When working through something, do you look at what you still have ahead of you? Or what you have already done?

I do both. And both serve different purposes.

Looking at everything ahead helps me keep grounded and on-task. Just going through the list item by item, relentlessly moving forward.

But especially when working through a long, complex project, or when going through an extensive to-do list, oftentimes I check back on the things that I have already checked as done. This helps me gain perspective, and get a jolt of that feeling of accomplishment, not to despair.

To me, it is not about what we have ahead or behind, it is where we are.