A good task list?

Searching for a good "to do" list app...

I find myself continuously searching for the ultimate, killer to-do list application that solves all of my organizing problems, and I feel like "each wrong attempt discarded is one step closer to success" (to paraphrase T.A. Edison). From written lists to notepad txt files to excel checklists to Outlook and more, the search has been a fat client experience until the recent discovery of RememberTheMilk.com, an online task management system. Ok, I hear the cries of "oh no, here he goes with another web 2.0, mashup-obsessed diatribe", but hear me out.

Ok, so what makes RememberTheMilk (RTM) so special? First, I can update it from my Twitter account by using the Twitter direct text function " d rtm pick up beer for crawfish boil ", or other such important reminders. Ok, so what? Soooo, RTM can then send you SMS reminders on events that you have scheduled, ie "Pick up dog from vet at 4:30 today". You can schedule the reminders to be sent 1hr. before it's due, or 15 minutes, or any increment of time you like.

If that was all, it would still be a very useful tool, but there's much, much more. There is integration to your Google calendar, so tasks from RTM automatically appear in gCAL. There is also MilkSync for Blackberry and Windows Mobile, an iPhone and iPODtouch mobile version, and yes even the ability for RTM to Instant Message you reminders for your scheduled tasks (all major IM services are supported). You have to upgrade to the PRO version to get the MilkSync client option for mobile sync, but for $25 per year it's a pittance to pay.

Additionally, within the tasks function you can set up contacts with which to share specific task lists, or a group function to share a task list with an entire group of contacts, all of whom can add notes and check off tasks as completed. Tasks are organized by date by default, but the developers at RememberTheMilk have added the ability to TAG tasks, and thus you can search and sort tasks by TAG.

If you just MUST have a printed list of To Do's for the day, there's even a print option that lets you print checked tasks, all tasks, and a very neat Weekly Planner with nice little check boxes beside each task. And yes, using Google Gears, there's even an offline version so you can carry your task list with you when you are "off the grid".

So far RememberTheMilk is my best find in the continued quest for the ultimate TO DO list manager.