Doo is a beautiful way to get stuff done without stressing yourself out

There’s no shortage of productivity apps on the market, but many to-do apps end up overwhelming the user with the never-ending list of things to get done. Doo wants to help work you through your agenda, one item at a time.

Using cards, Doo lets you add tasks to your list and set a time, date, and an optional alert function. Each event features sweet illustrations that best match your calendar item, such as a coffee date, a birthday party, or an office meeting.

Every time you open the app, Doo surfaces one item at a time so you can be reminded to, well, get it done. If you need to snooze, simply tap the clock or swipe down to push it back, or click the checkmark or swipe up to complete it. Snoozed items can be accessed later through the sidebar menu, or get rotated back into the list. Your tasks can also sync with iCloud so you can set reminders outside of the app.

The goal of Doo is to help users break down their to-do list into small, actionable steps rather than one big project. If the app detects that you’ve entered a big task with a long description, it may even suggest you consider breaking it out into separate pieces.

“Future updates will bring more goodies, [including] recurring reminders without alerts, distinguishing between a due date and an alert date, and adding the concept of priority,” Doo creator Michael Ciarlo, who previous worked on apps like Readability, tells TNW.

“Priority is an interesting challenge. What we’re really trying to do is reduce the need to snooze tasks that you want to skip. While we could just add another button and call it a day, that’s not how we want to approach new features. Instead we’re investigating solutions that preserve the simplicity that makes Doo special.”

Those who are able to get through all their tasks are rewarded with a happy illustration of a sunshine at the end. Then, it’s back to getting more stuff done.

Doo available on iOS for $4.99. Sure, that’s rather steep for an app, but hey, developers gotta eat, you get what you pay for, and you can’t really put a price on productivity.

➤ Doo