Lists
Make a list
A list is a named container for things. Making one takes a second, which is exactly why it is worth being slow about it.
The 60-second version
Press ⌘⇧N, or use the new list button in the Lists view. Give it a name and start writing.
When a list is the right answer
The honest test: does this topic outlive this week?
Days already handle anything short-lived. Groceries for tonight, three calls to make, notes from a meeting. Those belong on Today and will take care of themselves.
A list earns its place when a topic keeps coming back: books to read, a house project, a recurring shopping list, a person you take notes about.
The mistake almost everyone makes
Creating fifteen lists in week one, then abandoning twelve of them.
It happens because other apps train you to build a structure before you have material. NewTwos works the other way round: write onto your days, and make a list at the point where one topic starts crowding them out. That way every list you own has earned itself.
Going further
Naming matters more than structure. You will find lists by searching their names. "Kitchen renovation" beats "Home" because you will type the specific word.
Lists can hold lists. If a thing inside a list grows its own set of things, promote it rather than making a sibling list. See sublists.
A list is not a folder. There is no tree to maintain, and there is no wrong place to put something, because search does not care where it lives.
Tips
- Start a list by selecting things that already exist and moving them, rather than from an empty page. A list that begins with content tends to survive.
- If a list has had nothing added for a month, archive it. It is not failing, it is finished.