Sometimes the best planning tool is the simplest one. If you've tried elaborate project management apps and found yourself spending more time configuring views than actually planning your course, Todoist might be exactly what you need. It does one thing well -- task management -- and it does it on every device you own.
Why Todoist for course planning
I've noticed that some course creators never finish building their course -- not because they lack ideas, but because the planning tool itself becomes a project. They spend days setting up databases, custom fields, and automation workflows before writing a single lesson outline. Todoist pushes in the opposite direction. You open it, type a task, and move on.
Todoist's natural language input is its standout feature for speed. Type "Draft Lesson 3 outline by Friday" and Todoist automatically parses the due date. Type "Record Module 2 every Tuesday" and it creates a recurring task. You're capturing plans as fast as you can think of them, without clicking through date pickers and dropdown menus.
The other advantage is cross-device consistency. Your task list looks and works the same on your phone, tablet, laptop, and browser. If you capture a lesson idea on your phone during a walk, it's waiting for you on your computer when you sit down to work. For creators fitting course production into busy schedules, that seamlessness matters more than fancy Gantt charts.
Step-by-step: Planning your course in Todoist
Step 1: Create a project and add module sections
Sign up at todoist.com (free plan works for most courses) and create a new project named after your course. Inside the project, add sections for each module: "Module 1: Foundations," "Module 2: Core Skills," and so on. Sections are collapsible, so you can focus on one module at a time without visual clutter.
If your course has more than 5 modules and you're on the free plan (which limits you to 5 active projects), use a single project with sections instead of one project per module. The result is the same -- just a different level of nesting.
Step 2: Add lesson tasks with descriptions
Under each module section, add one task per lesson. Name it clearly: "Lesson 1: What Is Breathwork?" or "Lesson 4: Building a Daily Practice." In the task description, jot down what you'll cover -- learning objective, 2-3 key points, and any activities. Keep it brief; this is a planning skeleton, not the full lesson content.
Todoist descriptions support Markdown, so you can use headers, bullet lists, and bold text. It won't replace a full writing tool for drafting lesson scripts, but it's enough to capture the shape of each lesson and remind yourself of the direction when you sit down to create.
Step 3: Add sub-tasks for production steps
Under each lesson task, add sub-tasks for the steps you'll follow to produce it. A practical set looks like this:
- Draft lesson outline
- Write script or talking points
- Gather visuals and supplementary materials
- Record video or audio
- Edit recording
- Upload to course platform
- Review and publish
You'll repeat this pattern for every lesson. It feels repetitive to set up, but once it's done you have a clear production checklist. Checking off sub-tasks as you go gives you a clear picture of where each lesson stands -- no guessing, no "I think that one's almost done."
Step 4: Set due dates using natural language
This is where Todoist earns its keep. Click on a task and type a due date in plain English: "next Monday," "July 15," "every Wednesday for 6 weeks." Todoist parses it instantly. Assign due dates to your lesson tasks based on a realistic production pace. If you can finish one lesson per week, a 10-lesson course needs about 10 weeks of production -- plus a buffer week or two for the unexpected.
Don't over-schedule. Set dates for the lesson-level tasks and let the sub-tasks flex within that window. If "Lesson 3" is due Friday, you'll naturally work through the sub-tasks during the week. Putting separate due dates on every sub-task usually creates more notification noise than useful structure.
Step 5: Use labels to track status
Create a few labels to mark lesson status: @outlining, @recording, @editing, @ready. Apply the relevant label to each lesson task. You can then filter your project by label to see, for example, all lessons currently in the recording phase. It's a lightweight way to get the "kanban board" view without switching to a different tool.
Labels also help when you're batching your work. If you've set aside a Tuesday afternoon for recording, filter by @recording to see exactly which lessons are ready to record. No context-switching, no hunting through lists.
Course creator tips
Use recurring tasks for ongoing course work
Some course creation work is recurring: "Review student feedback every Monday" or "Post a community update every Friday." Todoist handles recurring tasks natively -- type "every Monday" in the due date field and the task reappears each week after you complete it. This is especially useful once your course launches and you're maintaining it alongside building new content.
Pin a "Quick Capture" project for stray ideas
Create a separate project called "Course Ideas" for thoughts that pop up at random moments -- a better example for Lesson 5, a student question that deserves its own lesson, a resource you stumbled across. Review this project weekly and move relevant items into your main course project. Keeping capture separate from planning prevents your structured project from becoming a dumping ground.
Use task comments for feedback and revisions
If you have a collaborator, editor, or beta tester reviewing your lessons, use task comments for their feedback. Each comment is timestamped and attached to the specific lesson. It's much easier to track than email threads or scattered sticky notes, and you can resolve comments as you address them.
Limitations (and when to use something else)
Todoist is a task manager, not a knowledge base. You can't build rich lesson pages, create linked databases, or embed multimedia the way you can in Notion. If your planning process involves a lot of writing and organizing reference material, you'll probably want Todoist for the task tracking and a separate tool for the content itself.
The free plan's 5-project limit can feel tight if you're managing multiple courses or want separate projects for marketing, admin, and production. The Pro plan at $4/month removes this limit, but if you need more powerful project management -- ClickUp's all-in-one workspace or Asana's workflow automation might be worth exploring.
Todoist also doesn't have a built-in calendar view on the free plan (you can sync with Google Calendar as a workaround). If visual scheduling is important to your planning process, that's a real gap.
Frequently asked questions
How many courses can I plan on Todoist's free plan?
Todoist's free plan gives you 5 active projects and up to 5 collaborators. If you use one project per course module (the approach in this guide), a 5-module course fits exactly. For longer courses, you can use a single project with sections for modules instead. The Pro plan ($4/month) removes the project limit entirely and adds features like reminders and calendar feeds.
Can Todoist replace Notion or Google Docs for course planning?
Not entirely. Todoist is excellent at tracking what needs to get done, but it's not built for long-form writing. You can add descriptions and comments to tasks, but you wouldn't want to draft an entire lesson outline there. Most course creators pair Todoist with a writing tool -- use Todoist for tracking production tasks and deadlines, and Google Docs or Notion for writing your actual lesson content. The combination works well because each tool does what it's best at.
Is Todoist better than Asana or Trello for course planning?
Todoist is simpler and faster than both. Asana and Trello offer more collaboration features and visual workflows, which matter for teams. But if you're a solo course creator who wants a clean task list that works identically on your phone, tablet, and computer, Todoist's speed and simplicity are hard to beat. You can add a task in under 3 seconds using natural language ("Record Lesson 4 tomorrow at 2pm"). That low friction matters when you're juggling course creation with everything else.
Related guides
- How to Plan Your Course Using ClickUp -- all-in-one workspace when you want docs, tasks, and calendar together
- How to Outline Your Course Using Notion -- database-driven outlining for content-heavy planning
- How to Create a Course Production Schedule Using Google Sheets -- spreadsheet scheduling when you need timeline visibility
- How to Build an AI-Powered Course Creation Workflow -- integrating AI tools into your planning and production
From task list to live course
The beauty of Todoist's simplicity is that it keeps you focused on doing the work rather than managing the system. When your task list is mostly checked off and your lessons are ready, it's time to get them in front of students. Ruzuku lets you build your course for free with zero transaction fees -- create your modules, upload your content, and keep Todoist running alongside for any remaining production tasks. A simple tool for planning, a purpose-built platform for teaching. Each doing what it does best.