How to set up a to-do list widget on iPhone
Drifta is an iPhone task app for ADHD that gives every task its own time window.
Drifta has a Today widget on iPhone for the Home Screen in small, medium, and large sizes and for the Lock Screen. It shows today's tasks at a glance. Drifta Pro also adds an Apple Watch daily-task complication, but that is a watch-face surface, not an iPhone widget.
A widget is a glanceable iPhone surface on the Home Screen or Lock Screen that shows app information without opening the full app. A complication is a small Apple Watch face element, configured and used separately from an iPhone widget.
Add a to-do list widget on iPhone
Drifta's Today widget shows today's tasks at a glance on iPhone. The Home Screen version comes in small, medium, and large sizes, and a Lock Screen version is available separately.
- Touch and hold an empty area of the iPhone Home Screen until the apps begin to move.
- Tap Edit, then Add Widget.
- Search for Drifta and open the Drifta Today widget.
- Choose the small, medium, or large size.
- Tap Add Widget, drag it where you want it, then tap Done.
After placing it, compare the tasks shown with today's tasks in Drifta. Open the app when you need controls beyond the glanceable list.
Add Drifta to the Lock Screen
- Touch and hold the Lock Screen, then tap Customize.
- Choose Lock Screen and tap the widget area below the clock.
- Select the Drifta Today widget, close the picker, and tap Done.
| Surface | Platform | What it shows | Available format |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Screen Today widget | iPhone | Today's tasks at a glance | Small, medium, and large |
| Lock Screen Today widget | iPhone | Today's tasks at a glance | Lock Screen widget |
| Daily-task complication | Apple Watch with Drifta Pro | Today's daily tasks | Supported Apple Watch face |
The value is in not having to decide to look
Opening an app requires a decision: you have to remember the app exists, pick up your phone, find the icon, and tap it. A widget or complication skips that decision entirely by putting information in front of you while you're doing something else, checking the time, glancing at your phone for a different reason, glancing at your wrist. For anyone whose tasks tend to slip out of mind the moment they're out of sight, that difference between deciding to look and simply seeing is not small.
What a home screen widget actually does
A widget lives directly on the Home Screen and shows a small slice of app information without requiring you to open the full app. Drifta's Today widget uses that surface for today's tasks. This connects to a broader point covered in arranging your home screen so your task list wins: even without a widget, where you place the app icon itself affects how often you actually check it.
What a watch complication actually does
A complication displays a small piece of app information directly on an Apple Watch face. Drifta Pro includes a daily-task complication. The Drifta Watch app separately shows today's tasks and lets you complete or snooze them from your wrist.
A worked example: one morning, checked two different ways
Say it's 7:40 a.m. and you're trying to remember what needs attention before your first commitment. The fictional task is "return the library book." The iPhone Today widget can put today's tasks on the Home Screen or Lock Screen. The Apple Watch daily-task complication gives a separate wrist-level glance, while the Drifta Watch app is where Pro users can complete or snooze today's tasks.
What to check before assuming an app has either feature
Widgets and complications are genuinely useful but not universal. Some full featured task apps offer neither, focusing their design entirely on the in-app experience. Before choosing an app specifically because you want a glanceable widget or complication, check the app's own description or support page for explicit confirmation, since assuming a modern app has one and finding out otherwise after you've built a routine around it is a frustrating way to discover the gap.
Where Drifta stands on both
The current App Store listing describes Pro Apple Watch task features, including completing or snoozing today's tasks and a daily-task complication. The iPhone widget instructions above are separate from those Watch controls.
Deciding which one, if either, actually matters to you
Before treating either feature as a requirement, think about which device you actually glance at unconsciously throughout the day. If it's your phone screen, a widget is likely to change your behavior. If it's your watch, a complication will matter more. If you rarely wear a watch and rarely glance at your home screen without a specific reason, neither feature may move the needle much, and the app's core mechanics, how it schedules and reminds, are worth weighing more heavily than either one.
A smaller detail that's easy to overlook: the Lock Screen
Between the Home Screen and the watch sits a third glanceable spot: the iPhone Lock Screen. Drifta offers its Today widget there as a separate placement, so today's tasks can be visible before you open the app.
Common questions
How do I add a to-do list widget on iPhone?
Touch and hold the Home Screen, tap Edit, then Add Widget. Search for Drifta, choose the small, medium, or large Today widget, tap Add Widget, position it, and tap Done. The widget shows today's tasks at a glance.
Can I check off a Drifta task from the widget?
Use the Today widget to see today's tasks at a glance, then open Drifta to complete a task. On Apple Watch, Drifta Pro lets you complete or snooze today's tasks from the Watch app.
Does the Drifta widget work on the Lock Screen?
Yes. Drifta offers its Today widget for the iPhone Lock Screen as well as the Home Screen. Add it from the Lock Screen widget picker when you want today's tasks visible before opening the app.
This article shares practical organizing ideas. It is not medical advice. For diagnosis or treatment questions, talk with a qualified clinician.