When I have executed next in turn task - should I delete it right now?

I have simple text file for To do list. When I have executed next in turn task - should I delete it right now?

Some people like to hang on to those completed NA's so that they can delete them all together during the Weekly Review and enjoy the sense of progress they've made. I like to delete mine right away so that my list shrinks and I can move on to the very next action.

I prefer to delete my Next Actions as soon as possible. Gives me an immediate sense of accomplishment as I see my NA list change every day.

For me, its delete all the way. I don't like my list to long - its long enough. Although I don't know the satisfaction of deleting a slew of items in one swoop during a weekly review, I love the instant gratification of an immediate deletion.

I mark completed tasks as "done", but then I let them hang around for a week so I can feel good about them :)

- Don

If you're GTDing, you'd have your task on both a Project List and a Next Action list. I delete happily off the Next Action list, but if that action isn't the very last action in the project, it's important to still have it over on your Project List so you'll remember to add the new Next Action to the Next Action list.

Whew. That sounded complicated, even though it's not.

Marina

I add it to my accomplishments list, then delete it. Even the little ones, since a lot of what I accomplish it in those little bits, and I need to see the list build up.

Do Mi

I delete. If you want to see done NAs and you use Outlook just filter all done NAs out. And that will be your accomplishments list for the day, week or year. But I think it's not useful.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by MarinaMartin

If you're GTDing, you'd have your task on both a Project List and a Next Action list.

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I do not think it is a mandatory GTD requirement. In simple projects it is just an unnecessary overhead.

Keeping a list of chronological actions for each project is pretty necessary.

Unless your Next Action is the *last* action for the project, how else will you ensure you have another Next Action behind it? The idea is to get things *out* of your head and into a trusted system -- 99% of the time I know what the next action is off the top of my head, sure, but if it's written down (or otherwise captured) then I never have to rely on my memory.

To each his own, of course, but I recommend separate Project Lists for anything that requires more than one action.