When we started the Mobile Learning Initiative (MoLI) at DePaul a few years ago, my MoLI teammates and I agreed pretty quickly that our mission was not in finding “magic bullet” apps for faculty so much as it was encouraging learning activities that make use of the unique functions of mobile devices.

Our mission, however, didn’t stop me from seeking my own magic bullet apps. Early last year, at the recommendation of my teammate Joe Olivier, I started using the free version of Wunderlist.  Little did Joe know, I have nurtured a list-making habit from an early age. It started with my mom’s yellow legal pads in the 80’s, and it’s been a fire hazard ever since.

Joe’s app recommendation made a huge difference in my everyday life. I’ll explain how in a moment, but first:

After I confessed to my mom that I had eschewed legal pads and Post-It’s for “this amazing app” (and begged her to follow suit) she sent me the link to The Wall Street Journal piece where she first heard about Wunderlist: The Best To-Do Apps for Feeling Productive. (To my knowledge she hasn’t fully adopted the app, but there’s still hope.) Incidentally, the WSJ also recommends Asana, an app that my FITS and MoLI colleague Lisa Torrescano featured in a recent post. 

So, where do I use Wunderlist? On every internet-connected device I own (my laptop, phone, and tablet). Wunderlist syncs in real time, so if I’m sharing a list with someone, he/she will see me checking off items, live.

How do I use Wunderlist at work?

In practical, self-micromanaging ways. For example, I use Wunderlist for:

• Project management: each project I am working on has it’s own list of dated tasks and subtasks.
• Client management: Each faculty member I work with has his or her own list of items or status updates. I usually type directly in this list during meetings, as opposed to taking notes.
• Resource management: I supervise graduate students and use Wunderlist to track what they are working on to manage their respective loads.
• Course building: Each course I am building or revising has it’s own to-do list, so nothing slips through the cracks.
• Team meeting preparation: These lists may include agenda items, questions I may have, and also a space where I take notes during the meetings.
• Just-in-time tasks: I have perpetual lists called “Tomorrow” and “Today” to keep me on track each day.

I micromanage myself with Wunderlist because I am fortunate that I don’t have a boss who micromanages me. You may prefer to be nudged by a person more than you would an app, in which case the Wunderlist virtual schoolmarm is probably not for you!

How do I use Wunderlist at home?

In geeky, Type A ways. I have over a dozen active lists, several of which I share with my partner. The lists help us stay on the same page when we’re in different locations or when one of us is running an errand, such as grocery shopping. We can easily add items to our grocery list while one of us is already at the store.

Examples:

• A call back/write back list: for the folks in my life who still make phone calls and even compose handwritten letters
• A shopping list: which includes sub-lists for the usual spots such as groceries, hardware store, pharmacy, etc.
• A “movies to watch” list as well as a “books to read” list
• A packing list I refine and reuse each time I travel

 Even if I don’t use any other function on my phone on a given day, I will use Wunderlist to create lists, track progress, or take notes.

The best part of Wunderlist is, of course, checking off the items. If I have my phone volume on, the sound effect for “check” is pretty gratifying. While it’s not  Ella singing “bella, bella…”, believe me, it has a beat, and I do dance to it.