That is a great point. I only just realised that it could easily get confusing. To do lists have their place, no doubt about it. Done lists are a fairly new concept and work extremely well in conjunction with them, just like you mentioned. Will remember that for future posts, thanks man.

I think Done lists are probably a good way of staying motivated.

I guess I've kind of been doing it already as my last task of the day is to quickly write down what I've been working on during the day (not necessarily completed though).

Also the article mentions: "When smaller things are too easy to get done, smaller, less important things are all you will get done."

But I don't really see how Done lists help with this.

I recently had to submit a revised work plan containing only big projects. In my revision, I noted that I had completed 3 big ticket items from my last plan, which made me feel pretty good, even though I had added some new ones. After I submitted it, I realized that I was ready to deploy another one, so I did, and submitted a new revision right away. Having a done list definitely motivated me to look at the big picture.

Agreed, I have a grid of 4 whiteboards in my office, two are for actual white boarding, one is my open-ended todo list (sorted ideas) and the other is a done list of those ideas.

Anytime I get overwhelmed, I take a moment to review the done list and enjoy watching things shift from one to the other.

When friends come over I encourage them to draw me something fun on the done list which also helps me realize that life is about being happy with things you accomplish, not just getting them done.