My wife sends me a photo of the exact item she wants.
Green lid. The small one.
By the time I am standing in front of the shelf at Costco, that photo is eleven messages up, somewhere between a voice note, a photo of something else we need, and a completely unrelated family conversation.
I scroll.
I scroll some more.
At some point I give up and buy the one with the blue lid.
I come home.
Wrong one.
This is a very small problem. But it is the kind of small problem that happens all the time.
During the day I notice we are almost out of paper towels. I think, I need to remember to buy them.
Two hours later, that thought is gone.
My wife gives me a handwritten shopping list. I take a photo of it because obviously I am not going to carry a piece of paper around.
Then I forget that I took the photo.
Sometimes I put things in Notes. Sometimes they are in messages. Sometimes someone sends me a screenshot. Sometimes I just trust my memory, which is usually the worst option.
Travel is the same.
A few days before a trip, you suddenly start remembering things at random times.
Passport.
Phone charger.
Medicine.
Sunscreen.
Something for the kids.
The thing you absolutely must take with you and will somehow remember only when you are already twenty minutes from home.
None of this is a serious problem.
It is just unnecessarily annoying.
And that is basically why we built Valedo.
Valedo is a simple place for the lists we actually use in everyday life.
Shopping lists. Travel lists. Wishlists. Things to do. Things not to forget.
Nothing complicated.
Sometimes the list already exists
My daughter comes home from school with a supply list.
It is printed on paper, folded in half, and has twelve things we need to buy.
I have absolutely no desire to type twelve items into my phone.
So I take a photo.
Valedo turns it into a list I can actually use and check off while shopping.
The same works with a handwritten shopping list.
That sounds like a small feature until you realize how often someone gives you a list that already exists somewhere.
Why type it again?
The same goes for voice.
You are cooking and notice that the olive oil is almost finished.
Your hands are busy.
You just say, “olive oil,” and add it.
That is how I think these things should work.
The less effort it takes to remember something, the more likely you are to actually remember it.
Then there is family
Lists become even more useful when more than one person is involved.
Imagine we are preparing for a trip.
I create the list and share it with the family.
Now everybody can see what is already packed or purchased instead of asking:
“Did you get this?”
“Who is bringing that?”
“I thought you were buying it.”
“No, you said you were buying it.”
Anyone with a family probably knows this conversation.
The same thing happens with birthday parties, dinners, school events, vacations, and even a normal weekend.
One shared list is much easier than trying to manage everything inside a group chat.
And sometimes I want people to help with the list without completely changing it.
So some people can simply check things off, while others can add or edit.
Basically, you can share the list without giving everyone the pen.
We also keep rebuilding the same lists
A birthday party ends.
The shopping list is finished.
You bought plates, candles, drinks, snacks, decorations, and twenty other things.
Then next year comes around and you start from zero again.
Why?
In Valedo, completed lists can stay in your History.
Next year you open the old one, duplicate it, make a few changes, and you are done.
Same with camping.
Travel.
School supplies.
Moving.
Holiday dinners.
There are many things in life that feel new every time but are actually 80% the same list.
And sometimes you just need a starting point
The blank screen can be surprisingly annoying.
You know you are going camping, but what exactly should be on the list?
Tent.
Flashlight.
Bug spray.
And then seventeen things you will remember after you arrive.
So Valedo also has ready-made lists you can start from.
Camping, moving, newborn, travel, school, and other common situations.
You do not have to follow them.
They are just there to remind you of things you might otherwise forget.
Sometimes that is enough.
It also had to work everywhere
I wanted Valedo to work on the web as well as on phones.
That actually made building it slower, but for me it was important.
I might make a list while sitting at my computer and then open the same list later from my phone at the store.
Someone else might receive a shared list and simply want to open it in a browser.
Because once someone says, “I can’t open this,” you know what happens next.
Screenshot.
Group chat.
And we are back to looking for the green lid eleven messages up.
The whole idea is pretty simple
I do not think people need another complicated productivity system.
Most of the things we forget are very ordinary.
Buy milk.
Bring a charger.
Call someone.
Get something for school.
Pack sunscreen.
Pick up a birthday gift.
Remember the exact thing your wife asked you to buy instead of coming home proudly carrying the wrong version.
Valedo is simply a place to keep those things together.
It is free, the onboarding is simple, and you can start using it almost immediately.
So if any of the situations I described sound familiar, download Valedo and give it a try. (https://valedo.app)
Make a list. Share it with your family. Add things whenever you remember them.
Hopefully you forget fewer things, buy fewer wrong things, and spend less time standing in Costco scrolling through old messages.
And if nothing else, maybe you finally come home with the green lid.
