I spent years trying to find the right to-do list app for my needs, one that is multiplatform, syncs for free, can handle a variety of inputs from notes to links, and doesn't feel like it was adding features for the sake of it every few months. I've tried self-hosted to-do managers, commercial ones, and tried using other productivity tools that had to-do functions inside, but none of them stuck.

The problem with all of them, at least for me, was that they all offered too many things, when all I needed was a quick list of tasks. I don't need kanban boards or pomodoro timers, or any of the other productivity hacks that never worked for me. I just needed a list of things to remind me to do specific tasks, and I found one in the most unlikely place — my mobile browser's tabs.

After all, I always have my iPhone on me, it syncs to my Mac Studio, and if I'm using Windows, I can't accidentally close the tabs because I can't use Safari there. But that's not really a good system, and I've been trying to figure out a better one. Then I realized that one of the built-in Apple apps that syncs to iCloud is the perfect fit, and I've got a backed-up system that I can assign due dates to.

Using browser tabs was fine until my system broke down

Okay it wasn't much of a system but it was mine

Look, I know that using my browser tabs as a to-do list is only a half-step away from covering my monitor in sticky notes (and I use those too...). But often I see something while I'm browsing on my iPhone and want to keep it for later viewing or research, and if I don't keep the tab open, it might as well not exist.

I've tried every bookmark-saving app or tool you can name, and all of them do is hide the to-dos behind another wall. It's no different from writing in a notebook, then putting that book in a drawer — if I can't see it, it's not getting handled. What I need is a way to have visibility while also being reminded of due dates, and my existing system wasn't working.

I needed a way to sync things up

Safari doesn't work on Windows, and that's where I spend 90% of my time. I needed another system, one that worked on my iPhone but also on Windows, and was easy to sync between the two. I also needed due dates; otherwise, there was no sense of urgency, and that to-do list became a never-do list.

I tried Obsidian, which is nice, but way more than I needed, and I didn't want to pay $4 a month to sync my to-do list. I used Microsoft Whiteboard for a while, but that was difficult to manage on the iPhone, and after a few accidental deletions, it had to go. Todoist gave me information overload, and Microsoft To-Do didn't feel right either.

I felt I was shifting from one system to another

What I really needed was a change in perspective

During testing multiple organizational, productivity, and to-do apps, one thing stood out to me. All the time I was taking to learn the new tool was time I wasn't doing the things I wanted to do. And that seemed inherently silly to me, when all I needed was a quick list to go through and tick off once I'd dealt with the tasks.

So I started thinking about the tools I already use that I could repurpose. I already struggle with focus, so anything complicated in the UI was discarded instantly. I'd spend more time managing my links than actually doing anything substantial, but I'd think I was being productive and that's the fallacy I find with most productivity frameworks that other people have put together. They just aren't for me and how my brain works.

And then it hit me. I already use Apple's Reminder app for almost everything outside of work. Why wasn't I using it for the tasks I was using browser tabs for? Even better, it shows up on the Share menu on Safari, reducing the number of steps to get an actionable to-do item. And I already have it as a widget on my home screen, so those action items will actually get handled.

My new to-do system isn't perfect, but it works for my needs

I'll be the first person to say that what works for me, might not work for anyone else. And that's okay. Personal productivity is a process, not an overnight success story, and everyone should be wary of hyperbole-infused stories that suggest otherwise. I use the Reminder app because it's there, and I value its simple process. I've stopped using dozens of to-do apps when they started to feature creep toward project management boards, and I'll not hesitate to do the same if this app goes the same way.

Your productivity workflow should fit your needs instead of you trying to fit inside it

I'm a big believer in keeping systems simple and working within existing options wherever possible. After all, unless the new paradigm is immediately usable, there's always a pushback in my mind, and I just won't use it. Using Apple's Reminder app for my to-do list makes sense to my brain, but feel free to find whatever simple app that works for yours.