TeuxDeux (@TeuxDeux) brings us a refined, simple, and still thoroughly satisfying experience with their web-based to-do list app. The name is a refreshing change from the Web 2.0 names we’re so accustomed to, with omitted vowels or double consonants. It’s a play on both the spelling and pronunciation of the French word for “two”, deux. After five years of French, I can fully appreciate the pun.
If you’ve hung around me for more than 20 minutes, you’ll notice I’m constantly pulling out my iPhone to stay on track with my scatterbrained note and to-do list apps that are never in sync with one another, or shuffling through a small spiral-bound notepad full of random thoughts, grocery lists and who owes me money for concert tickets. The word ‘agenda’ alone calms my nerves. To-do lists are my ritualistic behavior that make me feel I have more control of the chaos that surrounds me. I’ve been a fan of them since college, but it wasn’t until I interned at a PR agency that I discovered that to-do lists are a way of life.
With the minimalist design, journal-like functionality, TeuxDeux seems to have generated some positive buzz on the web right now. It offers the most simplified way to make and publish a to-do list, unlike Google Calendar or Outlook.
Each date has a small field below in which you can type in your tasks and hit enter for it to show up in the list. The drag-and-drop functionality runs smoothly across the calendar and crossing out as well as deleting items is even easier with a single, satisfying click. Just like in real life, incomplete tasks usually are followed through the next day, so TeuxDeux takes that step for you by automatically rolling items over to the next date’s list. This is probably my favorite feature of all because I hate going into work and retracing where I’ve left off because I over-summarized and notes get lost in the clutter. Also, if you miss days at a time, you can still drag tasks into the past and cross them off so you can still have an account of when items were completed.
Lastly, there is a “Someday” section where you can list off ambitions or upcoming tasks with no tie to a particular date, all of which can be either as vague or as realistic as you want. As you can see, mine are pretty broad and only about half could realistically be accomplished in 2010 on my budget!
Looking ahead, I imagine companies can use this as another way to engage in social media by showing what they’re up to. Individuals committed to online personal branding likewise can use it to show how they’re committed professionally but also weave in as much personality as they please by their hobbies, talent, fears and dreams they mention in their list. Even bloggers can use it as an editorial calendar.
Lastly, I’m a fan of capitalizing on ‘chelsea’ anywhere available, so I’m glad to have secured it early on. You can see what I’m up to at http://www.TeuxDeux.com/chelsea.
