2 July 2026Simple list app

Lists: not every list is a to-do list

Packing, ideas, pros and cons, the things to remember: a simple list app for lists that aren't to-do lists, with nothing due and nothing overdue.

What you can do with Lists

Lists get their own place. Lists sit beside Notes and Mindmaps, under "Things to work through."
Start blank, or from a shape. Begin with an empty list, or, with Pro, start from a to-do, pros and cons, brainstorm or ranking list.
Paste it in, and it sorts itself out. Paste a list from anywhere, or a branch copied from a mind map, and every line becomes its own item, with its levels kept.
Tick things off, or don't. Turn checkboxes on for a quick checklist, or off when a list is just for remembering.
Nothing is due. List items have no dates and no deadlines, so a list is just a list.
One level of detail. Give any item its own sub-items: "Chargers", then "Phone" and "Laptop" beneath it.
See it three ways. Keep it bulleted, or, with Pro, switch to a numbered list or a Kanban board where each item becomes a column.
Put it in order. Drag items by their handle to rearrange them.

Why I wanted a simple list app

Before a busy trip I wanted packing and logistics lists. I could put them in my notes, but then I started confusing the job of a list with the job of a note.

Notes are where I unload thoughts and feelings; lists need their own shape. And I didn't want every list to become another to-do list with a deadline attached.

Rachit, founder of Xale

The ideas behind Lists

A list is its own way of thinking

Some thoughts are easier to hold as items than as sentences.

Worth reading: Umberto Eco, The Infinity of Lists (2009). From ancient inventories to modern catalogues, a list is how people have always tried to take hold of more than they can say at once.
The usual way: a list typed into the middle of a note, where it's hard to scan and harder to reorder.
In this release: Lists have their own editor, with items you can drag, nest and view as a board.

Not every list needs a deadline

A packing list or a brainstorm is for remembering, not for keeping score.

Worth reading: Atul Gawande, The Checklist Manifesto (2009). A good checklist doesn't add pressure; it takes the burden of remembering off your mind so your attention can go where it's needed.
The usual way: every list turned into tasks, each with a due date that eventually turns red.
In this release: list items carry no dates at all.

What you can do with Lists

Why I wanted a simple list app

The ideas behind Lists

A list is its own way of thinking

Not every list needs a deadline

Further reading