Ok All,
I started using the DUE app after listening to David talk about it on a MPU episode from way back. His rationale (as I remember it) was that it was easier and more intuitive than Reminders and it was a good place to stick those repetitive tasks that don’t quite fit into OmniFocus but need to be tracked.
Particularly repetitive tasks.
Since downloading it a few years ago, it’s been a very useful app. I use it to:
Remind myself to take out garbage and to take the can to the curb weekly;
Take my vitamins daily;
Set the home alarm nightly;
Exercise;
Feed horses in the morning (or verify that the kids have done that);
Refill vitamin holder/case every week; and
Run the generator every month.
I also add several one-off items that my wife or kids ask me to do so I can remember to complete the task later. In one of the last several episodes of MPU, I believe I heard David discuss using Reminders, so I decided to give it a try. I just can’t. Nothing about Reminders seems to be as easy or intuitive to use. I really want to be able to use it, added a few reminders, but the app seems to be missing things that I use (snooze/defer, for example) and individual items seem rather difficult to do on the fly.
Which brings me to this post. If I’m wrong on Reminders, help me see the error of my ways.
And. Similar to some of the previous posts about Due, how are you using the app? Any new and novel uses for it? I’m happy with how it works generally, but always looking for ways to extend how I use good tools.
I am not a fan of having a lot of reminders, since having a machine remind me of things repeatedly during the day gets old, and so I ignore it. But, sometimes a bit of persistence is useful, and so I like Due because it sits in the menubar, is quick and easy to use, and its persistence is configurable.
Reminders is fine, but, for what it does for me, Due is a better design.
I use Due to remind me to take my AM/PM meds and leave in time for those “can’t be late” events. It great at what it does, but occasionally puts my iPhone in danger of being bounced off a wall.
For everything else the default Reminders app is sufficient.
I use Due for anything that absolutely must occur (daily medications, important meetings, etc.) literally anything that I must complete within a specific time frame on a specific day goes here.
Reminders has become more like a general inbox catch-all for me, mostly for use with Siri on my Apple Watch.
I use Due in much the same way as you describe. Trash out, recycling out, etc. things you want to be nagged about if you forget. Reminders for other to-do type things. I like the Siri Reminder integration, esp on the Watch and HomePod.
Why don’t you use Reminders for both types of reminders?
I am embarrassed to say that I have switched back and forth between Reminders and Things several times in recent months. I like Things because you can manually prioritize reminders in the Today view and because you can repeat a reminder from the completion date. I like Reminders because of its integration with Finder, Mail, Notes, Calendar, etc. You can easily create a Reminder that has an attached link back to the file, email, event, note, etc.
I don’t use Reminder (I’ve tried, just don’t like it much) because Due is much easier to navigate. I can edit each item and all important info (when, snooze, how long to snooze, etc) without having to manipulate between screens,etc.
I was hoping the night if iPad involved, but that doesn’t seem to be the case.
