A spreadsheet is the to-do list many people build when nothing else fits. A column for the task, one for the client, one for the due date, maybe a priority score and some color. Excel and Google Sheets bend to any shape you want. For keeping tasks next to numbers, it is a solid choice.
Next Moves Lab starts where the sheet stops. A sheet holds and sorts your rows. Next Moves Lab looks at your tasks and hands back one to do now, the reason it was picked, and a small first step. There are no columns to design and no formulas to keep up.
The short version
- A spreadsheet is a solid pick if your list is short, you like full control of every column, and you track numbers beside your tasks.
- Next Moves Lab is the better fit if your sheet has grown into a wall of rows you scroll past every morning.
Side by side
Price
- Spreadsheet
- Usually free or already paid for
- Next Moves Lab
- $9.99 a month, 30-day money-back guarantee
Setup
- Spreadsheet
- You design the columns, formulas and colors
- Next Moves Lab
- None; write down what is on your mind
Who decides the order
- Spreadsheet
- You, by sorting and scoring
- Next Moves Lab
- It does, and shows you the reason
What you see
- Spreadsheet
- Every row at once
- Next Moves Lab
- One task and a small first step; the rest waits in Later
Rules for your day
- Spreadsheet
- Kept in your head
- Next Moves Lab
- Set once, like "no calls before 10", and followed every day
Follow-ups
- Spreadsheet
- You add a row
- Next Moves Lab
- Suggested from what you finished; tap Yes or No
When a day goes wrong
- Spreadsheet
- You update dates and colors
- Next Moves Lab
- Nothing turns red; get the next move from where you are
When a spreadsheet is a solid choice
- You want total control. Any column, any formula, any view.
- You track numbers too. Hours, invoice amounts and totals sit right beside the tasks.
Where Next Moves Lab wins
- Sorting is not deciding. Sort by due date and you still have to weigh the client email against your own project. Next Moves Lab weighs them for you and says why the pick won. You can swap it.
- No upkeep. No columns to fill and no formulas to fix. Add tasks in plain words, by typing, speaking, pasting or a photo of your notes.
- One thing on screen. Instead of fifty rows, you see one task and a first step you can do in a couple of minutes.
- Your week has a point. Set one goal for the week, and tasks that move it rank first.
- Today fits the day you have. Tell it your time and energy, and it sizes today to fit. At most three tasks are in play; the rest wait in Later, with no limit, and only you remove a task.
- Follow-ups come to you. Finish an invoice or a quote and it suggests the follow-up. You tap Yes or No. It never sends anything for you.
Switching from a spreadsheet
Copy the task column, paste it into Next Moves Lab, and set a goal for the week. Keep the sheet for anything with numbers in it.
Common questions
Can I paste rows straight from Excel or Google Sheets?
Yes. Paste them as plain text and it turns them into tasks.
Should I keep my sheet?
Keep it for hours, invoices and anything with numbers. Use Next Moves Lab for deciding what to work on.