The Have-Done list

To-Do lists get kind of annoying, don’t they? I mean, I understand that they’re supposed to remind you what to do, and I like that. I like reminders.

But most of the time, for me anyway, they end up being reminders not of what I need to do but of what I didn’t do. Like I get to the end of the day and still have eight items on the list. Bummer.

So recently I discovered a different kind of list, one I like a whole lot better: the Have-Done list. Instead of listing things you would like to do and then finding at the end of the day that you never did them,  list things you did accomplish during the day.

Of course, a Have-Done list serves a different purpose than a To-Do list. A Have-Done list won’t help you remember what to do. But it is satisfying to look back over each day and see what you accomplished. I think adding an item to a Have-Done list is even more fun, even more motivating, than crossing out an item on a To-Do list.

But try it out. Your mileage may vary.