By far the strongest and most divided reactions I’ve gotten to Paperless have been over the fact that there’s no way to assign dates to list items. While I’ve covered the reasoning behind that decision before in the FAQ, it’s worth mentioning here as well.
Paperless was never intended to be a time based task manager like one of the many “getting things done” clones. I’ve tried a few of those and always felt like I was wasting a lot of time assigning and changing due dates as my priorities changed. It interfered with staying focused and actually getting things done.
With the types of projects I typically work on, I can’t often tell ahead of time how long something will take – and trying to predict an exact date/time when something will be completed is difficult at best. I’ll often also think of new things I need to work on for a project – which, if I were using a date-based solution would require all the other tasks to be shifted back in time.
So, in Paperless I took advantage of the iPhones built in method for reordering items in a table, and turned it into a simple way to re-prioritize items in a checklist. If something is important, I place it at the top of the list… and other less important tasks are pushed down. It’s quick and easy, and keeps me focused on finishing tasks rather than managing tasks.
Of course, I think there’s room for both ways of managing ones time. A date based solution is definitely better for keeping track of appointments and scheduling meetings… but for keeping track of tasks in a project where your priorities can suddenly change, I think Paperless is tremendously useful.
I like the way these app store reviews summed it up:
★★★★★
“Perfect as it is – After having tried a good deal of apps to get myself more organised – both free and paid – it is clear that this tops them all. Other apps presented a kind of novelty; I could fool myself into thinking that I was more organised, but it was never long before I abandoned them because it was obvious that they consumed unnecessary time. Paperless, however, has truly helped. It is streamlined, it is simple, it is sumptuous. I, for one, hope that you DON’T add clutter such as due dates and priorities because those frills can be bought and fought with elsewhere.”
★★★★★
“Simple, flexible, easy to use, and a real bargain – I buy a lot of task and notes apps. Most of them. And I try most of the free ones too. But few are as well designed, as simple, and as useful as Paperless. This application looks great, is perfect for making lists of all kinds, is flexible enough for tracking downs, can optionally display check boxes. And once you’ve worked through a list and have checked all the items, you can easily delete them. In short, if you have need for lightweight task and notes app, Paperless is for you. But you can also use in the app in conjunction with a full featured app, the one that tends to take longer to load and use.”
I love the app but I thought it was compatible with the iPad. It said it was on the app site. Is it possible to get this app on iPad or sync all the info over to iPad?
Hi Becky,
Paperless will run on an iPad (as all iPhone apps do), but isn’t built as a “universal” app – which means that it doesn’t have a user interface designed specifically for the iPad and doesn’t take advantage of the iPad’s larger screen.
In the future, I hope to either make Paperless “universal” – or perhaps make a separate iPad version.
Also, there isn’t any syncing yet, but the next update will include an easy way to import lists sent via email (along with a backup feature).
I don’t miss due dates either. Never crossed my mind. I wish for a desktop paperless so I could type stuff in either and have it in both places by magic :-)
I love Paperless and use it every single day. It is almost perfect except that I really, really wish you could attach photos to list items. I know you are trying to keep it streamlined and that is one of the reasons that I love it, but do you think photo attaching capability will ever be an update?
Thanks!
Kim
Hi Kim,
I’m certainly going to look into that (along with attaching voice recordings and maps), but can’t make any promises yet. I have a small update or two coming, after which the big things to tackle will by syncing and an iPad version.
Thanks,
Jim
I love both the direction you are headed in and where you are not willing to go. At least for me, you have achieved your goal of making an app that I WANT to use. I will be eagerly waiting for the “list within list” and synching additions. Would a desktop application be asking for too much?
Thanks Dean.
A desktop application is something I’m considering (after syncing and the iPad version)
Hi Jim
I´m new to Paperless but after reading all about it and the other apps available I thought yours was the best.
Is there a way to import an already prepared list vs having to retype the list on my iphone?
Is there a way to type future large lists on my laptop and then have it imported or synced? Yes I am new to this :) Your advice is appreciated.
Thanks, Jeff
Hi Jeff,
There isn’t currently a way to import an already prepared list… but now that you have me thinking about it again, I have an idea for how to implement that and will try to get it into an update very soon.
Also, there is no syncing… but that is something I plan on exploring in the future.
Thanks,
Jim