Does that mean I no longer need a todo-list?

No. A simple todo-list is enough for many short tasks. Running List can also handle short tasks as a simple list, but it is especially useful when a task takes several days.

Can I use Running List with Todoist, Notion, or another task manager?

Yes. But Running List does not have to be a second system. You can handle short tasks in it like a simple list, and use daily statuses for long tasks when you need to see movement.

What tasks is Running List best for?

For tasks where the final result is not the only thing that matters: strategy, research, analytics, writing, preparing presentations, launching features, or learning over time.

Why can a regular task list feel demotivating?

Because a long task can move for several days but still look like "not done" in a regular task list. That makes progress invisible.

Can I try this approach manually?

Yes. You can make a weekly table in a notebook, Notion, or spreadsheet and mark each task’s state by day. Running List simply makes this approach easier to use.

Running List

Compare approaches Show weekly progress

List or progress tracker

Why a todo-list does not show real progress on long tasks

A todo-list is great for simple check-offs. But when a task lives across several days, a regular list often shows only one thing: "not done". Running List stays simple for short tasks and shows daily movement when a task needs more context.

Show weekly progress Compare approaches

Short taskssimple list

Buy tickets

Send an email

Pay an invoice

In Running List, you can simply plan these tasks and mark them done without extra complexity.

Long tasksprogress by day

Prepare a strategy

Run research

Write an article

Launch a feature

When a task spans several days, it helps to see movement, not just the final checkbox.

The task type matters more than the tool name.

Todo-lists are good for simple check-offs. Running List stays simple for short tasks and shows movement where a regular list becomes blind.

In short: what’s the difference?

Todo-lists and progress trackers are not direct rivals. They give different levels of visibility for different kinds of tasks.

Todo-list

Progress tracker

Question

Todo-listWhat needs to be closed?

Progress trackerHow did the task move?

Best for

Todo-listShort, simple tasks

Progress trackerLong tasks

Main state

Todo-listDone / not done

Progress trackerPlanned / partially done / moved / done / canceled

What you see at the end of the day

Todo-listHow many tasks were completed

Progress trackerWhich tasks actually moved

What happens to a long task

Todo-listIt hangs as unfinished

Progress trackerDaily movement is visible

Feeling of the week

Todo-listA pile of unfinished tasks

Progress trackerA history of progress

How to understand what level of tracking a task needs

Can be handled as a simple list

If a task is short, clear, and quick to finish, it does not need extra complexity. In Running List, you can simply plan it and mark it done.

Buy tickets

Send an email

Pay an invoice

Call a contractor

Book a meeting

Better tracked with progress by day

If a task lives across several days, gets moved, and progresses in parts, it helps to see its state by day.

Prepare a strategy

Run research

Write an article

Collect analytics

Prepare a presentation

Launch a feature

Learn a new topic

Short tasks can simply be completed. Long tasks are easier to understand when you can see their movement.

One task. Two ways to see it.

Suppose a task took almost the whole week. In a todo-list and in a progress tracker, it will feel different.

In a todo-list

Prepare a team presentation

Status:not done

A todo-list does not show what already happened inside the task.

In Running List

Prepare a team presentation

MON

Partially done

Drafted the presentation structure.

TUE

Partially done

Collected materials.

WED

Moved

The day was taken over by meetings.

THU

Partially done

Prepared part of the slides.

FRI

Planned

Assemble the version for the team.

A todo-list shows "not done". Running List shows what already happened inside the task.

Why one "not done" status is not enough

For a long task, it matters to distinguish several states. A task can be unfinished and still have real movement behind it.

Planned

the task is in the plan

Partially done

the task moved forward

Moved

the task shifted to another day

Done

the task is completed

Canceled

the task is no longer relevant

Todo-list asks one question. Running List asks another.

Todo-list asks

Is the task done?

Running List asks

How did the task move?

When the task is short, the first question is enough. When the task is long, the second one matters too.

Check your task

Answer a few questions. If several are true, a regular todo-list may hide part of your progress.

Does the task take more than one day?

Do you often have to move it?

Does it have intermediate steps?

Does it often remain unfinished at the end of the day?

Is it important to see that you still moved forward?

If several of these are true, it is better to track the task as movement by day, not as one "not done" item.

You do not need to manage tasks in two places

Short tasks in Running List can work like a simple list: plan, do, close. For long tasks, the main advantage turns on — you can see how the task moved by day.

Short taskjust mark it done

Long tasksee movement by day

The difference is not where the task is stored. The difference is how much of its path you need to see.

Try one long task in Running List

Take a task that usually sits unfinished in a todo-list for several days and try tracking it as weekly movement.

Show weekly progress Open example

Frequently asked questions

A todo-list shows whether a task is done. A progress tracker shows how the task moved by day: planned, partially done, moved, done, or canceled.

Running List

See movement on long tasks, not just closed checkmarks.

Resources

Weekly progress tracker Todo-list vs progress tracker Why todo-lists feel demotivating

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