I've heard those described as "to-done lists", and yes, they're very useful.

I've found pre-commitment to n more indulgences generally fails if the cost to one more indulgence is sufficiently low. The only workable solution I've found is forcible pre-commitment to zero more indulgences. In the case of a directory filled with Robot Chicken episodes, closing the window on that directory when I resolve to not watch any more has proven to be very effective.