If you are anything like me you find that maintaining an organized to-do list is essential to being productive. I’ve tried many of the programs currently available, but I’ve settled on using Emacs with Org-Mode to keep track of most of what I need to get done. Emacs is a very powerful free text editor that is highly customizable, and since version 22 has Org-Mode built in. Org-mode for Emacs allows you to quickly create outlines, mark items as “TODO”, set deadlines, and assign tags to specific tasks. One big benefit of using Emacs with Org-Mode is that the file you create is saved as plain text, which means you will be able to open it in any text editor to make changes. Org-Mode also has a mobile app for iOS and Android which allows you to sync you todo lists with your mobile phone and edit them on the go!
Emacs can be a powerful tool in organizing your life, but it can be a little intimidating if you are just getting started. I hope that this tutorial shows you that with only a few simple commands you can easily organize your thoughts and keep track of everything you need to do. You don’t need to know Emacs inside and out to take advantage of Org-Mode, and even if you only use Emacs to manage your to-do list, I think you will find that the time you spent learning the program is a worth wile investment.