Choosing Done Lists Over To Do Lists

For most of my life, I’ve been a big proponent of To Do lists. If you’re like me, you know that there is very little in life that is quite as satisfying as highlighting or crossing out an item on a To Do list. Marking it as complete. Accomplished. Finito. 

But lately, I’ve chosen a different sort of list.

Here’s the thing: my To Do lists lately include large tasks. Things like “Write your next book.” “Finish narrating an audiobook project.” Tasks that can’t be easily accomplished in a day.

Sometimes, I think ahead. I break it down to “Write a chapter.” “Narrate a chapter.” But then an email will come in that needs my attention and I have to switch gears to work on that instead. Didn’t get to take something off my list there either.

All of this occasionally leads to me staring down at the day’s To Do list with too few items crossed off and a horrible, sinking feeling of guilt, bordering on depression, over it. Not the healthiest feeling in the world. And the need to feel good about what I do each day is why I’ve switched to making Done lists at the end of the day instead.

Staring down at a specific list of what I have accomplished makes me feel a hell of a lot better and often– I’ll be honest– looks a hell of a lot more impressive than what I didn’t.

For instance, here’s today’s done list so far:

1. Set up a ___ account
2. Return message about audiobook
3. Write and publish blog post

And I still have plenty of hours left in the day to add to it.

Have you tried making a “Done” list over the traditional To Do lists? Would you? And let me know which of them, if any, you prefer!