3 Reasons Why You Should Have a Not-To-Do List
In many cases what is preventing your goals from being reached is not what you are doing, but what you should not do.
“It is not enough to do your best; you must know what to do, and then do your best.” — W. Edwards Deming
If this quote resonates with you, then it’s time for you to make a not-to-do list!
You might be wondering why I am advocating not doing things that are not important?
You will find out soon enough. First, let me share the thing behind having a not-to-do list and 3 reasons why you should have yours.
How To Create a Not-To-Do List
Create a not-to-do list by jotting down activities you need to stop doing.
It could be rolling the Instagram feed needlessly, reading news endlessly, surfing through random articles aimlessly, checking the fridge repeatedly, and so on.
It is not easy to create not-to-do lists because we are habitual creatures who find it difficult not-to-do things that have become part of our daily lives.
You might end up asking yourself questions like:
“Why should I not read the news?” or “Maybe I don’t even know how else can I spend my time?”.
You will again understand why you must make a not-to-do list once you finish writing all your reasons for making one (applies here)!
- It’s hard not-to-do things that have become part of our daily lives.
- You might not know how else to spend your time.
- Not doing these things will free up more time for you to focus on what matters.
Now that we understand the importance of not doing things, let me share with you a few examples.
Examples Of Things To Include In Your Not-To-Do List
Reading news endlessly or checking Instagram notifications every five minutes are some activities that can be easily replaced by productive tasks such as reading, writing, and meditating.
Other not-so-productive tasks include aimlessly browsing through articles or shopping online without any specific purpose in mind.
So make sure to add these to your not-to-do list!
It is not easy, but it is definitely worth the effort.
Once you have created a not-to-do list and stopped doing these activities, you will find that more time has opened up for you to focus on what truly matters in life. And this is why having a not-to-do list is so important!
How a Not-To-Do List Helps You
There are so many things in our lives that we need not do. If you don’t create a not-to-do list, these not-to-dos will likely keep adding up and occupy more of your time than what’s necessary.
This means less focus on the activities which truly matter for you because you could inadvertently find yourself wasting time doing not-needed tasks instead!
Let me give an example:
If I want to read X article (say, about how meditation can help overcome stress) but end up reading Y article (random blog post), then this would be using my focus/time unwisely.
The result? I did not get value from either articles. This way, creating a not-to-do list not only frees up your time but also ensures that you get the most out of every activity.
A not-to-do list is a valuable tool because it can help us focus on what truly matters in life and avoid distractions that prevent us from achieving our goals.
By not doing things that are of no value, we can make space for activities that give us more meaning and purpose.
So go ahead and create your not-to-do list now! It will be worth it!
There are so many things in our lives that we don’t need to do — if we don’t create a not-to-do list, these not-to-dos will keep adding up and occupy more of our time than necessary.
When To Use A Not-To-Do List?
A not-to-do list is different from a to-do list in the sense that it helps us focus on what we need to stop doing, instead of what we need to do.
A not-to-do list keeps us accountable and focused on our goals by helping us avoid distractions.
On the other hand, a to-do list usually contains a long list of items that can be daunting and overwhelming. This is why you need to create both types of lists!
There are times when not doing something might be more beneficial than doing it — for example if you’re feeling overwhelmed or stressed, taking a break from work or any activity might be more helpful than continuing with it. In such cases, a not-to-do list can come in handy!
A not-to-do list is especially useful when you’re trying to focus on a specific task or goal.
Reasons Why You Should Build Your Not-To-Do List
1- Getting Rid Of Bad Habits
Everyone has bad habits which not only drain our energy but also prevent us from achieving our goals.
If you want to get rid of a bad habit, you need to focus on not doing that thing!
For example, if your goal is to stop checking Facebook every five minutes and instead read an educational book or listen to music, then this should be written in your not-to-do list.
This way, not only will the task help you achieve your larger goal of reading more books/listening to more music — but it can also give you some positive reinforcement by understanding how effective this method could be in helping you quit something destructive, like constantly checking Instagram.
2- Keeping Up With Personal Goals
Everyone has personal goals which might not be related to your job or work.
By creating a not-to-do list, you can make sure that these important tasks don’t get pushed aside because of other distractions and errands that crop up in life.
For example, if one task on your not-to-do list is ‘exercise for 30 minutes’ then this should take precedence over any other activity such as watching TV/video games etc.
This way, not only will the task help you stay fit — it can also give you some positive reinforcement by understanding how effective this method could be in helping keep yourself motivated towards staying healthy!
On the other hand, if we create separate lists for different types of activities (e.g. not-to-do and to-do lists), we might not be able to keep track of what we need to focus on, as a lot is going on in our lives!
So it’s best if you create one list which has both types of tasks — not only does this make things easier for us but also ensures that each task will get the attention it deserves!
3- Freeing Up Valuable Time
When we focus on not doing things that are not important, this frees up a lot of time and energy that is usually spent doing not-so-important tasks.
We can then use this extra free time to do the things which matter most! For example, if one task on your not-to-do list is ‘watch TV for an hour’ then you could use the same amount of time in some other way — such as spending more quality time with friends/family or learning something new, etc.
This way, not only will it help us make better decisions about how we spend our resources (such as money) but also ensures that each task gets done in equal measure.
Conclusion
If you want to achieve more in life, then not doing certain things is just as important as doing other meaningful activities!
By not focusing too much on what we should not do (which can sometimes become overwhelming) and instead focusing on the task at hand… we make sure that each not-so-important activity gets done in equal measure.
This way, we can stay focused and avoid distractions while getting rid of bad habits which might otherwise prevent us from achieving our goals.
