Todoist

Writing deadlines have a way of creeping up on you, especially when you're juggling multiple projects with different editors and clients. Todoist is a task management app that helps writers stay on top of their work by organizing deadlines, setting up recurring writing sessions, and creating reusable checklists for editorial processes. Unlike generic to-do apps, it's designed with the complexity of project-based work in mind, letting you break down big writing assignments into manageable chunks and track your progress over time. It's particularly useful for freelance writers, content creators, and anyone managing multiple writing projects simultaneously.

• Project Organization — group all tasks related to a specific writing project or client in one place
• Recurring Tasks — automatically schedule daily writing sprints or weekly content reviews without manual setup
• Due Date Tracking — see all your deadlines in calendar view so nothing slips through the cracks
• Task Templates — create reusable checklists for your editing process, pitching routine, or publication workflow
• Progress Tracking — visual charts show your productivity patterns and completion rates over time
• Collaboration Features — share project lists with editors or team members and assign specific tasks

• Break down a 5,000-word article into research, outline, draft, and revision tasks
• Set up recurring daily writing blocks to maintain consistent output
• Create editorial checklists that ensure you never miss fact-checking or formatting steps
• Track multiple client deadlines in a single dashboard view
• Coordinate content calendars with team members or editors
• Monitor your writing productivity patterns to optimize your schedule
• Manage the entire lifecycle of pitches from idea to published piece
• Set reminders for follow-ups with editors and clients

• Reduces the mental load of remembering every deadline and task detail
• Helps establish consistent writing habits through automated recurring tasks
• Prevents important steps in your editorial process from being forgotten
• Provides clear visibility into workload to help with client capacity planning
• Creates accountability through progress tracking and completion visualization
• Streamlines collaboration with editors and writing team members

You start by creating projects for each major writing commitment—maybe one for your blog, another for Client A, and a third for your novel manuscript. Within each project, you add specific tasks with due dates, like 'finish research phase' or 'submit first draft.' The beauty lies in the details: you can set tasks to repeat automatically (perfect for daily writing goals), create sub-tasks to break complex work into steps, and use labels to categorize tasks by priority or type of work.

Think of it like having a personal assistant who never forgets anything. As you complete tasks, Todoist tracks your progress and shows you patterns in your productivity. The calendar view becomes your command center, showing exactly what needs attention each day without overwhelming you with everything at once.

• Intuitive interface that doesn't require extensive setup or learning
• Powerful recurring task options perfect for building writing habits
• Excellent cross-platform sync keeps your tasks accessible anywhere
• Flexible project organization adapts to different types of writing work
• Natural language processing lets you type 'every Tuesday at 9am' instead of clicking through menus
• Solid free plan covers basic task management needs

• Limited time tracking features compared to dedicated writing productivity apps
• Advanced project templates and productivity insights require paid plans
• No built-in document storage or writing tools—it's purely task management
• Collaboration features can feel basic compared to full project management platforms
• The productivity tracking focuses on task completion rather than word counts or writing-specific metrics

• Freelance writers managing multiple clients and deadlines
• Content creators who need to maintain consistent publishing schedules
• Authors working on long-form projects that need structured breakdown
• Editorial teams coordinating review and approval processes
• Writers who struggle with procrastination and need accountability systems
• Anyone juggling writing work alongside other professional responsibilities

Todoist offers a generous free plan that covers basic task management, project organization, and up to 5 people per project—enough for most solo writers to get started. The paid plans begin at $5 per month and unlock features like task templates, productivity tracking, calendar integration, and advanced project management tools. For writers, the upgrade is worth considering if you need recurring task automation or want detailed insights into your productivity patterns. The pricing feels reasonable given the depth of features and reliable cross-platform performance.

Users consistently praise Todoist's clean interface and reliable sync across devices, with many noting it strikes a good balance between simplicity and power. Writers appreciate the natural language input and robust recurring task options, though some wish it had more writing-specific features like word count tracking. Common complaints include the limitation of advanced features to paid plans and occasional frustration with the project hierarchy when managing complex editorial workflows. Overall, users tend to stick with Todoist long-term, suggesting it delivers on its core promise of helping people stay organized without adding unnecessary complexity.

Q: Can I use Todoist to track my daily word count goals?

While Todoist doesn't have built-in word count tracking, you can create daily writing tasks and use the comments feature to log your word counts. Many writers set up recurring tasks like 'Write 500 words' and mark them complete each day.

Q: How does Todoist help with managing multiple writing clients?

You can create separate projects for each client, set due dates for deliverables, and use labels to categorize work by priority or type. The calendar view shows all client deadlines in one place, making it easy to spot conflicts or busy periods.

Q: Can my editor see and comment on my task lists?

Yes, you can invite collaborators to specific projects and they can add comments, assign tasks, or create their own tasks within that project. It's helpful for editorial feedback loops and approval processes.

Q: Does the free version have enough features for a freelance writer?

The free plan covers basic task management, project organization, and simple recurring tasks—plenty for getting started. You'll want to upgrade if you need advanced templates, detailed productivity insights, or more sophisticated collaboration features.

Q: How is Todoist different from just using a simple to-do list app?

Todoist excels at handling complex, multi-step projects and recurring workflows that simple apps can't manage well. The project organization, due date tracking, and collaboration features make it much more powerful for professional writing work.

Todoist hits the sweet spot for writers who need more than a basic to-do list but don't want the complexity of full project management software. It's particularly valuable if you're managing multiple clients, working on long-form projects that need structured breakdown, or trying to build more consistent writing habits. The free plan is genuinely useful for getting started, and the paid upgrade feels worthwhile once you're relying on the app daily. However, if you need writing-specific features like word count tracking or document management, you might want to pair Todoist with dedicated writing tools or look for alternatives designed specifically for authors.