The Power of the Done List

Many of us are familiar with to-do lists.

Over the past couple of years, I’ve become a big fan of the “done” list.

The done list contains everything I have finished that day.

• It may be an actual “to-do” list item.
• It may be a smaller part of a “to-do” list item.
• It may be something else that came up related to the “to-do” list item.
• It may be something important that came up during the course of the day.

The “done” list is a little more than check-marks next to completed items or scratching out things that are done.  I am physically writing down what got done – sometimes re-writing something that was already on my to-do list.

Why do I do that? For me, it’s a reminder that I am capable of being productive.  

I don’t do the rewrite all the time. Usually – cross-throughs or check marks work perfectly well. 

When my confidence in my ability to be productive is shaky, the physical act of writing what I have accomplished reminds me that I am capable of getting things done.

The reminder of progress is incredibly powerful.

We get so fixated on all of the things we need to do.

We don’t often celebrate all of the things we have done.