Habit tracker vs to-do list
A to-do list is for things you do once; a habit tracker is for things you repeat. When you need which, and why keeping them side by side works better than choosing.
Updated
Use a to-do list for things you do once and a habit tracker for things you repeat. If finishing it makes it disappear, it's a to-do; if it comes back tomorrow, it's a habit. A to-do list is a queue you empty; a habit tracker is a record you fill, and its measure is the streak.
The two look alike. Both are lists of things you mean to do, and both have boxes to tick. But they answer different questions, and using one to do the other's job is a common reason both of them stop working.
The short answer
A to-do list is for things you do once. Send the invoice, book the dentist, finish the essay. You tick it, and it's gone. The list is a queue that you're trying to empty.
A habit tracker is for things you do again and again. Drink water, read, go for a run. Ticking it off today doesn't make it go away — it'll be back tomorrow. The tracker is a record you're trying to fill.
| To-do list | Habit tracker | |
|---|---|---|
| What goes on it | One-off tasks | Things that repeat |
| When it's done | Ticked and cleared | Back again next time |
| What it measures | What's left to do | How consistently you do it |
| What motivates you | An empty list | A streak and a full calendar |
| What it answers | "What do I need to do?" | "Am I keeping this up?" |
What a to-do list is good at
A to-do list gets things out of your head. Instead of trying to remember the fifteen small jobs that came up this week, you write them down once and trust the list to hold them. Due dates put them in order, and ticking one off gives a small, satisfying sense of progress.
Its focus is on what's next. Once a task is done, the list doesn't care about it any more — which is exactly right for tasks, and exactly wrong for habits.
What a habit tracker is good at
A habit tracker is about consistency over time. The value isn't in ticking off today; it's in the record of every day before it. After a week you can see a pattern. After a month you can see whether a habit is sticking or quietly fading. After a few weeks of unbroken days, the streak itself becomes a reason to keep going.
It also knows about rhythm. A habit might be daily, three times a week, or once a month, and a good tracker only counts the days it was actually due — so a rest day doesn't look like a failure.
Why one doesn't replace the other
Habits on a to-do list
Put "go for a run" on a to-do list and tick it off, and there's nothing left to show for it. Tomorrow you add it again, or set it to repeat, and the list fills up with the same task over and over. You can't see that you've run four times this week, or that you haven't run in ten days. The history — the thing that makes a habit stick — is thrown away every time you tick it.
Tasks in a habit tracker
It goes wrong the other way too. "Renew passport" isn't a habit. Putting it in a habit tracker gives you a streak of one and an entry that sits around for ever. One-off tasks clutter the tracker and dilute the thing it's for.
When you need which
You need a to-do list when you have a steady stream of one-off jobs: work tasks, errands, deadlines, the things that pile up if you don't write them down.
You need a habit tracker when you're trying to change what you do regularly: exercise, sleep, reading, study, spending — anything where the goal is to keep doing it, not to get it done.
You probably need both. Most people have a few habits they're building and a list of things that need doing this week. The question isn't really which one, it's whether they live in the same place.
Why keeping them together helps
When habits and tasks live in separate apps, one of them gets forgotten. Usually it's the habit tracker, because it has nothing urgent in it — nothing is ever due by Friday. You open your to-do list every day because you have to, and the habit app sits unopened on the third screen of your phone.
Put them side by side and your habits are there every time you check what's next. You glance at the day's tasks and see the habits you haven't ticked yet. The daily list and the long-term habits support each other instead of competing for attention.
How Crek does it
Crek has both, in one place:
- Habits repeat daily, on the weekdays you choose, or monthly. Each one has its own streak, which only counts the days it was due, and a calendar of every day you did it. If you did one and forgot to tick it, you can fill the day in afterwards.
- To-dos are one-off tasks with due dates. Tick one and it's done — no streaks, no history, just a list getting shorter.
- Notes sit alongside both, for the things that are neither.
Under the hood, a habit is simply a to-do with a repeat rule. That's the whole difference, and it's the one that matters: anything that repeats is a habit and gets a history; anything that doesn't is a task and gets out of the way once it's done.
It's free, with unlimited habits, and it works in any browser on iPhone, Android and desktop — nothing to install.
Try it
You can start with habits straight away: the free habit tracker works in your browser with no signup. Add a habit or two and tick off today. Sign in with Google when you want your to-do list and notes beside them, on your phone and your computer.
Not sure which habits to start with? Browse the habit ideas, or read how to build a habit that actually sticks.
Questions
What is the difference between a habit tracker and a to-do list?
A to-do list holds one-off tasks: you finish them and they're gone. A habit tracker holds things you repeat — daily, on certain weekdays or monthly — and records every day you did them, usually as a streak.
Should I use a habit tracker or a to-do list?
Most people need both. Use a to-do list for things that need doing once and a habit tracker for things you want to keep doing. The trouble starts when repeating habits are crammed into a to-do list or one-off tasks into a habit tracker.
Can I put habits on my to-do list?
You can, but a to-do list shows a habit as just another task to tick and forget. You lose the history — whether you've done it five days running or missed half the month — which is the part that keeps a habit going.
Is there an app with both a habit tracker and a to-do list?
Yes. Crek has habits, a to-do list and notes side by side, free, in any browser on your phone or computer.