shopping list.
• During those moments of daydreaming when random tasks pop into my head, I think “I must not forget to…”, or waking up in the night with a thought, I drop them in the Todoist inbox to sort later. Often they’re misspelled, but I get the gist later.

I use Todoist primarily for personal tasks, keeping my work projects organized in Basecamp within its task system.

What Makes It Work

The features that make Todoist indispensable for me aren’t flashy, they’re practical:

• Cross-platform access: Whether I’m at my desk, on my phone, or checking my watch in the grocery store, my lists are there.
• Natural language processing: Being able to type “Buy a birthday card by next Tuesday” and have it automatically dated saves tiny moments that add up.
• Clean interface – No distractions, no “AI” prompts everywhere, just my tasks, clearly organized.

Room for Improvement

Nothing’s perfect, of course. I wish Siri allowed it to easily and seamlessly connect (it defaults to adding tasks to Apple Reminders instead), but I haven’t dedicated the time to figuring out that workflow yet.

The Mental Relief

The biggest benefit isn’t about productivity, it’s peace of mind.

Things don’t fall through the cracks. I’m not waking up at 2 AM remembering I forgot to schedule that dentist appointment or pick up cat food.

As Mel Robbins talks about in her weekly planning approach, there’s immense value in a “brain dump” that gets tasks out of your head. Todoist serves as my continuous brain dump: capturing those fleeting thoughts before they disappear or become mental clutter to worry about remembering!

Getting Started

If you’re feeling overwhelmed by tasks, here’s my advice:

Get it out of your head. There’s a certain relief in not having to remember everything. Your brain isn’t designed to be a storage device. It’s meant for thinking and creating.

Use a “Future” list liberally. Not everything needs to be in your face every day. Move those “someday” items somewhere they won’t create daily anxiety.

Keep it simple. The goal isn’t to create the world’s most elaborate task management system. It’s to reduce mental load and remember what matters.

Also, it sure feels good checking things off those lists!

What’s your approach to managing tasks? Have you found a system that works for you, or are you still searching for the right fit? I’d love to hear about it.

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Disclaimer: I was not paid to endorse Todoist in any way, nor do I receive any financial benefit from recommending it. This post simply shares my personal experience with a tool that has helped me manage my tasks more effectively.