[perlgeek]

> Needless to say, the early high was soon filled with inevitable dread, as the items and lists in the app kept on growing and I struggled to keep up with the brutal requirements of life as it is.

That resonates with me.

I also think that OP tried to use his TODO app for habits:

>> Todoist: Great until I realized I was gaming the points system instead of doing actual work. Turns out completing “drink water” 8 times a day doesn’t make you productive.

I use a very simple habit tracker to track the things I want to do regularly, it has no gamification, just a simple notification once per day per habit.

These days I don't use a TODO app regularly; everyday tasks such as groceries, household tasks etc. work fine without it. When lots of tasks pile up and I struggle to keep track, I use a text file. Those are usually short-lived.

I also have a shared Todoist list with my wife, but we mostly use it for as a shopping list, not really a TODO app.