Did you remember the Milk?

By Tom Kellen

Sometimes when my projects start to get overwhelming, I try to go by that sage advice on how to eat an elephant; “One bite at a time.”  When I get to this point, I narrow my focus on what the tasks are that I have to do “today”.

There are a myriad of technical solutions out there to help you with your task list, but the one I want to highlight today as an example is “Remember The Milk.”  One of the main things I look for in a tech tool, is how it can tie things together for me.

“Remember The Milk” (RTM) is a free on-line service that can be found at http://www.RememberTheMilk.com.  It is super simple to use. You create your account for free on the site, and then log in to begin entering in your tasks.  It’s as easy as clicking a plus button to add a task and type in the title.  Then you can edit things such as due date, repeat, time estimate, tags, location, URL, postponed, shared with, and notes.  So as you can see, the service gives you as much flexibility as you want.  You can use any, all, or none of those setting.  You can set priorities for your tasks and view your list by due dates, or priorities, just about anything you might need to keep things organized.

What strikes me about RTM is that using a browser is not the only way you can connect to your list.  You can get email, SMS, or IM reminders for your tasks.  You can share tasks with others, and you can coordinate your tasks with Google Calendar.  You can manage your tasks on-line or off-line, through Twitter, BlackBerry, Windows Mobile, a Gmail Gadget, an iGoogle add-in and if you have an iPhone, yes, “there’s an app for that”.

It’s this multitude of connections that intrigues me about RTM and why I think it’s worth your time to take a look.  So next time you need a break from your Gantt charts and heavy duty project management software and want a simple way to keep track of your “To-Dos”, give “Remember The Milk” a look.