You Are Not What You Produce
Many productivity nerds start the day feeling like they owe a productivity debt to the universe. They feel like they have to prove how much they can get done in the day to prove their worth as human beings.
Many of us focus on our task managers, which contain long lists of tasks we’ve assigned ourselves to complete. Rather than being motivating, looking at all the tasks waiting for our attention is depressing.
We view our task managers as demanding, unforgiving task masters. We realize we’ll never have enough time or energy to complete everything. And even if we work extra hard, new tasks are always being added to replace the ones we do. It’s a never-ending list. We feel inadequate and guilty when we can’t complete all of them.
Meet the “Done List”
Instead of starting each day with a productivity debt, Oliver Burkeman suggests in his book Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals that you focus on building a “done list” during the day as you complete your work.
Burkeman points out that focusing on your small wins is highly motivating. When you create a done list, you compile a list of the many small wins you’ve achieved throughout the day. You see and can celebrate the progress you’ve made instead of focusing on how much is still left to do.
It serves as a source of motivation. Completed items = real accomplishments, however small. Instead of ending the day feeling behind due to unchecked boxes (you’ll never get it all done), you end it with a tangible sense of progress.
This isn’t the same as checking off tasks on a to-do list. By compiling a list of completed tasks, you’re focusing on your successes and accomplishments. A done list acknowledges your effort and momentum, not just managing your intentions.
About 20 years ago, while trying to build my estate planning practice from the ground up, I encountered the book Learning How to Avoid the Gap, by Dan Sullivan. The core idea of this book is that when we look at our ideals (goals or tasks we’d like to accomplish), it’s like walking toward the horizon–no matter how fast we walk, the horizon appears to continue to move that much further in front of us. Focusing on our ideal, it’s easy to become frustrated and unhappy because it appears we’re not making any progress.
Sullivan advises that instead of focusing solely on the future, we need to focus on the past and present. Then, we can see how much we’ve accomplished and how far we’ve moved. A “done list” provides this same perspective—we’re focusing on what we’ve accomplished (and feeling fulfilled and happy) instead of the infinite number of tasks waiting for our attention in the future (and feeling frustrated and demotivated).
How to Create Your Own Done List
How can you create your own “done list”?
• Make a list in a word processor or a notes app or even just a piece of paper and a pen. You don’t have to use specialized equipment. Every time you complete a task, write what you did on your done list.
If you’re working on big projects like long-form writing, deep research, or leadership work that isn’t completed in one session, find a way to break it down into bite-sized segments and list those as you complete them.
I’m taking a Certified Professional Retirement Coach course. It consists of multiple modules and units within each module. While I can’t complete the entire project in one task, I can write down and celebrate each step I complete.
• I use the NotePlan app to plan my day by listing the tasks I want to accomplish that day. When I select and begin working on a task, I drag it into the timeline to create a time block. When the task is complete, I end the time block and move on to the next task.
As a result, I have a visual summary of what I did that day made up of time blocks. In other words, I’m time-blocking not to schedule tasks but rather to record the tasks. This gives me a “done list” as I complete tasks during a day.
Transform Your Productivity Mindset in 10 Days
I urge you to try an experiment for 10 days. Make a pact with yourself that for 10 days, you’ll write down every task that you complete as you complete it, and review it at the end of the day.
At the end of the 10 days, evaluate your experience. It’s appropriate to stop doing it if it doesn’t benefit you. However, if you find it has given you a more positive attitude toward completing your work, you might want to continue the practice.
AI Note: I wrote this blog post myself, using my own words for the initial draft. I used AI only to suggest headlines, section headings, and improvements to the text.
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