Checklists · Productivity · Free
The things you do the same way every time, written down once and run fresh whenever they come round.
Save a procedure you repeat as a reusable checklist, then run it fresh each time and tick items off as you go.
-
Written onceA template is the master copy, its steps in order, each one Required or Optional. Edit it any time.
-
Run fresh"Run" starts a clean copy with a progress bar. Tick as you go; it completes itself when every item is checked.
-
Honest about the gapsFinish early and the summary counts what got done and names each optional step you skipped.
Your first week with Checklists
-
Write one you already repeat
Tap + and name it after the moment, like "Weekly Reset" or "Work Shutdown". Add each step to "Add an item…", in the order you do them.
-
Mark what can wait
A new item starts as Optional. Tap the pill to make the steps that must happen Required, and drag rows into order.
-
Run it when it comes up
Tap "Run" on the card and tick as you go. Close it halfway and Today's "Checklists" widget offers "Resume".
Every step, in detail
- 1 Open Checklists and tap "+" to open "New Checklist".
- 2 Give it a name, then tap the icon to choose a symbol and colour.
- 3 Type each step into "Add an item…" and tap the plus. A new item starts as "Optional"; tap the pill to make it "Required" before you add it.
- 4 Tap "Save", then tap "Run" on the card when you need it.
Run it: a clean copy, ticked as you go
“Run” turns the template into a fresh list with a count and a bar. Tick the items below as the app does, or stop early and see what it asks. Nothing here is saved.
Sample · try it
Weekly Reset
Started Oct 20, 20260 of 5 done
Finish with unchecked items?
Reset checklist?
Unchecks every item so you can run through it again.
Checklist complete
Weekly Reset
Skipped optional
Four ways out of a run
-
Tick the last item
When every item is checked, optional ones included, the run completes on its own and “Checklist complete” opens.
-
“Complete session”
From the run’s ⋯ menu. With anything unchecked it asks first. “Complete anyway” finishes the run; the summary counts what got done and lists the optional items you skipped.
-
“Reset checklist”
Unchecks everything and keeps you in the same run, for a list that went wrong from the start.
-
Close it
The × keeps every tick: “Close — progress is saved, resume anytime”. The run waits on Today, below.
“Strict completion” changes what the question says, “Your settings count every item for completion”, and nothing else: “Complete anyway” still finishes the run.
Each run keeps its own copy
A run copies the template’s items the moment it starts. Edit the template later and the runs already made keep the list they had, so your history reads true. Here is Weekly Reset, run every Friday, either side of the day it gained a fifth step.
Sample · eight runs of Weekly Reset
- 4/4 4 items, 4 done.
- 4/4 4 items, 4 done.
- 3/4 “Complete anyway” 4 items, 3 done, finished with Complete anyway.
- 4/4 4 items, 4 done.
-
Sep 20 · Edited. “Prep Monday focus block” added, Optional. The four runs above keep four items.
- 4/5 “Complete anyway” · skipped optional 5 items, 4 done, finished with Complete anyway, skipped optional: Prep Monday focus block.
- 5/5 5 items, 5 done.
- 5/5 5 items, 5 done.
- 5/5 5 items, 5 done.
Its card on Oct 20
- RUNS
- 8
- LAST RUN
- Oct 16, 2026
The Sep 11 run left a required step and was finished with “Complete anyway”: it reads 3/4, and its summary names nothing, because only optional items are listed as skipped. On Sep 25 the new optional step was the one left.
The template’s page counts runs and shows the last one. It keeps no list of past runs; delete the template and its runs stay.
A run you leave waits on Today
Close a run halfway and its card says so. The “Checklists” widget on Today puts it first with “Resume”, then the lists you ran last with “Start”. “Run” on a card always starts a fresh copy.
Sample · Today, Oct 20
Monthly Money Review was opened on Oct 1 and closed at two of four. It stays under way until you finish it.
What a card says
-
Monthly Money Review4 itemsIn progress · 2 of 4▶ Run
-
Weekly Reset5 itemsLast run 4 days ago · 5/5▶ Run
-
Health Appointment Prep4 itemsLast run 11 days ago · 4/4▶ Run
-
Winter Car Prep5 itemsNever run▶ Run
“Frequently used” holds up to three templates you have run, newest first; “All templates” lists every one A to Z. A habit’s own checklist stays off this list, under “Attached checklists” in the ⋯ menu.
Insights: which lists you actually run
“Insights”, in the ⋯ menu, counts finished runs: by day, by weekday, and against the ones you started. A run finished with “Complete anyway” counts as finished.
Sample · 7 templates, 46 runs
You’ve completed 45 checklist sessions.
98% completion rate across 46 started sessions.
Completions · 14 days
98% of started sessions get completed.
Completed checklist sessions by day.
Weekly rhythm
Friday is your strongest checklist day.
Based on completed checklist sessions.
Library
7 checklist templates are available.
1 is linked to another module.
The linked one is the Morning routine habit’s own checklist.
Most used
Work Shutdown is your most-run checklist.
-
Work Shutdown3 items31 runs
-
Weekly Reset5 items8 runs
-
Health Appointment Prep4 items3 runs
-
Travel Pack List6 items2 runs
-
Monthly Money Review4 items2 runs
Life areas
Most checklist structure supports craft.
-
Craft2 templates
-
Health2 templates
-
Family1 templates
-
Other1 templates
-
Wealth1 templates
A life area set in the form also colours the card and puts it under that area’s chip on the list.
Before there is anything to count, Insights reads “Nothing to show yet”. The completion rate is finished runs over started ones, so a run left open, like the money review, holds it under 100%.
Checklist Settings, in the same ⋯ menu, holds “Compact layout” for smaller cards, and three for a run: “Keep screen awake” and “Haptic feedback”, both on, and “Strict completion”, off.
Tips
- Mark the nice-to-have steps "Optional". If you finish with some unchecked, the summary lists them under "Skipped optional" instead of hiding them.
- To finish with items still open, choose "Complete session" from the "…" menu and confirm with "Complete anyway". Choosing "Keep checking" takes you back to the list.
- "Keep screen awake" and "Haptic feedback" are on by default in Settings, so your phone stays lit and clicks as you tick. "Compact layout" fits more templates on screen.
- Archive a template you only use seasonally. "Archived" in the "…" menu lists it, and "Restore" brings it back.
Questions
About Checklists day to day.
-
If I edit a checklist, does a run I've already started change?
No. A run copies the template's items when it starts, so edits reach the next run, not the one in progress.
-
What does "Optional" do?
An optional item shows a dashed circle. You can finish without it through "Complete session" and "Complete anyway", and the summary lists it under "Skipped optional".
-
Can I stop halfway and come back?
Yes. Closing a run keeps its ticks, and its card reads "In progress". The "Checklists" widget on Today shows the open run with "Resume". "Run" on the card starts a new copy instead.
-
Will my screen turn off in the middle of a checklist?
Not by default. "Keep screen awake" in Checklist Settings is on, and keeps the phone lit while a run is on screen.
-
Does deleting a checklist lose its history?
The template goes; its past runs stay. To put a seasonal list away instead, "Archive" it, and "Restore" brings it back.
-
What counts as a completed run in Insights?
Any run you finished, whether every item was ticked or you chose "Complete anyway". The completion rate is finished runs over started ones.
Works with
Where Checklists hands off to the rest of HourLife.
-
Habits
The items of a checklist-type habit are kept as a checklist, which you can find under "Attached checklists" in the "…" menu.
-
Today
The "Checklists" widget on Today shows runs in progress and your recent templates, so you can resume or start one without leaving Today.
-
Areas
Link a template to a life area in the form, and the area's chip filters it and colours its card.
-
Goals
"Link to (optional)" in the form can tie a template to a goal, which shows as a "Linked goal" badge on its card.
-
Projects
The same link row can tie a template to a project, shown as a "Linked project" badge.
-
People
You can also link a template to a person, such as a handover list for one colleague.
Read and try
Books from the library that Checklists puts into practice, and something to try on paper or in the browser.
Already have HourLife?
Checklists is under Productivity in the module list. The ⋯ menu on the Checklists page holds "Insights", "Attached checklists", "Archived" and "Settings".
Checklists is in the Library, under Productivity. If it isn’t there, turn it on in Settings → Look & Feel → Modules.
What would you like to know?
Ask a question about this feature or tell us what’s missing.
Try Checklists in HourLife.
Checklists is one of HourLife’s free modules.
