This tool was first introduced to me by a friend to sent me a video demonstrating how to use GoblinTools. This app is magic.

So what is it and what does it do?

GoblinTools is a website (free!) that helps you streamline tasks, thoughts, and decisions. Need to complete a task but not sure of the steps? Use the MagicToDo function. Or do you need to complete a task but you’re not sure how long it’s going to take? Use the Estimator function. It also has several other functions to help you out:

  • Formalizer: make your words less snarky, more professional, more/less emotional, etc
  • Judge: check the tone of what you want to say or write
  • Compiler: input everything you need to and it will compile it into a list
  • Chef: not sure what to eat? Type in a list of ingredients on hand and it will suggest a meal

Why do I love this platform so much?

This is the first app I’ve found that helps people who struggle with executive functioning organize their lives or tasks in a timely manner. It’s really simple to use and provides the user the option of typing in what they need or using a speech-to-text function. I also really love that it lets the user decide the “level of spiciness” (how many steps should your MagicToDo list be broken in to) they want or need. I also LOVE that even once the MagicToDo list is created, the user can break down each step even further.

Here’s an example: I typed it “I’m a 13 year old who needs to clean their room.” and it created a list of steps for me to complete.

The list of steps is very straight forward and the language is simple and clear enough to understand. But here’s the real magic. See those blue wands on to the right of each step? When you click on the wand next to the step, it breaks it down further for you.

Here I asked it to further break down “organize books and toys on shelves or in bins” because that can be a lot of steps to complete that task. You can see that it broke it down into specific steps that a person can follow in order to complete that task.

I love using this app in my classroom because once the students know how to use it, they can independently use it to help them break down assignments into smaller and more manageable tasks. For example, my students recently planned school wide events as part of their leadership learning and the students used GoblinTools to help them break down the steps of planning their events. It really helped each group stay on task and students were able to assign tasks from the lists they’d created.