The easier it is to start a task, the more likely you are to do it. That’s why a good to-do list doesn’t just keep track of your tasks; it keeps all the information you need to complete your tasks right at your fingertips, too.
Todoist’s new task descriptions let you add all the context you need right underneath the task name (instead of appended to ridiculously long task names or buried in task comments 🙃).
Here are some of the ways Todoisters are using descriptions:
References and links
Have a Twist thread, Google Doc, Figma file, Github issue, or anything else you need to reference but don’t want to clutter up your task name? Save relevant links in the task description for easy, tidy access.
Contact information
Getting in touch with a business contact or friend is way easier when you can just click and call. Add their contact information to your task description and you won’t have to track it down later.
Meeting agendas and notes
Come to calls and meetings fully prepared by noting everything you need to discuss inside the task description — perfect for that list of questions you have, points you want to make, or topics you need to cover.
Deadlines
The day you need to work on a task often isn’t the day it’s actually due — but that doesn’t mean you want to forget that final, most important date. Note your ultimate deadline in the description so you can keep your eye on the finish line.
Notes and instructions
Add instructions and important reminders inside task descriptions so you won’t miss a thing (and won’t waste time searching across multiple apps and documents for the details). These notes can be particularly helpful for recurring tasks or project templates that you or your team perfect over time.
Collaboration
Assigning a task to a coworker or working on a big team project? Save yourself a bunch of back-and-forths and where is that file again? follow-ups by adding all the relevant info in the task description.
Whether you’re adding a task for yourself or assigning something to a teammate, task descriptions make it easy to keep all the information you need close at hand. That means you can spend less time tracking things down and more time getting things done.
Ready to try Todoist’s latest feature out for yourself? Get detailed instructions on how to add task descriptions to new or existing tasks on the Todoist help center.
The evolution of a highly-requested feature
We want to give a big thank you to everyone who used task descriptions as an experimental feature and gave us feedback to improve them for the release.
It all started with a request from Todoisters: “We found out that people were using comments as a workaround for descriptions,” says Alex Muench, the lead product designer for task descriptions.
But what started as a simple replacement for quick comments became something much bigger. Feedback from more users like you helped task descriptions evolve into a more intuitive and useful feature:
Initially, task descriptions were hidden behind a button and keyboard shortcut. Now, they’re right below the task name, visible by default so you can’t miss them but easily ignored if you don’t need them.
Once Todoisters found the description field, they valued the additional information so much that they wanted to have it visible all the time. Instead of tucking your notes behind an icon, the finished feature makes them available to skim right from your task list. (“Otherwise they’re just like a comment,” as one tester put it.)
“I want to thank everyone who took part in testing task descriptions and submitted feedback, the good and the bad,” says Alex. “In the end, it made me more confident as a designer and also gave me a satisfied feeling knowing that the voices of Todoisters are heard and incorporated into our decision-making.”
Want to help improve Todoist in the future? Turn on experimental features in your settings.
