Get Everything Done

Instead of keeping a 'to do' list of any kind, I've been keeping a list of, well, everything in workflowy. Each day I start a new list with that day's date. Anything that I 'touch' that day I move to that day's list. On each daily list I also keep a note of the last time I reviewed that list (read thru it). I know the 'closed list' idea came from Mark, I used to use AF.

I've used different rules over time for how often to review old lists, but the gist being, the older the list the longer I go in between reviews. Currently, I review any of this month's lists every other day, last months list every 4 days, etc.

Workflowy makes it super easy to search for items and move them around. So say I finally get around to making an appt for my daughter's annual eye dr visit. I do a search for 'schedule eye dr'. Move that item from whatever old list it was on to today's list. Probably change it to 'Eye appt for daughter 7/2 9AM, make list of questions ahead of time'.

Anyway, I've been using this since Dec 2012. It just kind of evolved, and has worked so well for me I've stuck with it.

Examples of items on my everything list:
ABC Plumber #vendor (with sub list of history of plumber issues/visits, also contact info)
Daughter #sicklog sinus infection? (with sub list of symptoms day by day so if I have to take her to the dr I know when it started)
Master bedroom sheets - changed Sunday
Return netflix dvd / watch for new
Balance checkbook (last done 6/1)
Kids summer camp sign ups / activities (with sub list of contact info, dates, etc)
etc

So I don't worry a lot about differentiating what needs to be done, vs. what I have done. When I review lists things jump out at me. I do delete things sometimes, but it's not a big deal. Things I don't work on just slowly drift into oblivion as I review the older lists less and less often.

Somewhere in his books GED and DIT, Mark suggests the general rule of writing everything down _before_ you do it. He also repeated this rule in the discussions on here.

It seems to me, you just skipped this rule on it's head by writing everything down _after_ you have done it.