Swift To-Do List is much more than a task scheduler. For me it’s a project management tool. All projects, regardless of how big or small… now start in Swift To-Do List.

Q: What problems does Swift To-Do List help you overcome?

The problems and challenges that Swift To-Do List helps me with is the ability to organize my work.

Q: What effect did Swift To-Do List have on your life?

The biggest impact is that it provided me the feeling of control.

Everything I am working on (and have worked on since starting to use Swift To-Do List), is organized, easy to find and easy to jump into as needed.

Q: Which are your favorite 5 features, and why?

Here you go…

1. Subtasks became my favorite feature of Swift To-Do List. This refines the ability to organize and allows you to create ‘Steps’ for any given task.

2. Filters. Next is the flexibility to create and filter by any number of combinations of a task’s properties. Status, Priority, Due Date etc…

3. Notes. Having notes for each task and sub-task is key to keeping all specifics related to a given step or job task.

4. Shortcuts, links & attachments. Everything I work on revolves around associated files… .xls, .doc, .accdb, .sql etc. Being able to easily link to the related files is what ties it all together.

5. Calendar panel. Being able to quickly see, scroll through… and act upon tasks due on a given date is huge. This allows you to flag tasks and forget about them till you need to address them.

There are many AWESOME features that make Swift To-Do List the program that is always in use both at home at the office. Simply put… for me at least… this has become an indispensable tool.

Bob’s Swift To-Do List Review

Introduction

Being a database application developer, I felt like I was in a never ending quest to find the ultimate program to allow me to keep all my projects, tasks, schedules and code, in a manageable format that was easy to navigate and maintain.

I tried everything from using spreadsheets with hyperlinks to multiple versions of programs I’d build myself, to the Outlook tasks & calendar. Until I stumbled upon Swift To-Do List. I must say… I think I finally found the ultimate program I’ve been looking for.

Let me elaborate

When I first started reading about it I thought… hmmm this looks like it has potential. I downloaded the trial version (which you can use for free for 30 days).

I started using It and couldn’t help but smile as it became obvious how easy it was to navigate and customize.

All the logic that I tried to incorporate into the way I work day in and day out was somehow all part of this program. Swift To-Do List allows you to effortlessly stay organized and focused on the tasks that really need attention.

Before Swift To-Do List, trying to maintain focus on projects was a job in and of itself. Interruptions from people walking in, calling or emailing seemed to be a constant distraction. Everything was important enough that it required at least a bit of note taking along with shuffling the work queue to determine what priority each new task warranted.

How I use Swift To-Do List

In addition to capitalizing on the ease in which tasks can be shuffled into the work queue, I also set up individual tasks for different projects I am working on.

The beauty here is that all related files, code, notes and logic is stored together. As the project grows, you keep adding what you need. This allows you to maintain focus and not feel overwhelmed.

Each task has its own notes as well as shortcuts to files, folders or web addresses. (this is KEY for me)

You can use sequencing to plan through each phase. This really helps me keep tabs on the scope of each project. I set up separate To-Do lists for each Project. Each task within the project then becomes its own entity.

Check out the screenshot below…

For me, the way this is laid out, combined with the ease to customize… just about everything… well… it just doesn’t get any better than this.

This is exactly what I need to work the way I want to. It allows me to keep an eye on everything. The counters in the tree allow you to see open tasks at a glance.

When you are ready to do work, hit the global hot key and Swift To-Do List is minimized to the tray. While you are working… if you think of something you need to remember, or you need to add a shortcut for the file you just spent 20 minutes on… simply hit the global hot key and Swift To-Do List is right in front of you. Add the shortcut.. make a note… hot key it back to the tray. It’s a beautiful thing.

It’s hard to elaborate on exactly how easy this program lets you to dump your thoughts, plans & new ideas into a central repository for speedy retrieval on demand. I highly recommend downloading the free 30 day trial to see for yourself.

As projects are completed, you can move them to an archive folder. No need to try and remember where it’s at… Simply CTRL+F to find it. Quickly and easily… your mind is right back into the project you finished 2 weeks ago.

I purchased it after 2 weeks of use. I am thoroughly happy with this software and have no reservation about recommending it… (and I have to all my family and friends).

One ecstatic customer,

– Bob McClellan

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin
• Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson
• Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chris
• Swift To-Do List 10 with scheduling calendar released!

Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog

I have been using Swift To-Do List (STDL) daily for 14 months—it has become and continues to be absolutely indispensable in my efforts to overcome the “chaos of the surging, heaving universe”.

I am unable to answer the question “Does God play dice with the universe?” but at least operationally, here on earth, STDL is the tool that gives me the ability to be Master of My Own Universe—the feeling of competency that STDL engenders is simply priceless.

I had previously utilised Zoho, the popular web-based, subscription project management software for 3 years. We both grew together, I in learning its effective use, along with its far faster development, major redesign(s), & its early-but-eventually-sorted-out problems with support, which then often could take up to 3 weeks to get an answer to a query.

However, it got to a point where it technically no longer suited my simple requirements:

I had become a bit like the child who has a pair of shoes that is perhaps just a bit too large. There was no longer a good fit between me and the software.

Armed with the knowledge gained from Zoho, my extensive research enabled me to whittle the shortlist to two, Swift and another popular task management software. Not yet into the world of mobile computing, I was seeking software which was definitely neither web-nor subscription-based, and had good support. And, as time has indicated to me, for the newbie product user the relationship with the developer is crucial, and can even be the deciding factor whether one purchases or continues use of the product or not. Questions of his responsiveness, willingness, degree of openness to suggestion or request, and the oft-neglected consideration of his degree of patience for initial newbie handholding, stumbles & mistakes while striving to learn—the “chemistry” – can not be underestimated. Both STDL and its developer Jiri Novotny have come through with flying colours on all points.

As an independent operator, my requirements are that my task management tool be simple, easy-to-use, provide flexibility for increased or increasing complexity if & when needed—STDL has this in bucket loads.

It allows those who wish to work with the creation of simple lists to fairly complex project management requiring collaboration & greater precision by use of task attributes and the filters. I work somewhere in between.

One feature that I particularly liked about Zoho was its calendar design, while in some ways a little cumbersome, its smallness, flexibility, and its functionality I thought pretty good. To compensate for Swift’s absence of calendar, I utilised – incorrectly – the Find Tasks window to enable me to work across to-do lists and especially across tasks. Yet I had no way to minimise the window, enabling me to readily move to other software & return to the desired to-do list and task–I then made do with judicious use of the filters to assist me.

The result of my long-awaited introduction of the Swift To-Do List calendar feature is joy—it too is small and unobtrusive . It also employs the core functions of the filters through the Find Tasks window–today, tomorrow, as well as essential column actions such as start date, due date, completion, creation, changes dates. Very importantly it can also be minimised, allowing ready movement to other software & return to the desired to-do list and task. This now makes task retrieval and my life much easier. I “reside” daily at the open calendar window, but should this now be not enough, I have found Find Tasks search to be a very good supplement.

Another of Swift’s “small footprint” features that I like is the task-independent memo. While the calendar enables me to see across to-do lists and tasks, giving me the broad picture, the task-independent memo, only a single click away, enables me to “pull together” those tasks which are spread among numerous to-do lists but collectively are components of a project or theme.

The screenshot shows a memo:

There is a lot of software within the task management ‘space’ or market, and I am sure even more since I selected STDL. There are many variables to consider carefully, as I did. I would very highly recommend that you give Swift To Do List a test run — I am sure that like me, you’ll find much that will satisfy.

~ Elius Levin

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin
• Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager
• Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chris
• Swift To-Do List 10 with scheduling calendar released!

Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog

About Sherri: Sherri has been in IT since the 1980′s. She has a strong IT background (Management Information Systems, A+, MCSE, and Computer Forensics). Due to the economic downturn, Sherri lost her corporate job. She accidentally stumbled upon the labeling business through her love for greyhounds by providing return address labels to help promote rescuing retired racing greyhounds. One thing lead to another, and Sherri has created and been running her own successful eCommerce Full Service Graphic Design and Short Run Printing Company, Designer Label Gal, Inc., since 1995.

I have been looking for a solution to help organize my company for the last 3 years. I have been researching, trying, experimenting for a way to organize my life. Spent countless dollars and time trying many “so-called” solutions/programs to help centralize, organize my daily tasks. I stumbled upon Swift To-Do List and within a few days have effectively turned my company around.

I’ve been juggling so much STUFF in my head. No wonder I felt I was going insane.

• I run a small graphic design business
• sell in multiple locations
• plus my personal life!

On average, I receive 100 – 200 daily emails. I was struggling and overwhelmed with organizing/juggling all the inquiries/orders/request for quotes from direct orders, Facebook, Etsy, etc.

When I began using Swift To-Do List, I quickly turned the easy customizable features and turned the program into a way to manage Projects (Project Management), Customer Relationship Management, a Sales tool and much more.

I am impressed and inspired by the commitment Dextronet.com exemplifies. They are 110% committed to customer service. If you have an inquiry – they immediately respond back. If they don’t have the functionality you would like, they seriously look into it and 9 times out of time, place it into their timeline. In the short time I have been using their program; they have had several updates which each time adds a new feature which is easy to learn and makes the product even better. I cannot wait for what the future holds with this company and product.

To give you another example of how easy this program is to use. I have a part time assistant, Hannah. I spent 10 minutes with her explaining what I did and how to use Swift To-Do List. Hannah figured the program out and we both couldn’t believe how powerful and wonderful it was. We have come up with new ideas and ways we could use the program and we can both work simultaneously, I work using their cloud Version, while she works on the desktop version. We are definitely more efficient and can accomplish tasks quicker, faster and more efficiently. Additionally, the on-time timer is an added benefit so we can now see how long projects take so we can more efficiently provide our client with more accurate timelines and price out our products and services with accurate numbers instead of guessing.

I have wasted so much money trying other products. I wish I knew about Swift To-Do List earlier. Swift To-Do List is so perfect. Simple, provides enough customization/flexibility features to make it your own without it taking hours/days/weeks before you figure it out and implement it.

All in all – Designer Label Gal, Inc. is a more profitable and efficient company because of Swift-To-Do List!!!

Thank you, Jiri Novotny and Dextronet.com.

~ Sherri

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager
• Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chris
• “How I use Swift To-Do List Ultimate” by Bill Polm

Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog

What Have You Got to Do Today?

- By Chuck Gallozzi

We can hold only 7 or 8 ideas in our mind at a time. Yet, throughout the day countless new ideas occur to us. Each time this happens, we have to discard old ideas to make room for new ones. No wonder we often forget or lose track of some of our best thoughts.

To prevent this from happening, we have to stop trying to commit everything to memory and start writing down our ideas while they are still fresh in our mind. But there is a second problem. As our list of ideas or things to do grows, a brilliant idea or important task can get lost in the clutter.

So, besides recording our ideas, we need to organize them for easy and rapid retrieval. It’s hardly surprising, then, that software developers responded to this need by offering task managers to help us remain in control and not be swept away by the tsunami of things to do.

Seven years ago, software evaluators praised a new entry into the field of task managers, Swift To-Do List. Ever since its introduction, it has led the way for others to follow. And each year, while maintaining its ease of use, it has grown more powerful, helping its users to more easily organize and manage their hectic lives.

The purpose of this article isn’t to delve into Swift To-Do List software at great length. Rather, it is to introduce you to it and whet your appetite to learn more about it. The premise of Swift To-Do List is simple enough. Rather than making a long, unmanageable list, gather related tasks and place them in separate folders.

Take a look at the partial screen shot which appears at the top of page one as an example. Although I have 78 tasks to perform, they are neatly arranged in folders. The folders appear in the narrow window at the left of the screen, and it operates in the same way as Windows Explorer. Returning to the example, the folder labeled TODAY has been selected. The number “8” appearing next to the folder means that it contains 8 tasks, or things to do.

By clicking on the TODAY folder, its contents appear in the large, upper window to the right of the list of folders, which are also called the To-Do List Tree. So, rather than seeing a long, hard to manage list, I just see what needs to be done today, making it easy to focus on what’s important.

Among the 8 tasks I have to do today is one labeled CALL GRANDKIDS. When I click on it, it becomes highlighted and notes about this task appear in the window below the task list. (The notes remind me of some of the subjects I may want to cover when I call them.)

When it comes to creating folders in your To-Do List Tree, you can use any system you are comfortable with. My example is a form of the GTD system, but you may want to use folders labeled NOW, TODAY, THIS WEEK, THIS MONTH, THIS YEAR, SOMEDAY. Or you could just use these four folders: Urgent and Important, Urgent but Unimportant, Not Urgent but Important, Not Urgent and Not Important. You get the idea. With Swift To-Do List, creating your own system is a cinch because of its great flexibility.

When it comes to Swift To-Do List, I haven’t even begun to scratch its surface, for its list of features is staggering. Staggering, yes, but not overwhelming. For after downloading the software, all you need to do is read the Quick Start Guide, and you’ll be up and running in 10 or 15 minutes. After that, you can use the built-in Help Manual to learn one new feature a day. As you do so, you will grow amazed at the power Swift To-Do List puts at your disposal.

For a detailed overview of the software, a list of its many features, screen shots, and a comparison of its different editions, see the Swift To-Do List page. Does the screenshot in my article appear quite a bit different from those at the Swift To-Do List website? That simply attests to the flexibility and many options offered by the program. You will be free to use the default settings or to adjust its settings to your liking. (Remember, I said its list of features is staggering.)

Do you work with a high resolution monitor and hate the tiny fonts that often appear in software packages? With Swift To-Do List that’s not a problem because you will have full control of the font selection and size.

What I love about the software is its clean, uncluttered look. And unlike many other task managers, there is plenty of space to write a long description of the task. And if you were to run out of space, you could add reams more of information in the notes.

Also very attractive is its lightweight design. That is, it doesn’t consume a lot of resources. After working with the program, hit the Escape key and Swift To-Do List, living up to its name, swiftly zips out of the way, hiding in the taskbar. When you need it again, simply hit the keyboard hot key, and it immediately pops into view, awaiting your command.

Finally, you will find Swift To-Do List to be robust and reliable, a friend you can depend on.

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chris
• Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager
• “How I use Swift To-Do List Ultimate” by Bill Polm
• Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson

Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog

Introduction

I remember making my first list when I was about eight years old. The list was in my head, and I constructed it with large roman numerals. The road into adulthood and career led to a constant search for the best technique. Making the jump from typewriter to computer was helpful, but stray items written on odd-shaped scraps of paper continued to multiply like rabbits. Over a number of years I tried over a dozen software packages from Outlook to DynoDex, from DayRunner to Day Timer. They all seemed to do one thing very well, but none of them could do everything.

The following is a quick review of how I was won over by Swift To Do [and how I use it].
-Darryl Benjamin

Searching for the Perfect Task Organizer

PART 1 OF 2: THE BIG PICTURE

There is, of course, no single way to set up an effective task-organization system. Much of your setup is based on personal preference. The following recommendations are driven by a need to get the stuff out of my head into a coherent, flexible form, quickly accessible, and task-oriented. Good software makes our lives are easier to manage.

I discovered Dextronet’s Swift To Do while researching yet-more task-oriented organizational software. There were two words that drew my interest: tree structure.

Tree structure is the convenience of clicking on the arrow to unfold sub-choices. Tasks and Projects alike can be endlessly nested, creating layers of importance and establishing relationships.

Root Level 1

The bottom-most level, or the foundation level, is called the “root level.” Names were chosen by the broadest grouping possible:

You can think of this as the ‘root’ level, since we’re using the tree metaphor. Note that the icon I chose was the number 1, which is large and blue. I liked that it stood out. Swift To Do supplies numbers 0-9. I find the numbers more useful than the picture icons. Nine levels should be enough for most lists.

Next, I created every possible distinctive list I could think of for Level 2:

I found it easy to move tasks around, re-name existing ones, adding and deleting. Delightfully simple and lightning fast and stable.

Note that with each successive level the task-levels grew more specific:

And so on:

To collapse all levels back to the root level:

Hit the “Collapse all tree items” button.

To expand all levels (i.e., to reveal all levels at once):

Hit the “Expand all tree items” button.

This simple system of collapsible and expandable branches allows you to see what you want to see when you need to see it. This helps reduce the overwhelm (read: procrastination) factor. By seeing the big picture it gave me a better idea which task needed my attention next. It’s a more organic approach because it allows you to see a fuller, more holistic picture. In effect, you’ve moved beyond putting out fires.

What about the scraps of paper?

Since I have a number of interests, including travel, reading and movies, I am always getting tips from friends, colleagues and students. A Book of Lists helps me keep track of stuff from the sublime of “Places to Visit” to the everyday of grocery lists:

PART 2 OF 2: A CLOSER LOOK

I wanted to see if the program was friendly to imports from the Web. I visited the NY Time’s list of best books of 2011, figuring, of course, I’ll have time to pick and choose and then maybe even read one or two (it will happen!). At the Times website I clicked on the “print” button of the article, which created a wall-to-wall text image. Then copied all the text and pasted it directly into the “Notes” area in Swift To Do. Then I added color to the word FICTION and highlighted important information:

The Notes feature is indispensible – it quickly enabled me to store relevant information. The proximity to the tree structure and quickness of the refresh made me feel in control, the way a conductor is in control of an orchestra. The conductor can call on any particular instrument or group of instruments to mix and match at will.

I’ve been using Swift To Do for two years now. In that time it’s ushered me painlessly through complex tasks, kept track of vital information, and allowed me to expand my interests. My To Do Lists are exactly where I want them and available instantly when I want them.

This tool is a keeper. It’s the closest I’ve come to a spiritual experience while on the computer.

-Darryl Benjamin

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi
• Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager
• Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson
• Swift To-Do List Review by Chris
• “How I use Swift To-Do List Ultimate” by Bill Polm

Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog

Update on 2/5/2012: Another of our customers, Darryl Benjamin, has sent us his detailed review of Swift To-Do List.

I’ve been using Swift To-Do List now for about a month. Here are my reactions:

First, and most important, there is no replacement for using a desktop app. I have used so many web-based solutions that I think I can say this with some expertise. Web-based apps have one major advantage and that is the ability to access from anywhere there is internet access. That is an advantage. There is no question about that, but the advantages end there. A desktop app is so much snappier to use than a web-based app. Swift To-Do List sits right in my system tray. When I need it, I hit Ctrl-S and it snaps open instantly. When I used a web-based app for task management, I had to keep a browser always open. Even then, the web-based app was never as snappy as a desktop client. There simply is no alternative to using a desktop app if speed and efficiency are important.

Second, it is becoming increasingly clear to me that I am much more efficient when I use my keyboard than when I use my mouse. The beauty of Swift To-Do List is that I can control it almost entirely with my keyboard. It may sound trifling but lifting my hands from the keyboard to the mouse and back again is a time waster. With Swift To-Do List, I can hit Ctrl-A, the software opens instantly with the “add task” window open. I add my task(s), hit the escape key (which minimizes Swift To-Do List to the system tray), and I am back to work. The longer I use this, the more efficient and quick I become.

Third, I’ve noticed that many web-based solutions have tons of different ways of adding a task. This used to impress me. I would set up the chrome extension, the Firefox extension, adding tasks by IM, by mobile phone, etc. etc. Then one day it occurred to me….I have never used those input methods. So…..if I haven’t used them, what good are they? It’s so much easier to snap open Swift To-Do List with a keystroke, enter my task, and hit escape. Done. Like lightning.

Fourth, most task managers today come with some kind of reminder tool. The problem is that web-based reminders only work when you have a browser window open to your task program. Even Google calendar only sends you reminders if it is open. I have missed important reminders because I didn’t have the browser window open. Swift To-Do List, on the contrary, starts when my computer starts up. So it is always there in my system tray. It’s out of the way but never idle. Every reminder comes through exactly the way I set it up.

Fifth, there is simply no web app that has the number of features that Swift To-Do List does. Furthermore, even if there was a web app that had all these features, it certainly doesn’t give you the ability to customize like Swift To-Do List does. Frankly, I don’t need many of these features. Fine. I just disable them, and I never see them. If you need them, fine. Activate them. They are there if you need them. Hidden if you don’t. This makes for a lean, mean to-do list that does exactly what you need it to and no more.

Finally, the most obvious thing, that I never understood until I started using Swift To-Do List, is the necessity in any effective task manager of having the ability to type memos or notes. With other apps, I got frustrated the longer I used it because my list of todo items got longer and longer. Out of a list of ten items, only one or two would be things that I actually had to do. The problem was that I was calling everything a to-do when it was really just a memo to myself. With Swift To-Do List, I am asked with every task…..is this a memo or a task? A task is an action item that has a set due date. A memo is just a piece of information that you want to keep track of or a task that you intend to do “someday”. I feel like an idiot….but I never understood this until I started using Swift To-Do List. Now when I open my to-do list in the morning, I see the things I actually need to DO and not all the things I am trying to REMEMBER. There is a big difference.

At any rate, I look forward to using Swift To-Do List in the future and seeing what new features the developers have in store for us.

- Chris Engelsma, Director

Related Posts:

• Swift To-Do List Review by Chuck Gallozzi
• Swift To-Do List Review by Darryl Benjamin
• Swift To-Do List case study by Bob McClellan, IT manager
• Swift To-Do List Review by Elius Levin
• “How I use Swift To-Do List Ultimate” by Bill Polm
• Swift To-Do List Review and case study by Sherri Willson

Swift To-Do List Review by Chris is a post from: Swift To-Do List Blog