Things and lists

NewTwos has two nouns. You write things, and things live in lists. That is the whole model.

Why you'd care#

Most note apps ask you to pick a container before you are allowed to write. A notebook, a project, a database, a folder. That question arrives at the exact moment you are trying not to lose a thought, and it is the reason so much never gets written down at all.

NewTwos removes the question. There is always a list ready for you, and it is today's. You write first and sort later, if you ever sort at all.

A thing#

A thing is one piece of information that matters to you. One line, usually.

That is deliberately broad, because your brain does not sort its output before handing it to you. A thing can be:

• a thought, an idea, or a feeling
• a to-do
• a link, a photo, or a quote
• something you want to remember later

The same thing can change its mind about what it is. A line you wrote as a note becomes a to-do when you add a checkbox. Add a date and it becomes a reminder too. Nothing has to be classified correctly at the moment you write it, which is the point.

A list#

A list holds things, in the order you put them.

Lists are ordinary. You make one for groceries, one for a project, one for books you want to read. A list can hold a sublist, and a thing can point at another list, but you can go a long way without either.

A day is a list that makes itself#

This is the part that makes NewTwos different, so it is worth reading twice.

Every day, NewTwos makes you a list named after that date. You never create it, name it, or file it. It is similar to a page in a notebook or a journal, with the date already written at the top.

Two consequences fall out of that, and together they are most of what people mean when they say NewTwos "just works":

1. You always have somewhere to write. No decision, no setup, no empty state.
2. Unfinished to-dos follow you. Anything you did not check off rolls to the next day on its own, until you either do it or delete it. See how unfinished to-dos roll forward.

A day is a real list in every other respect. You can reorder it, add photos to it, share it, and search it, exactly like a list you made yourself.

What this model is not#

Being clear about the edges saves more time than another feature tour.

• There are no folders. Lists do not nest into a directory tree. Sublists exist, but they are for a list that belongs inside another list, not for filing.
• There are no separate "tasks" and "notes" areas. A to-do is a thing with a checkbox. It lives beside your notes because that is where you wrote it.
• Tags are not the filing system. They are a second way to find something, layered on top. You are not required to tag anything, and most people tag almost nothing.
• You are not expected to organize. Search and Memories are built on the assumption that you will not. If you write everything onto your days and never make a single list, NewTwos still works.

Where things actually go#

Worth knowing early, because it explains where a thing went:

The rule of thumb: if you did not say where, it went to Today. You can change that in Settings → Appearance & Accessibility → Default add to list.

Tips#

• Write the thing badly. A half sentence you can find later beats a well-organized note you never wrote.
• You do not need a list for something you will deal with this week. Days are already doing that job.
• When a day starts feeling crowded with one topic, that is the moment to make a list, not before.
• Anything you write today is something NewTwos can show you a year from now. That is a reason to write the small stuff down, not just the important stuff.

Related#

• Today, the list you will spend most of your time in
• How unfinished to-dos roll forward, the behavior that makes days work
• The capture bar, the fastest way to write a thing down
• Thing types, for turning a thing into a to-do, a bullet, or a number
• Sublists, for when a thing needs a list of its own