The Done List: Make Your Progress Visible With ADHD

You answered an important email, dealt with an unexpected problem, and made a difficult appointment. Yet your to-do list still looks full. The done-list technique in FocusCrew’s ADHD Toolbox invites you to record completed actions, including useful work you did not plan. It is a way to review the day with more information than the unfinished list provides.

What Research Says About Tracking Progress

A meta-analysis found that interventions encouraging people to monitor goal progress improved goal attainment on average.[1] This supports tracking meaningful progress, but it does not prove that a done list specifically treats ADHD or improves self-esteem. Research on cognitive offloading also examines how external records can reduce the demands placed on internal thinking and memory.[2] A short written record gives you something concrete to consult.

What to Include in Your Done List

Keep entries factual and brief: “sent the application,” “read five pages,” or “asked for the information I need.” For unfinished work, name the part completed rather than marking the whole project done. You can include essential personal tasks too. The record should describe your day, not force every activity into a productivity score.

Review Your Progress in FocusCrew

In FocusCrew, review completed to-dos and the sessions you finished as prompts for your daily reflection. The app’s progress rewards can provide another visible record, but a session total is not the same as a finished outcome. Notice what the work changed, as well as how long you focused.

Use Today’s Progress to Plan Tomorrow

Spend a minute reviewing the record before deciding what belongs tomorrow. If an interruption displaced planned work, account for it rather than treating the original plan as untouched. Combine this with habits that allow imperfect days. A done list is most useful when it helps you make a realistic next decision, not when maintaining it becomes another obligation.

References

1. Harkin, B., et al. (2016). Does monitoring goal progress promote goal attainment? A meta-analysis of the experimental evidence. Psychological Bulletin, 142(2), 198–229. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000025
2. Risko, E. F., & Gilbert, S. J. (2016). Cognitive offloading. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 20(9), 676–688. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2016.07.002