For me, and I’m going to guess at least some other students out there, it often ends up easier using a simple pen and paper / planner than software, because many teachers/profs don’t like you to whip out your laptop when they’re talking, it’s hard to input assignments when one is in class, etc.

I have also been using Omnioutliner to manage assignments. I like that I can put a running list (though broken into pieces because of the 4000 character max) of my assignments onto my iPod. I see this app has that feature, but it has other bells and whistles I don’t need. If you have no system in place this may work, but it seems like for those who already do this won’t fit.

I have been using Assignment Planner; have to check this out.

I downloaded this, but found it unstable- often having glitches and difficult to save information. It is a great idea, but needs to be simplified for the casual user.

I’m not using anything right now, and I think that’s a problem.

I still use Kinkless GTD and OmniOutliner to manage everything. How does this new app fit into this?

I left this same comment over at TUAW, but I think it’s germane here as well.

Although the official site lacks a screenshot, I’ve found Schoolhouse to be another excellent app for homework/assignment management. It is also freeware.

Official Site: http://www.loganscollins.com/?page_id=13

Link to Screenshot: http://macupdate.com/images/screens/uploaded/21783_scr.png

I’ll probably give Task List a look as well; thanks for the recommendation!

According to TUAW, this is open source, right?

[…] 43 Folders is a “getting things done” type site. Merlin Mann writes about ways to be more efficient in your work habits, etc. (I need all the help I can get!) He noted a piece of software that I thought our Mac using students might be interested in. Task List: Handy student app for tracking assignments […]

[…] Returning back to the original subject of this post, however, I was also pleased to see Task List on the front page over at del.icio.us. But that wasn’t all - this morning, Task List made the front page of both TUAW and 43 Folders. It seems like things are finally calming down, which is good simply because it means I won’t have to respond to so many emails. […]

I’ve been using a combination of both a good old paper agenda (hey, it works for me!) to get assignments down, and del.icio.us + Backpack to do research. I post interesting links/sources of information to del.icio.us with a tag relevant to my project (say: christmasessay-dec2306), and I basically outline my entire project using Backpack.

Once that’s done, all I need to do is sit down and write my draft, read it over + correct, print it and hand it in. Note that this doesn’t work for anything that isn’t an essay or research project, but we don’t have other kinds of assignments so it isn’t much of an issue for me.

I’ve been using a basic Hipster PDA for the past three semesters and it only gets more useful as time goes on. I used to use on card per class to keep track of what I had to do, but I found that I needed a little more scheduling than that. Now I have a card per class to keep track of assignments with more detail (a list of all the problems in an assigned problem set, for example) and then a card for each day of the week with a list of what I plan to get done each day. Once a week —- Monday, last semester, but probably Tuesday or Sunday this coming semester —- I look at each class’s syllabus and plot out the coming week.

I used to use various programs —- iCal, Entourage, and Google Calendar have all been tried —- but I found that it was much more useful to just keep it all on paper in my pocket.

Thanks for the tip, both to you, Merlin, and to Bill — I’ve tried both Task List, and Schoolhouse, now and here are my preliminary thoughs:

TL: Love the idea, and the program as a whole. It looks great, and it has some truly great features, that I’d like to have (like notes, the way to implement the steps needed to complete a task, and the slider-based way of setting priorities. The widget is handy and goals are nice.)

However, I think I’ll go for Schoolhouse. It doesn’t look as slick, and it lacks the ability to do notes, and multi-step tasks — but at least it works.

TL is just to unfinished. I would love for either Schoolhouse 2 to implement more of the features of TL, or for TL to get more stable…

Just my two cents…

Thanks Merlin! This has a lot of applications that I can use.

[…] Task List: Handy student app for tracking assignments | 43 Folders (tags: gtd lifehacks reading mac apple software) […]

I just started using gubb.net. I heard about the beta from my friend’s cousin. Super easy to use and has really kept me organized. I think it is open to the public now.

[…] The application Task List has been getting a lot of press today, and I have to say it looks pretty sweet.  Basically, if you’re a student using a Mac and would like an application to manage all your homework (and possibly your notes and goals), Task List is worth checking out.  For all its features and really slick interface, it’s hard to believe it’s free. […]

To me it seems like all of these apps (Task List, Assignment Planner, and Schoolhouse) are really just glorified to-do list programs. That can be nice, but I need an app that gives me some context to my priorities and due dates.

I’ve set up a basic spreadsheet in Excel that has days of the week as the top row and my classes as the leftmost column. That gives me a weekly table where I can write down each of my assignments on the day they’re due. It’s much more powerful than a to-do list.

Additionally, almost all of my tasks are recurring. I need to make sure that (for instance) I read 20 pages of a textbook this week. But I also need to read 20 pages next week… and the next. Hence, I keep a “Template” spreadsheet within my Excel file that contains on it only all the recurring tasks I have to do. When each new week arrives, I copy the “Template” spreadsheet and it becomes my working assignment list for that week. I can add one-time-only tasks to it as they come along, but the recurring tasks are already written down from last time.

My GTD implementation has gone through more iterations in the last couple years than I care to remember, but I have always kept schoolwork wholly seperate from it and increasingly have been moving my management of assignments et al. to paper, paper, paper!

A squared medium-sized Moleskine, actually. I need to pick up a 2007 weekly planner to replace it, come to think of it.

I agree with Jack B. (with some experience with Schoolhouse and Task List) are just buffed up to do lists with all the necessary conditioning of something like kGTD but none of the power. I need to write down assignments in class and have them readily accessible alongside my notes - paper and a Pilot V5 let me double check which pages I had to read whether in the library or at my cafe.

Hi, I agree with the comments, Task List looks very promising but it is still buggy and my be a bit overwhelming. I use Gradefix (www.gradefix.com) which is a web based tool that Just Works!. It has a nice clean interface and it takes care of the scheduling for you. It is supposed to have iCal and RSS feeds coming very soon, so I think that for all of us students out there is definitely a must to get organized.

[…] There is also task list software like this one recently reviewed at 43folders: Task List: Handy student app for tracking assignments. Although this review focuses on helping students, I guess the software can be used to track other assignments as well. It also integrates with iCal, Widgets and Email, but I am not too happy that the only way of online uploading and downloading is currently using .Mac. Task List also lets you add goals and take notes. I previously wrote a suggestion for studying effectively with note taking, also check the link in the comment. 43folders, if you have not heard of 43folders before, it is a good blog about personal productivity. For a forum-like place for resolutions and goals check out: 43things.com. (There are even people wanting to learn Norwegian, yeah!) […]

I’ve used Assignment Planner, School House, and I looked at Task List today. I keep coming back to a basic dated planner though, since I can take it to class with me and write things down as the professor gives the information.

As a college student, I have a different schedule each day of the week, which I want to track within whatever system I use for assignments, which is why I don’t see myself using Task List. As I played with it today, I couldn’t figure out how to set individual schedules for each day.

I guess I want a program that schedules and keeps track of todos… but I haven’t found just the right one yet.

Most colleges and universities publish an official datebook through the student bookstore. The current one for the University of Texas is less than an inch thick and sizes up around 5”x9”. I keep this in my satchel at all times, since it denotes all official holidays and transit-altering game days. Combined with a moleskine for all non-academic concerns and some classroom/research task lists, I’m usually set. If something is vitally important, I tell google calendar to email me a reminder.

One of the really nice things about Tracks is the color-coding that’s done for due dates, as well as ‘stale’ tasks gradually turning yellow. This can be a really handy way for students to keep track of upcoming assignments, especially those that can be input at the beginning of the semester. The assignments start out green, gradually turn orange, and then red.

For those that venture out without a laptop, it’s also handy to use a free hosting service — that way you can use school computers to check your action list and print out whatever’s necessary. You can even subscribe to text, RSS and ical feeds.

http://www.rousette.org.uk/projects (developer’s site)

www.tracks.tra.in (free hosting site)

• BB

Without having tried any of the mentioned software, I have to wonder— is there a reason to keep a list of school projects and tasks separate from the other projects and tasks in one’s life? Because that’s essentially what this would do for you. So you would have two “super-projects”: school on the one hand and everything else on the other.

Of course, this is how most full-time workers have their time divided: work stuff and personal stuff. So if you can keep a clear division between school activities and non-school activities, it might be handy. You’d have to say, “I’m doing nothing but school stuff now,” (just like you do when you go to work) and pull up the program.

However, there are other competing priorities in life that you might need to keep in the same realm of awareness as your school stuff. Two systems could make this hard.