> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://meetdonna.xyz/docs/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Outcomes in Donna: the things you are trying to land

> You reach for an Outcome when something matters enough to be worth following for weeks and to carry a picture of what done looks like.

An **Outcome** is something durable you want to land, and it is Donna's top-level tracked unit. Each one carries a success picture of what "done" looks like, lives in an Area, and stays visible from the day it starts to the day it lands. Shipping the Q2 report, or getting fluent enough to order dinner in Spanish, are Outcomes.

## Every Outcome has a success picture

When you start an Outcome, Donna helps you name what "done" actually looks like, in your own words. Name it as a concrete image, for example *"the deck is shipped and the board approved it."* A sentence or two is the whole picture. Donna keeps that picture pointed at on every later step.

When you name what "done" looks like, Donna usually also asks why it matters to you now, and that "why" stays attached to the Outcome. If there is a starting point worth remembering, mention it and Donna keeps that too: when the Outcome lands, it shows the starting point next to where you ended up. The "before" is optional.

<Tip>
  Start a new Outcome three ways:

  * **Desktop:** the [outcomes verb](/docs/the-tour) in the top-right corner; the top line of the palette starts one.
  * **Phone:** the menu glyph in the bottom bar, then **Outcomes**; the top line starts one, the same as on desktop.
  * **Any time:** tell Donna about it.

  On desktop, a new Outcome opens its own space, assembling alongside the conversation as you talk. If you cannot name "done" yet, Donna offers a draft you can edit or discard. [A brain dump](/docs/guides/adhd-brain-dump) can surface an Outcome-shaped idea, and Donna offers to build it with you; smaller one-off items from a dump go to [Capture](/docs/concepts/capture) instead.
</Tip>

## Every Outcome lives in an Area

Outcomes are sorted one way only: by **Area**, the part of life they belong to (work, health, a side project). Each Area has a name and a color, and Donna colors an Outcome's screens with it so you can tell at a glance which part of life you are in. Create, rename, recolor, or merge Areas in settings, and Donna proposes one when a new Outcome is born.

## Where an Outcome lives in your day

Open the outcomes verb in the top-right corner (on a phone, the menu glyph in the bottom bar, then **Outcomes**) to see every Outcome, grouped in three rooms:

| Room         | What it means                                                                                                                                                                           |
| ------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **going on** | In progress: front-burner, coming up soon, or on the longer arc. Each row shows its Area, how many [Actions](/docs/concepts/actions) you have put in once there is one, and when it started. |
| **resting**  | Set down for now. This room carries no count.                                                                                                                                           |
| **landed**   | The success picture came true. Landed Outcomes stay visible rather than disappearing.                                                                                                   |

<img className="block dark:hidden" src="https://mintcdn.com/donna/u_kmlpQpmVZjHxy_/images/docs-shots/outcomes-shelf-light.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=u_kmlpQpmVZjHxy_&q=85&s=3681d8fee949d504cc6c635310438f0d" alt="Every Outcome in one list, grouped going on, resting, and landed, with a line on top for starting a new one." width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/docs-shots/outcomes-shelf-light.png" />

<img className="hidden dark:block" src="https://mintcdn.com/donna/u_kmlpQpmVZjHxy_/images/docs-shots/outcomes-shelf-dark.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=u_kmlpQpmVZjHxy_&q=85&s=7265f8fc3e45e1ad6fbe6b89c5aace20" alt="Every Outcome in one list, grouped going on, resting, and landed, with a line on top for starting a new one." width="2880" height="1800" data-path="images/docs-shots/outcomes-shelf-dark.png" />

Parking is how something reaches the resting room: set down for now, picked back up whenever you choose. Parking sets no countdown and marks nothing late. Donna handles the sorting.

## Not everything is an Outcome

A lot of what fills a day is just flow: clearing email, replying on Slack, handling admin. Donna helps you move through it, and loose one-offs live in [Capture](/docs/concepts/capture) instead.

## How an Outcome gets worked

You work an Outcome in short commitments called [Cycles](/docs/concepts/cycles): a few Actions over a window, reviewed at the end, then renewed. An Outcome's history over time is on [Outcomes over time](/docs/concepts/outcomes-over-time). If the Outcome is a multi-week project that has stalled before, the guide on [finishing big projects with ADHD](/docs/guides/finishing-big-projects-adhd) covers breaking it into slices small enough to finish.

## Frequently asked questions

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="What is the difference between an Outcome and a task?">
    A task is something you handle once and forget, and Donna moves you through those without tracking them. An Outcome is durable: it has a success picture, lives in an Area, and Donna follows it across days and weeks. Loose one-offs go to [Capture](/docs/concepts/capture) instead.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens when an Outcome lands?">
    It moves to the landed room and stays visible there. If you gave it a starting point, Donna shows that next to where you ended up.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Do I have to set a why or a before on an Outcome?">
    No. Both are optional, and neither is a form field: mention them in conversation and Donna keeps them. The success picture is the only part every Outcome has.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

<Card title="Next: Cycles" icon="forward" href="/docs/concepts/cycles">
  The short commitment an Outcome gets worked in.
</Card>

<Card title="Go deeper: Finishing big projects" icon="flag-checkered" href="/docs/guides/finishing-big-projects-adhd">
  How a big Outcome breaks into small, winnable Cycles.
</Card>

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