Best Task Management Apps for Mac in 2025 (for Remote Engineers)
If you’re a remote engineer working on a Mac, you’ve probably tried more task managers than you can count.
Things, Todoist, Reminders, Notion, Sunsama, Linear, Jira… plus a dozen menu bar widgets that promised to “finally organize your life.” Yet most days still start the same way: open laptop, 15 tabs, 8 tickets, scattered priorities.
The problem usually isn’t lack of tools. It’s lack of a daily execution system that actually works with how engineers do deep work.
In this guide, we’ll look at the best task management apps for Mac in 2025—with a specific lens:
What actually helps remote engineers plan their day, focus deeply, and ship without burning out?
What Remote Engineers Really Need From a Mac Task Manager
Most “best apps for Mac” lists are written for general knowledge workers. Remote engineers are different.
You don’t just need a place to dump tasks—you need:
- Clear daily priorities: Not 200 tickets. A realistic “today” list you can actually finish.
- Deep work support: 60–90 minute focus windows, not constant notification pings.
- Task context in one place: Specs, notes, links, and mental breadcrumbs so you can re-enter flow quickly.
- Integration with dev tools: Jira, Linear, GitHub, Slack, Calendar—not copy-pasting between worlds.
- Sustainable rhythm: Structure that lets you ship consistently without living in burnout cycles.
With that lens, here’s how popular Mac task management tools stack up.
1. Things 3 – The Polished Personal Task Manager
Best for: Mac users who want a beautiful, personal to‑do app.
Things 3 is often the first recommendation for Mac task management, and for good reason:
- Native, incredibly polished Mac/iOS design
- Lightweight projects and areas
- Simple “Today” and “Upcoming” views
- Great keyboard shortcuts
Where it works well:
- Personal tasks and light project planning
- Simple daily planning on Mac, iPhone, and iPad
- Low-friction capture and organization
Where it falls short for engineers:
- No concept of focus sessions or deep work rhythm
- No integration with Jira, Linear, or code tools
- Weak collaboration context—your work lives elsewhere
- No time tracking, no way to see where your focus actually went
If you want a beautiful personal list manager on Mac, Things 3 is excellent. If you want a daily execution system for engineering work, you’ll hit the ceiling quickly.
2. Todoist – Cross‑Platform Workhorse With Labels
Best for: Cross‑platform users who live in labels, filters, and shared projects.
Todoist is a flexible, fast, everywhere‑available task manager:
- Works on Mac, Windows, iOS, Android, web
- Powerful labels, filters, and recurring tasks
- Shared projects for light collaboration
- Natural language date input
Good for engineers when:
- You want one lightweight system for personal + some work tasks
- You like organizing tasks with labels (e.g.,
#deep-work,#code-review) - You primarily need lists, not structure
Limits for deep work:
- No real session concept—you still rely on willpower
- No built‑in focus timer tied to tasks
- Time tracking is bolted on via integrations, not first‑class
- Your actual dev work still lives in Jira/Linear → constant context switching
Todoist is a great general‑purpose task list. But it doesn’t give remote engineers the Plan → Focus → Shutdown structure that stops days from dissolving into Slack and tab‑hopping.
3. Apple Reminders – Built‑In and Good Enough (Until It Isn’t)
Best for: Simple personal lists and reminders in the Apple ecosystem.
Reminders has quietly become decent:
- Free and preinstalled on every Mac
- Shared lists, subtasks, attachments
- Smart lists like “Today” and “Scheduled”
- Deep integration with Siri and the OS
For basic life admin, it’s genuinely fine. For serious engineering work, it’s missing almost everything that matters:
- No concept of sessions or deep work
- No structured daily planning
- No integrations with dev tools
- No time tracking or work history
- Very weak notes/context compared to dedicated tools
If you’re reading this article, you’ve probably already outgrown Reminders.
4. Notion – Flexible Workspace, Heavy Task Manager
Best for: Teams who want docs + databases + light task boards.
Notion is incredibly flexible:
- You can build any system you want: kanban boards, calendars, databases
- Great for documentation, specs, and shared context
- Works on Mac as a desktop app plus web
But as a Mac task manager for daily execution, there are real trade‑offs:
- Easy to fall into “system building” instead of actually working
- No native deep work structure—sessions, breaks, focus
- No built‑in time tracking or focus metrics
- The desktop app can feel heavy and distracting
Notion is a powerful knowledge hub. It’s less ideal as your daily execution cockpit.
5. Locu – Daily Execution System for Remote Engineers (Mac‑First)
Best for: Remote engineers and freelancers who need structure, not just lists.
Instead of being “another task app for Mac,” Locu is designed as a daily execution system that sits on top of your existing tools.
It’s built around one core loop:
Plan → Focus → Shutdown → Repeat
Morning: Plan Your Day in 5 Minutes
On your Mac, you:
- Pull in work from Jira/Linear (or add tasks manually)
- Drag what matters into Today
- Order by priority
- Set a simple daily focus goal (e.g., 4–6 sessions)
No complex boards. Just a clear “this is what I’m doing today.”
Day: Focus in Brain‑Optimal Sessions
Instead of jumping between 12 tools, you work in 60‑minute focus sessions:
- Start a session, pick a task
- See full context: notes, breakdown, subtasks
- Work on one thing at a time
- Session time is automatically tracked to that task
- Optional: block distracting apps/sites, update Slack status
This is where Locu diverges from every traditional Mac task manager: it doesn’t just store tasks; it structures how you execute them.
Evening: Shutdown With Clarity
At the end of the day:
- Review what you actually shipped
- See total focused time (not just “hours online”)
- Capture quick notes for tomorrow
- Close your laptop with clear boundaries
Over time you get a real work history: which tasks you worked on, how long they took, how your focused vs unfocused ratio is trending.
6. Sunsama, Motion, and Calendar‑First Tools
Calendar‑first tools like Sunsama and Motion are popular with remote workers:
- Time‑blocking tasks directly onto your calendar
- Good visibility into your day
- Helpful for people whose work is naturally meeting‑heavy
For engineers, the downsides are real:
- Tasks rarely fit neatly into pre‑blocked 30‑minute chunks
- Constant rescheduling when work runs over
- Focus is optimized around calendar compliance, not deep work quality
If you’re in back‑to‑back meetings all day, these tools can help. If you’re an IC engineer who needs 3–5 hours of real focus per day, you need something more flexible than calendar slots.
Which Mac Task Manager Should You Choose?
If you want:
- Clean personal lists → Things 3 or Todoist
- Free basic lists → Apple Reminders
- Flexible docs and databases → Notion
- Time‑blocked days → Sunsama or Motion
But if you’re a remote engineer who wants to:
- Start each day with clear priorities
- Work in 60‑minute deep focus sessions
- Keep full task context in one place
- See where your focused time actually goes
- Maintain sustainable work rhythms
…then you don’t just need a Mac task manager. You need a Mac‑native daily execution system.
That’s exactly what Locu is built for.
Try a Mac-native daily execution system
Plan priorities, run 60-minute focus sessions, and shutdown with clarity—all from your Mac with Locu.