App-solutely! todoist vs. Evernote: Which App Is Best for Planning Work with ADHD?
Comparing Apps to Help You Organise
Welcome to the 3rd ADHD & Me App-solutely review! Every other week, I will be reviewing and scoring new apps ability to alleviate ADHD symptoms, both for me and for you! Know anyone that will be interested in this content? Please share wider!
Review Criteria 🔍
User Interface: Is the app easy to navigate? Is the aesthetic simple, pleasing and not overwhelming? 🖥️
Effectiveness: How well does the app help in managing my ADHD, anxiety or depression symptoms? 🎯
Features: What features does the app offer? Are they unique or better than the other app? 📱
Value for money: What free or paid options are there? What is the difference and is it good value for the cost? 💰
TL;DR = Too Long, Didn’t Read
The amount of ⭐s I use to score apps is subjective. What works for me may not work for you!
The Why
For new subscribers, I am reviewing this as a 29 year old male ADHD-addled iPhone user, but it will be applicable to Android users too. The benefits for you? You’ll gain valuable insights into which apps could be your ally, and which ones you may want to pass on! Let’s dive in…
Last time out, we looked at Freedom and Flora. Today, let’s hone in on the ADHD challenge of organisation, something I’ve been struggling with myself lately!
The What
Two apps I tested to clarify my cluttered cranium are todoist and Evernote. So, which app should you download? Introducing…
todoist 📱
Is a task manager and to-do list app that helps you become focused, organized, and calm. 🚀
Evernote 📱
Is a powerful tool that can help you capture and organize your notes, tasks, and schedule on all your devices. 🌼🌟
TL;DR Review (quick summary)
User Interface
todoist: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evernote: ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2
Effectiveness
todoist: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evernote: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Features
todoist: ⭐⭐⭐⭐+ 1/2
Evernote: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Value for Money
todoist: ⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2
Evernote: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Overall
todoist: 17/20 ⭐
Evernote: 17.5/20 ⭐
Which app is best for my ADHD symptoms? ⚡
Improving simplicity when planning goals: todoist
Setting reminders and due dates for free: todoist
Prevent boredom: Evernote
Bonus scenarios ⭐
Planning Project Management tasks: todoist
Planning writing: Evernote
Big creative brainstorms: Evernote
Creating and uploading audio: Evernote
Finding words within documents: Evernote
Collaborating on blog posts: Evernote
Deep Dive Review (for the details people)
User Interface
todoist: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evernote: ⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2
todoist
Layout: It’s easy to locate what you need. The ‘Today’ tab has all of your tasks for the day in an easy to read fashion, and when you go into a task you can add labels, locations, sub tasks and descriptions which are useful for detail oriented users
Customization: change the app icon to different colours, and the layout theme to Dark, Moonstone or Tangerine in the Free mode, with pleasing Lavender, Blueberry, Kale and Raspberry in the paid version.
I loved the Dark mode, as this reduced visual sensory sensitivity for my eyes. You can also customise the tabs to reduce or add more at the bottom, such as ‘Upcoming Tasks’ - which is useful to see what you need to do for the rest of the week
Design: Visually attractive, with nice colors you can assign to tasks to appeal to ADHD senses. The spacing between elements on screen is simple and eliminates any chance of feeling overwhelmed, with the option of adding more modules as you please
🌞 🌑 👇
Evernote
Layout: The layout is slightly crowded, but it also contains rich information. I did find myself getting lost scrolling though due to my inability to process complex visuals quickly
Customization: til’ your hearts content! you can add or remove multiple useful widgets, as well as change the background banner at the top (or even use your own image). You can’t change the color on iPhone, but can switch between light and dark mode
Design: easy on the eye with blended transitions between tabs and a Facebook-esque design, with your banner picture at the top and posts beneath
🌞 🌑 👇
Effectiveness
todoist: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Evernote: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
todoist
Staying Organised: Simplicity is beauty. Creating a new project is easy, and you can find them in the ‘Browse’ tab clearly listed with as much or as little detail as you want, with sub tasks, upload files, and more. You can assign it any hashtag to keep organised (think of it like a digital filing system)
It even has an AI feature which auto generates filters for you if you’re stuck. Recurring reminders work like a charm and notifies you outside of the app. You can also ‘quick add’ tasks to reduce the administrative burden. The pro version allows you to add task durations and add 25+ collaborators for projects too, which is helpful for its business mode and larger businesses.
Completing Tasks: You can only lead a horse to water, and an ADHDer to do stuff. The organisational efficiency and reminders, as well as amount of detail you can put on tasks means the app does everything it can to get you productive. Combine this with its features and design, and it helped me organise what I needed for this blog post well enough for a respectable 4 stars.
Here, I create a Substack folder 📁…
Evernote
Staying Organised: It’s slightly crowded UI does hamper the apps ability to help me organise information, as I didn’t know where to start. However if you get the hang of it, you can filter your thoughts in text, sketching (!), images, audio, and web content (and more!)
The different mediums available means creative ADHDers can use a variety of methods to complete tasks, run brainstorms, meetings / calls with others, email chains, and more. This is particularly useful if the written word bores you and you need extra stimulation to keep engaged in your day to day. Like me.
Completing Tasks: As above, the extra mediums to organise work keeps it fresh and engaging, especially since you can complete work within the app in long and short form documents, sketch ideas out with others, and look at web screen shots for inspiration.
It contains all of the basic functionality such as tasks, subtasks, tags and reminders (like todoist), but the different ways of completing work was particularly useful for creatives who want to collaborate in different styles, and I was able to draw an illustration of my upcoming post on OCD. The fact it’s so novel elevates this app from a simple to do list diary to a personal project management assistant.
See me sketch away…great for visual thinkers and doers
Features
todoist: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2
Evernote: 5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
todoist
Basic: You can access most core features in the free version, which are creating projects, tasks, adding collaborators, and adding filters and labels to tasks. These help filter to exactly what you want to work on (see demo below) 👇
Unique Features: You can switch between different layouts, although customisation of this could be better if it allowed building your own layout rather than the 2 pre defined sets. Task durations, productivity goals which prompt you, vacation mode, and its AI tool to help you categorise tasks are unique.
If you suffer from brain fog, the AI can brainstorm tags for you to assign to tasks. If you’re off to drink cocktails on a beach, the vacation mode can prevent mental burnout as it turns off all automated notifications to ensure you get the rest you need. Cheers.
Label demo…
Evernote
Basic: Has all of the above. However customisations, due dates, reminders, and task assignment are pay walled which seems a little too restrictive if you choose to keep with the free version. ADHDers need deadlines and reminders!
Unique Features: Audio. Sketching. Long form posts. Videos. Photos. Web screen shot capabilities. You name it. Evernote has it. All are unique and useful for different user types. You can even create a full on blog or document checklist with checkboxes, dividers, and attachments - not to mention there’s an AI assistant in the free version that can reformat your notes, which I found useful when pushed for time. If you struggle with time management, formatting content, or need a changing routine to keep interest, this app delivers.
(Demo! Below! 👇)
Value for Money
todoist: 4.5/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐ + 1/2
Evernote: 4/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐
todoist
Free: allows you access to most of its core functionality, however unlimited use of its AI tool, task durations and adding collaborators are pay walled. The value for todoist’s free version is better than Evernote, as you can still add due dates and reminder notifs without paying.
Paid: To upgrade, it is £47.99p/a or £4.99 p/m - just under a full beer in London 🍺 if you intend to use this app for work planning, oversight and action, the cost is outweighed by the benefits of unlimited use and simplicity.
If you prefer to change your routine up, work on collaborative projects, or need help with formatting, Evernote’s paid version is better value for money. This is due to the latter’s abundance of features and creative options.
Evernote
Free: It’s disappointing that you cannot add due dates and reminders, or customise the landing page at all in the free version - in this respect, the free mode is inferior compared to todoist.
Paid: personal is 8.99 p/a, professional is £13.49 p/m. 2 and 3 pints respectively. It is on the steeper side, and you kind of need the professional version if you are a business, or work with a lot of other creatives (meaning they’d need to sign up too).
If you need to do a big brainstorm or collaborative work, this option is worth it. For blog writers (like Substackers!), the personal version is the better option as you can customise, connect your calendar, and add due dates and reminders which are essential to getting work done.
The fact Evernote’s basic functionality isn’t freely available is a downside, but the features are rich and have so many applications for everyday blog writers and businesses alike.
Overall
todoist: 17/20 ⭐
Evernote: 17.5/20 ⭐
Which app is best for my ADHD symptoms? ⚡
Improving simplicity when planning goals: todoist. Use this if you’re fine with editing and keeping your goal management system simple with the written word.
Setting reminders and due dates for free: todoist. You can get these in the free version, whereas they’re paid for Evernote.
Prevent boredom: Evernote. The different ways to not only track tasks but work on them in different ways elevate this from a simple to do list checker, to a work planning AND doing tool.
Bonus scenarios ⭐
Planning Project Management tasks: todoist. Easy and effective, with ability to assign to others.
Planning writing: Evernote. The AI assistant is very useful in formatting your words.
Big creative brainstorms: Evernote. Sketch, record, checklist, to do list, or mind map til’ your hearts content.
Creating and uploading audio: Evernote. Has the functionality to upload audio.
Finding words within documents: Evernote. Content search available, so you can find documents with certain words in. This is useful if you need to find something specific or remove a certain phrase.
Collaborating on blog posts: Evernote. The long form notes you can create, along with all of the bold, italics, and underline capability, as well as inserting photos, file uploads etc., means this is the master of the blog.
And that brings us to the end. Have you had a different experience? Anything I’ve missed? What apps / criteria do you want me to review next time? Do you want me to do something differently? Leave a comment or reply via email!
Stay tuned for the next App-solutely! review in November! 📆
*Disclaimer: this review is based on my own personal experience as someone who has had ADHD, anxiety & depression for 15 years. Please make your own judgement on how well these apps work for you, as I am not a professional, but a 29 year-old man who wants to make sense of his muddled mind!*
Do you use notion at all, amazing tool but quite difficult in the beginning especially with ADHD. I find though when you have the perfect template set, you’re good to go.
I used to use Evernote many years ago. I liked it but don't think I used it enough to justify having an app for planning things.
Call me old school but I use actual wall calendars and day planners. There's something about paper (and not having to pick up my phone) that I love.