Samurize is a powerful application that has more than a few features, but thus far I'm only using one of them. Samurize will let you display a text document directly on your desktop (and add a button to open it). Here is the config file that I use. If you want to create your own from scratch, follow these steps:
TODO List
Meters->Add->Add a Text File.
Position:
Simply move the text area around and resize it to where you like it.
Source:
Select your TODO.txt file from wherever it happens to reside. I suggest having it read at least 15 lines.
Display:
This is just a matter of picking the leading text, a readable font, and color (to match your background). I have my list bottom justified so that it "grows" from the taskbar. This way it doesn't appear to be randomly floating there.
That is all you need to do for simply displaying the list. However, adding an "Edit" button makes modifying the list much easier. To do this, you will need another meter.
Edit Button
Add-->Add Text.
Position:
Place this button somewhere convenient (perhaps below or next to the list itself) and size it appropriately.
General:
Fill the text with the color of and alpha of your choice (as long as the alpha is at least one)
Display:
Center the text "Edit" in the button and change the color so it is visible.
Input:
1) Allow Input Controls.
2) Add...
3) Meter Linkage
4) Link the meter to TODO.txt (wherever you have that stored).
5) Choose a function (left click is fine).
Hopefully, you'll end up with something like this:
