May 20, 2016

I am not an organized person.

I try. I really do. I’ve gotten a lot better over the years, but organization has never come easily to me. I was that person in college who had papers coming out of her textbooks because I could never be bothered to use folders. Now I’m that person whose junk drawer is spilling over after living in a house for only 4 months.

I always have a million different to-do lists. They are usually spread out — on my planner, in my journal, on a different loose papers. It’s not very organized, but it works out for me, most of the time. But when it comes to things that Nick and I have to do together, or discuss, or decide, it doesn’t always work out if he doesn’t see the list because it’s in my planner.

About a month ago, Nick and I were talking about how we could be better organized. He’s not very organized either. When two people who are not organized get married, chaos often ensues.

We wanted to have some type of to-do list that we could both access anytime, anywhere. Instead of random emails, lists, and texts to each other, we wanted to have everything in one place.

Nick did some researching and found Wunderlist.

I am hooked.

Here’s how it works.

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1. You download the app on your phone and start making to-do lists. You can also download it on any device you want, like your tablet or laptop, and then sync all of your devices.

2. You can have as many different list as you want. You could set up separate lists for bills, groceries, presents you need to buy, things you need to do around the house, errands, travel planning, wedding planning — anything. For example, we have one list specifically dedicated to things we have to do for our move.

3. You can share your lists with other people. Nick and I share most of our lists with each other.

Here’s an example list that I made so you can see the layout:

wunderlist (1 of 3)

4. You can assign different tasks to different people so it’s clear who needs to do what. We haven’t used this feature yet, but I can see it coming in handy.

5. You can get notifications (depending on how you set it up) whenever someone adds a to-do to a shared list. So, if I think of something that we need to do while we are not together, I can add it to the list. Nick will get a notification wherever he is. Hopefully, he doesn’t ignore it 😉

6. When you finish something, you check the box and it goes away.

You can also look at what you have completed, because the app keeps a record for you. I like looking at those crossed out tasks!

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7. You can also get notifications whenever someone marks an item as complete. They make me happy.

8. You can set alarms and recurring reminders. I set up alarms for appointments, like last week when I had to take the car in for an oil change. I also have a recurring reminder set up each month on the day I need to mail the rent check. You could set up recurring reminders for chores, bills, birthdays, etc.

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9. You can also have lists that only you can see. I have my own lists for things I need to do and for my blog.

10. You can access the list anytime, anywhere, from any device. 

I think it’s a game-changer if you live with other people. I also think it can be a lifesaver during busy times in your life.

Whenever one of us has a few extra minutes, we look at Wanderlust and see what we have to do. If we have a few extra minutes together at night we will look at it together and try to get something done.

Since we always have our phones on us anyway, we look at our to-do list a lot more than if it’s on a random piece of paper.

I love finally having everything in one place.

I’ll probably never give up my paper lists and my planner, but having it all backed up on my phone is awesome. I also love that Nick and I can both access the app.

Here’s a picture from their website that shows all of the features a bit better:

wunderlist (1 of 1)

What apps make your life easier? 

carolann signature (1 of 1).

PS: This post is not sponsored – I just wanted to share with you this awesome and free app that’s been keeping me sane.

12 responses to “The 1 app that’s making my life so much easier.”

  1. I’m definitely all for keeping lists and things on my phone because it really is always handy! Wunderlist sounds like a great app, and I love the fact that you can share it with other people too! It would be easier to let my husband know what chores needed to get done!

    • Carolann says:

      I hate making “honey-do” type lists for Nick because I feel annoying when I do that, but somehow I don’t mind when it’s on Wunderlist! haha. It’s really great for sharing things that need to get done. If you try it, let me know if you like it!

  2. Janet says:

    This sounds like a great idea! I’ve been enjoying Zendone (which has a web, android and iPad version which all synch). I don’t know if it would work for more than one person, however. I’m also loving Trello, which is all about projects, lists, and collaboration.

    • Carolann says:

      Wunderlist is great for working with other people. I think it would work well for jobs as well as for home life. I am going to check out Trello, because I might need something better for keeping my creative projects organized. Thanks for the recommendations, Janet.

  3. Emma says:

    This, this is utterly brilliant!

    • Carolann says:

      Try it, Emma! I think you would love it! I’ve been using it a lot to plan out trips, and it is such a lifesaver. I like to put my packing list an there and random things we have to do to get ready. I am so bad with remembering everything, especially when we travel, so this app is awesome.

  4. Jenn says:

    This is awesome and I am totally downloading It! I am the least organized most forgetful person ever, so this could be a lifesaver!

    • Carolann says:

      Jenn, I am so forgetful too! I would seriously forget to pay bills and do normal grownup things if it wasn’t for reminders. I think that this app is great for everyone, but especially military spouses. It’s great for when Nick and I don’t see each other lot. He can just log in whenever he had a chance and see what’s going on.

  5. I seriously adore this app..it’s amazing!

  6. Emma says:

    haha I am the exact same when it comes to organization and the funny thing is I always swear that I have a system in place. I totally don’t though! I’m going to have to start doing this with my husband. Maybe I will finally feel like I’m not losing my mind.

    • Carolann says:

      Oh yes, I always act like I have a system in place! I finally had to admit to myself that I just don’t. I love using a planner and paper to-do lists, but once I resigned myself to going digital, I realized that the reminders and alarms are just what a disorganized forgetful person like me needs! If you try it, let me know how you like it!

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