The good old to-do list is a staple of most productivity systems, used to keep track of tasks and manage your focus throughout the day. A complementary method can further increase our productivity: the not-to-do-list. As the name indicates, it consists in listing all of the behaviors you want to avoid.
What you don’t do matters as much as what you do
Focusing on what matters requires to protect our time and mental energy
- Each day, we waste resources because of useless tasks, inefficient processes, time-sucking products, and bad habits
- A not-to-do list is a way to identify these black holes so you can make a conscious effort to avoid them
- Block some time to review your tasks from the previous month
What to include in your not-to-do list
Ten ideas to get you started
- Do not constantly check your emails
- Batch your email checking time in one or two slots during the day
- Eat lunch at your desk
- Attend useless meetings that don’t have a clear agenda
- Be mindful of your and other people’s time by only replying to emails when it is absolutely necessary
- Don’t try to reply to every single email
- Not all emails require a reply
- Bedtime procrastination can affect your sleep, which will result in negative effects on your mental and physical health
- Avoid the “yes autopilot” by setting clear boundaries based on your goals and values
