The Done List

The anti to-do list: write down what you did, and let it show you what is working.

A done list is a running record of what you have finished, written after you finish it. It is also called an anti to-do list. Where a to-do list shows what is left, a done list shows what you did, which can make a hard day feel more honest and more manageable.

Where the done list comes from

The idea is often linked to Marc Andreessen, who described an "anti to-do list" in a well-known post about personal productivity. His version is simple: keep a list of what you did, and add to it as the day goes on. Others have used the same idea under names like "done list", "ta-da list" and "win log".

The reason it sticks is that most days do not go as planned. Emergencies happen. A meeting runs long. By evening, the to-do list still has eight items and you feel behind, even though you spent the day solving real problems. The done list catches that work.

Why a done list helps

There is research nearby that supports the idea, with some care about how strong it is.

Progress matters to how work feels. Teresa Amabile and Steven Kramer studied thousands of daily diary entries from knowledge workers and reported that making progress in meaningful work was the most important contributor to a good day. This was an observational diary study, so it shows a strong link, not proof of cause.
Unfinished tasks nag. The Zeigarnik effect, first described in the 1920s, is the observation that people tend to remember interrupted or unfinished tasks. A long open list can keep tugging at your attention. Researchers debate how strongly this shows up in modern settings, so hold it lightly.
Setbacks weigh heavily. In the same diary work, Amabile and Kramer found that setbacks seemed to weigh more than wins of the same size. A daily record of what went right is a reasonable counterweight.

A done list does not fix a workload. It gives you a truer picture of how the day went.

How to keep a done list

Write it after, not before. Add items when you finish them or at the end of the day. A done list is a record, not a plan.
Be specific. "Wrote 600 words of chapter 3" beats "worked on book."
Include the small things. Sent the email you were dreading. Made the call. Said no to a request. These count.
Include the unplanned things. Fixed the bug that broke the checkout page. Helped a colleague with a deadline. These are the items a to-do list never holds.
Count to a target if it helps. Some people aim for 3, some for 9. The number matters less than the habit of stopping to look.
Review weekly. Read the week's list. Circle what mattered most. Notice patterns in when you get things done.

Done list vs to-do list

Feature	To-do list	Done list
Direction	Forward	Backward, from what happened
When you write it	Before the work	After the work
What it shows	What is left	What is finished
Handles surprises	Badly	Well: surprises get logged too
Common feeling	Behind	Grounded
Main risk	Never ends	Can become a scoreboard if you overdo it

You do not have to pick one. A lot of people keep a short to-do list for the day and a done list beside it. The done list wins the argument at 6 pm.

The done list in Reverse Journaling

In Reverse Journaling, the done list is the evidence step. You start the day with one action, usually a 45-minute focus sprint, and you end the day by logging what you did. That gives the method its loop: a done goal at the top, a chain of milestones below it, and a record of real evidence at the bottom.

This matters for a reason that is easy to miss. A done statement like "I published my book" is a claim about the future. The done list is a claim about today, and today's claims are the ones that add up. Every entry says: this is the person who is doing the work.

In the 369 Forward version, you log 9 pieces of evidence in the evening and choose tomorrow's first step. Read more in the 369 method guide.

Example done list

Here is a done list for a Wednesday when the goal is to launch an app.

Fixed the sign-in bug that blocked two testers.
Wrote the onboarding text for screen one.
Replied to three beta feedback emails.
Ran a 45-minute focus sprint on the settings page.
Said no to a meeting that did not need me.
Took a 20 minute walk at lunch.
Updated the launch checklist.

Tomorrow's first step: test the new sign-in flow on a real phone.

That is seven lines and about four minutes. It also shows something a to-do list would have hidden: the plan for the day was the settings page, and most of the day still moved the launch forward.

Common mistakes

Making it a second to-do list. Only write what is finished.
Skipping bad days. Those are the days you need it most. Write what you did, even if it is only "got through it."
Going vague. "Busy day" tells you nothing.
Judging it. The point is to see, not to grade.

Keeping it going

The trick is to attach the done list to something you already do: brushing your teeth, closing your laptop, turning off the lamp. Two minutes is enough. In Start From Done, every finished sprint and milestone lands on your Done list automatically. In the coming 369 Forward routine, a missed day pauses the streak instead of resetting it. Your journal text stays on your device.

If you want prompts for the evening, the future self journal prompts page has six evidence prompts you can reuse.

Questions

What is a done list?

A done list is a record of what you have finished, written after you finish it. It is the opposite of a to-do list, which lists what is still to be done.

What is an anti to-do list?

It is another name for a done list. The term is linked to Marc Andreessen, who described keeping a list of what you did during the day.

Does a done list improve motivation?

Amabile and Kramer's diary study found that a sense of progress was strongly linked to a good work day. That was observational research, so it shows a link and not a cause.

How many items should be on a done list?

There is no fixed number. Some people aim for 3 and some for 9, and the habit of stopping to look at your day matters more than the count.

Should I keep a done list and a to-do list?

Many people do. A short to-do list plans the day and a done list records it, so unplanned work still gets counted.