Switching to Everdo: Migration Guide from Todoist or ThingsSwitching task managers can feel like moving apartments: you want to bring what matters, leave behind clutter, and set up a layout that helps you live and work better. Everdo is a privacy-focused, native GTD (Getting Things Done) app with offline-first design and end-to-end syncing (when using its sync service). This guide walks you step-by-step through migrating from Todoist or Things to Everdo, covering planning, export/import options, mapping concepts, preserving metadata (projects, tags, due dates), automations, and cleanup. Practical examples and checklists are included so you can complete the transition with minimal disruption.
Why switch to Everdo?
- Privacy-first design: Everdo stores data locally and gives you control over syncing.
- GTD-friendly: Built specifically to support GTD workflows (Inbox, Next, Projects, Someday).
- Offline-first: Fast native apps that work without network access.
- Flexible organization: Projects, contexts (tags), and hierarchical tasks support complex setups.
Before you start: plan the migration
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Take stock of your current system:
- Count tasks (Total, Active, Completed).
- Note your main organizing axes: Projects, Labels/Tags, Sections, Priorities, Due dates, Recurrences, Reminders, Files/Attachments.
- Identify any automations or integrations (IFTTT, Zapier, calendar sync).
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Decide what to migrate:
- Essentials to keep: active tasks, project structure, important tags/contexts, recurring tasks, due dates.
- Optional: completed history (can be large), attachments (may need manual transfer), comments/notes.
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Backup everything:
- Export your Todoist or Things data (JSON/CSV/XML where available) and save copies.
- Export calendar events if you use calendar integrations.
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Prepare Everdo:
- Install Everdo on your primary device (desktop recommended for bulk import).
- Create an Everdo account only if you want cloud sync; otherwise keep local-only.
How Everdo structures tasks (mapping concepts)
- Projects — Everdo supports projects as containers for related tasks.
- Notes/Task details — Everdo tasks have note fields for descriptions.
- Tags/Contexts — Everdo uses tags as contexts; these are first-class.
- Next actions — Everdo’s Next/Active list maps to “Next Actions” in GTD.
- Someday/Maybe — Everdo supports Someday projects/tasks.
- Due dates & recurrence — Supported, though recurrence rules may differ.
- Priorities — Everdo supports priorities but treats them differently than Todoist’s numeric priority scale.
- Reminders — Everdo handles reminders (local or via sync service).
Exporting data from Todoist
Todoist allows data export via Settings → Import/Export → Export as Backup (CSV/JSON) or via third-party tools. Steps:
- Open Todoist (web or desktop).
- Go to Settings → Backups and export a JSON backup (preferred) or CSV.
- Save the backup file.
Notes:
- JSON preserves projects, labels, due dates, recurring rules, and comments better than CSV.
- Attachments are not included in backups; download attachments separately if needed.
Exporting data from Things
Things (Cultured Code) provides an export function (Things 3 supports export to JSON or Things’ own XML format through scripting). Steps:
- On macOS, open Things.
- Select File → Export → Save as JSON (or use AppleScript for more granular exports).
- Save the file.
Notes:
- Things exports will include projects, headings, tags, notes, due dates, and checklists.
- Attachments and some app-specific metadata may not port.
Preparing the export for import
Everdo currently does not provide native direct importers for Todoist or Things (as of this writing), so you’ll likely use a CSV import or a manual/scripted conversion to Everdo’s import format. Options:
- Manual bulk creation inside Everdo (feasible for <200 tasks).
- Use a conversion script (JSON -> CSV formatted to Everdo fields).
- Use third-party migration tools (check current tool availability).
- Use Everdo’s CSV import (if available) or create tasks with an API/CLI if you’re comfortable scripting.
Key fields to map:
- title -> title
- project -> project
- tags/labels -> tags
- notes/comments -> notes
- due date -> due date
- start date / schedule -> scheduled/next
- recurrence -> recurrence rule
- priority -> priority
- completed flag -> completed (optionally migrate)
Example: Convert Todoist JSON to a CSV suitable for Everdo
Below is a general CSV field set you should prepare: title, notes, project, tags (comma-separated), due_date (YYYY-MM-DD), recurring (text), priority, completed (true/false). If you know how to run a small script (Python/Node), you can map fields precisely.
Example Python outline (you can run locally):
# save as todoist_to_everdo.py — outline only; adapt field names to your export import json, csv, datetime with open('todoist_backup.json', 'r') as f, open('everdo_import.csv', 'w', newline='') as out: data = json.load(f) writer = csv.writer(out) writer.writerow(['title','notes','project','tags','due_date','recurring','priority','completed']) for item in data.get('items', []): title = item.get('content','') notes = item.get('description','') project = item.get('project_id','') tags = ','.join([str(t) for t in item.get('labels',[])]) due = item.get('due',{}) due_date = due.get('date','') recurring = due.get('string','') if due else '' priority = item.get('priority',0) completed = item.get('checked',0)==1 writer.writerow([title,notes,project,tags,due_date,recurring,priority,completed]) Adjust field names to match your particular export format.
Importing into Everdo
- Open Everdo desktop.
- Look for Import (File → Import) and choose CSV/compatible option. If Everdo’s UI lacks a CSV importer, use Everdo’s sync/CLI or create tasks manually.
- Map CSV columns to Everdo fields: title, notes, project, tags, due date, recurrence, priority, completed.
Notes on specific fields:
- Recurrence rules: Todoist/Things use natural-language recurrence; Everdo uses a recurrence pattern. You may need to manually set complex recurring rules in Everdo.
- Projects vs. Tags: Preserve Projects as Everdo projects; map labels to tags/contexts.
- Completed tasks: Importing completed history can bloat your database. Consider importing only recent completed tasks or skipping completed items.
- Attachments: Download attachments from Todoist/Things and reattach to Everdo tasks manually (Everdo supports file attachments).
Cleaning up after import
- Verify project counts and spot-check tasks across several projects.
- Check recurring tasks: create a few test recurrences to ensure rules behave as expected.
- Confirm tags/contexts are properly associated.
- Rebuild any automations using Everdo’s integrations or local scripts. Everdo may not support all third-party automations natively; consider using local scripts, native calendar export/import, or your OS automation tools.
- Recreate reminders if they didn’t import.
Special cases and tips
- Large task databases: Migrate in batches (projects at a time). This reduces errors and makes troubleshooting easier.
- Kanban-like setups (sections/columns): Everdo is list/GTD-focused; emulate columns using tags or separate projects.
- Shared/team tasks: Everdo is primarily personal; if you relied on shared projects in Todoist, plan an alternative (shared calendars, shared notes, or another tool for collaboration).
- Preserving task order: Export order may be lost; if order matters, include an index field in CSV and sort in Everdo after import.
- Testing: Import a small subset first (5–20 tasks) to validate mapping and recurrence behavior.
Example migration checklist
- [ ] Export Todoist/Things backup (JSON/CSV).
- [ ] Backup attachments and notes.
- [ ] Decide which projects/tags to migrate.
- [ ] Convert export to Everdo-compatible CSV (or prepare manual import).
- [ ] Import a small test batch into Everdo.
- [ ] Verify task fields, recurrences, tags, and projects.
- [ ] Import remaining tasks in batches.
- [ ] Recreate automations and reminders.
- [ ] Archive or delete old account data once satisfied.
Post-migration: adjusting your workflow to Everdo
- Adopt Everdo’s GTD views: Inbox → Next → Projects → Someday. Use tags for contexts (e.g., @phone, @home).
- Configure reviews: schedule weekly reviews inside Everdo for Projects and Someday lists.
- Use Everdo’s filters for focus lists (e.g., show Next actions tagged @work and due this week).
- Keep your system lean: occasionally archive old completed tasks to keep the database fast.
Troubleshooting common problems
- Missing tags: check CSV delimiter and mapping; tags may be merged into a single field.
- Recurrence differences: manually edit complex recurring tasks.
- Import errors: check for special characters (commas, newlines) in CSV; wrap fields in quotes.
- Sync conflicts: if using Everdo sync, perform import on primary device and allow sync to propagate.
Quick reference: field mappings
| Source field (Todoist/Things) | Everdo field |
|---|---|
| content / title | title |
| description / notes | notes |
| project name / list | project |
| labels / tags | tags |
| due / when | due date |
| recurring string | recurrence (may need manual edit) |
| priority | priority |
| completed flag | completed |
If you want, I can:
- Convert a sample export file you provide into an Everdo-compatible CSV.
- Generate a ready-to-run Python script tailored to your specific Todoist or Things export file. Which would you prefer?
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