Philippines staffing guide
A Daily Done List With Evidence
A done list is not a diary. It is a short record of what changed, what is waiting, and what needs a decision.
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A daily done list helps the assistant and the owner see the work without opening every tool. It also creates a record of what was completed and what remains. The list should be short, factual, and linked to evidence. It should not become a long narrative that no one reads.
The operating problem
A daily done list helps the assistant and the owner see the work without opening every tool. It also creates a record of what was completed and what remains. The list should be short, factual, and linked to evidence. It should not become a long narrative that no one reads.
Use three sections: completed, waiting, and decisions needed. Under completed, name the output and the place it was saved or sent. Under waiting, name the owner or system and the date of the next check. Under decisions needed, state the question and the consequence of delay.
Keep the list to the work that matters. A list of twenty minor actions hides the one deliverable that is at risk. If the assistant completed a report, reconciled an invoice batch, and cleared the urgent inbox, those are the headlines. The routine clicks do not need to be listed.
What to control
Link to evidence where possible. A completed report can link to the document. A sent message can reference the thread. A reconciled batch can link to the summary. The owner should be able to spot-check without asking for a tour. This is especially useful when the assistant works across time zones.
Record the exceptions. If a task could not be completed because the source was missing or the owner did not respond, say so. An honest waiting item is better than a completed label that hides a gap. The exception should name the next action and the person who owns it.
Review the list at the start of the next day. The assistant should carry forward the waiting items and close the loop on the decisions. The owner should scan the decisions needed and respond or delegate. A list that is never reviewed becomes a ritual.
A workable routine
Use the list in the weekly review. The pattern of completed work, waiting items, and decisions shows where the queue is stuck. It also shows whether the assistant is spending time on the right work. A week of completed low-value tasks is a planning problem, not a productivity win.
Keep the list in the approved system. Do not put confidential details in a personal note or a chat channel. The same access and retention rules apply. The list is a management record, not a private diary.Write the list before the end of the shift, not the next morning. The details are fresher, and the next shift can use the list immediately. If the assistant works across time zones, the list becomes the handover note.
Use plain language. The owner should not need a glossary to understand what was completed. Name the deliverable and the outcome, not the internal tool. A list that says updated the tracker is less useful than one that says reconciled the October invoice batch and flagged two missing receipts.
Review and evidence
Keep a separate line for work that was blocked by a decision. A blocked item is not completed, and it is not the assistant's failure. The owner should see the decision queue and the age of each item. That visibility is often the most valuable part of the list.
Do not use the list to compare assistants or to create a productivity score. The list is a communication tool. If it becomes a surveillance record, people will write for the audience rather than for the work. Keep it short and focused on the next action.