Discovering Dynalist: The To-Do App That Stole My Heart
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Chapter 1: My Journey with Dynalist
When it comes to to-do applications, I've experimented with countless options. From investing time and resources into Omnifocus to creating databases in Notion, and even dabbling with Things and Todoist, I’ve seen it all. Although I hold no grudges against any of these platforms, our relationships eventually faded, leaving my phone cluttered with abandoned icons—a sure sign that our digital romance had reached its end.
I’ve never subscribed to the idea of love at first sight; it’s a fanciful notion. True connections take time, research, and thorough testing. Yet, the moment I encountered Dynalist, I felt an instant bond.
I first discovered its potential through a YouTube video on Francesco D'Alessio’s Keep Productive channel, where Herb Caudill showcased his Dynalist configuration. The allure lay in its simplicity and versatility as an outliner, combined with the capability to set reminders and integrate with a calendar. More than a year after my initial visit to dynalist.io, I can't say I'd recommend it to everyone, but my relationship with Dynalist has blossomed into the longest and most satisfying one I've had with a to-do app.
Before diving deeper, let’s address a common misconception: Can Dynalist truly be classified as a to-do app? While it primarily serves as a flexible outliner, its fundamental scheduling features and robust search capabilities make it an effective tool for staying organized and productive.
Section 1.1: Utilizing Dynalist as a Digital Bullet Journal
I think of Dynalist as my digital bullet journal. Whenever I identify tasks or generate ideas, I simply add them as items on my main Dynalist page. Although I have a few other documents in the left sidebar, I spend 99% of my time in my main Logs page. While I sometimes fantasize about using Dynalist for more than just tracking daily tasks, I primarily rely on other platforms like Obsidian and Notion for those purposes.
Despite my love for analog tools, I’ve faced the common frustrations of traditional productivity systems: limited access and lack of searchability. If I left my notebook at home and needed to reference something at the office, I was out of luck. With Dynalist, every bullet point serves as a page, allowing me to expand on tasks or nest related ideas within the outline structure. Some notes are simple, like “Send Jemima a link to the published page,” while others can grow into lengthy documents containing my thoughts after listening to a podcast or reading an article. Once I’ve extracted all the necessary information, I archive the note, making it easy to find later through the efficient search feature, regardless of how much time has passed.
The flexibility of Dynalist is what keeps me engaged. After leaving my day job to focus on writing, I maintained a bullet point for my regular meetings. I would jot down discussion points as they arose and keep the page open during meetings to track action items. Once resolved, I’d move them to an archive section.
Section 1.2: The Power of Archiving
During my time with Dynalist, I often found myself in the Logs section, where I moved completed tasks to a DONE category using a handy keyboard shortcut. In cases of extensive tracking, I would create a specific section for each meeting or project. At the end of each day, I’d consolidate my completed tasks into child blocks under the corresponding date, making it easy to review my accomplishments over time.
Dynalist has made reviewing my progress more manageable, especially when it comes to preparing my annual review.
Chapter 2: Is Dynalist Right for You?
While Dynalist has enhanced my productivity by providing a straightforward way to manage tasks, it's not necessarily suitable for everyone. Although it allows for the association of dates and times with tasks, its reminder capabilities are limited. I primarily use a digital calendar to manage meetings and appointments, adding events to Dynalist for a quick overview and to jot down any necessary notes.
The first video titled "Why Are People Leaving Obsidian for This Note App? | Capacities Review" explores the growing trend of users switching to alternative note-taking applications, including Dynalist.
In the second video, titled "Dynasty (Türkçe Çeviri) - MIIA," viewers are treated to a captivating experience that highlights the versatility of modern productivity tools.
Is Dynalist merely a copycat of Workflowy? While it shares similarities with Workflowy, which came first, I found myself leaning toward Dynalist for reasons I can't quite articulate. Despite its limitations, especially with the apparent lack of recent updates, I have formed a unique connection with Dynalist.
Ultimately, the decision to use Dynalist comes down to personal preference. What I know for certain is that it works beautifully for me.