Staying organized is something that every person should strive for. For some this may come easy, the rest of us need constant reminders and the Apple App Store hosts a multitude of apps for the iPhone and iPod Touch that do just that.
Things by Cultured Code
This wonderful app ($9.99) is by far the best for staying organized. Coupled with Things for Mac ($49.95), which expands the utility of the app and syncs life in ways never seen before, Things keeps everything in order. The interface is simple and clean. It lets people focus on a single task, project, or area of responsibility without ever having to switch view modes or navigating through a complex filter criteria that other applications have.
Everything that needs to be seen today is listed in Today marked by a golden star. Things can even be programmed to throw to-do items in the today box ahead of time, (days or weeks before) so that a task does not creep up on an un-expecting individual.
Adding a To-Do Item with Things
It is incredibly simple to add a new to-do item with Things. Select the plus sign and type in whatever needs to be done. Any task can be categorized either by project or area of responsibility and tagged.
Creating Projects with Things
If there are various to-do items that need to be done in order to complete one task, then a project can be created to keep all of those items in order. Once every task is checked off, the entire project can be checked off and it is archived for reference. This is very convenient for businesses proposals, class presentations, or keeping the kids' activities in order.
Projects can be set as inactive and fall on a back burner within the system so that they do not hound a person. Tasks such as getting out holiday ornaments or decorations can be dated to pop up when needed, and more pressing projects such as writing a business plan or a moving checklist can be today until they are checked off.
Creating Areas of Responsibility
If there are multiple to-do items that do not fall neatly into a project, they can be placed within an area of responsibility. This can be household items, PTA tasks, health appointments, etc. If there is something that cannot be categorized, it can be tossed into the "someday" pile, perfect for things like moving to Australia, skiing the Alps, and cage diving with sharks.
Things received the Apple Design Award for 2009, received 4.5 stars out of 5 from MacWorld, and was awarded the MacWorld Best of Show Award for 2009.
