Google Tasks: Get Things Done

A list, and content to stay one: that's Google Tasks. Items can carry notes, be split into subtasks and given due dates, and they sync everywhere a Google account goes. There's no project board, no tags, no collaboration beyond what Calendar provides.

The reason it exists is Gmail. A task can be made from an email, appears in Gmail's side panel on the web, and links back to the message. Due dates land on Google Calendar. If your day already runs through those two apps, Tasks slots in with nothing to learn. Everyone else may find it thin.

An email arrives that needs action; you turn it into a task from Gmail. On the phone, Tasks shows today's list, drag-ordered by what matters. Tick things off, add a subtask for the step you forgot, and set a date so it appears on the calendar.

Notifications fire when something falls due. That's roughly the whole loop. There's no review ritual or weekly planning view to speak of, which is either a relief or a limitation depending on how you work.

Searches come from Gmail and Calendar users who want a to-do list that lives alongside their mail rather than in a separate silo. The second group is people fleeing feature-heavy task managers; they want a list that's just a list. It also comes up because it's free and already attached to an account they have.

With five screenshots listed, expect the list view, a task detail with subtasks and the Calendar integration. The design is standard Google: white, rounded, with a floating add button and the blue Tasks accent. It's deliberately plain, consistent with the Productivity category and the app's minimal ambitions. The input doesn't describe more.