The best kind of to-do app for Mac: in the menu bar, not in a window
What matters in a to-do app for Mac: the menu bar, quick capture with a keyboard shortcut, sync with iPhone and Apple Watch, and a clear end to the workday.
Most of your work happens on the Mac. Yet many to-do lists live in a window that disappears behind your browser, mail and calendar. Out of sight, out of mind: the list gets opened in the morning and again in the evening, with a guilty conscience.
So a to-do app for Mac needs to do one thing above all: be there without getting in the way.
What matters in a to-do app for Mac
Always visible: the menu bar
The menu bar is the only place on the Mac that’s always visible. If the task you’re working on sits there as a short line of text, you stay on it without opening the app. One click shows the whole list, another closes it.
Capture over any app
New tasks and ideas show up in the middle of work. A global keyboard shortcut opens an input field on top of whatever you’re doing; you type a sentence and press Return. Crucially, the date, time and context should be understood straight from the sentence, for example “Miller proposal by 2pm”. Every extra click is a reason to do it later.
Sync with iPhone and Apple Watch
Your list needs to come with you. What you capture on the Mac should show up on the iPhone and in the widget, and ticking off should work on your wrist too. Check how sync works: through your own iCloud or through an account with the app maker.
An end to the workday
On the Mac, where work and personal life often share one device, a list that tells work and personal apart really helps. After hours, your menu bar shouldn’t be showing the next client meeting. The guide How to separate work and personal to-dos shows how this works day to day.
Deliberately simple
Many to-do apps grow into project management tools with tags, priority levels and subprojects. For a personal daily list that’s often too much. If a to-do needs more than one sentence, it probably belongs in a project tool, not on your daily list.
Checklist
| Criterion | Question to ask the app |
|---|---|
| Menu bar | Is the current task visible without opening the app? |
| Quick capture | Is there a global shortcut, and does it understand full sentences? |
| Devices | Is there a real Mac app, plus iPhone, widget and Apple Watch? |
| Sync and data | Does sync run through your iCloud or an account with the app maker? |
| End of day | Does the app separate work and personal by time of day? |
| Price | Subscription, one-time purchase or both? Does one purchase cover all devices? |
Dayhook: built for the menu bar
Dayhook is a to-do app for Mac, iPhone and Apple Watch built around exactly this. Your current task sits as text in the menu bar; one click shows work, personal and the input field. Press Option + Space over any app to capture, and Dayhook picks up the date, time and context from your sentence. At 5 pm the list switches on its own: move open items to tomorrow or drop them, and work stays quiet. Everything syncs through your own iCloud, with no account and no ads.
Dayhook is in development. A TestFlight beta for Mac and iPhone comes first, then the App Store launch.
Frequently asked questions
Does the Mac have a built-in to-do app?
Yes, Reminders comes with every Mac and syncs with iPhone and Apple Watch through iCloud. It's a solid foundation, but it lives in its own window and doesn't separate work and personal by time of day.
Why a to-do app in the menu bar?
Because the menu bar is always visible, whatever app you're working in. Your current task stays in sight without opening or switching windows.
Do I need an account to sync between Mac and iPhone?
Not necessarily. Apps that sync through your own iCloud don't need an extra account. Your data then stays with you rather than with the app maker.