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<img alt="You Should Make a 'To-Don't List'" height="702" sizes="(max-width: 1280px) 100vw, 1280px" src="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/articles/01HF2HJ4PAHFB9HMFWSY274RFE/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1699836519.jpg" srcset="https://lifehacker.com/imagery/articles/01HF2HJ4PAHFB9HMFWSY274RFE/hero-image.fill.size_400x225.v1699836519.jpg 400w, https://lifehacker.com/imagery/articles/01HF2HJ4PAHFB9HMFWSY274RFE/hero-image.fill.size_800x450.v1699836519.jpg 800w, https://lifehacker.com/imagery/articles/01HF2HJ4PAHFB9HMFWSY274RFE/hero-image.fill.size_1248x702.v1699836519.jpg 1600w" width="1248"></img>
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<p>You’ve heard of a to-do list, but what you might really need is a to-<em>don’t</em> list. Instead of focusing on all the tasks you have to get done, it could be beneficial for you to look at everything you don’t need to or even shouldn’t do. It sounds like a waste of time, but it’s actually not: Seeing clearly what shouldn’t be taking up your attention is a great way to prioritize your time and focus on what really matters. There are two kinds of to-don’t lists to employ, so here’s what you need to know.<br></br></p><h2><strong>To-don’t 1: Bad habits</strong></h2><p>The first kind of to-don’t list you should make is one of bad habits you want to avoid. This is all about goal-setting. The habits that hold you back can be obvious to you or you may not realize some of them, but once you get started writing them down, more will come.</p><p>Some suggestions are these:</p><ul><li><p>Don’t sleep more or less than you’re supposed to, meaning you go to bed on time and don’t hit snooze in the morning.</p></li><li><p>Don’t put off answering emails.</p></li><li><p>Don’t skip breaks or lunch.</p></li><li><p>Don’t save all your work until right before it’s due or you need to leave work.</p></li><li><p>Don’t work all day and night without setting boundaries for when you’re off.</p></li></ul><p>As you make your list, you’ll discover the trouble areas you’re facing. Set aside a time, say every Monday morning, to review and update your list, tracking the progress you made on <em>not </em>doing those things last week, removing any that you’ve overcome, and adding new trouble spots that you’ve run into. As simple as it seems, having it all written down gives you a roadmap and something concrete to focus on while you blast through the bad habits.</p><h2><strong>Two-don’t 2: Tasks you don’t need to do</strong></h2><p>A lot of productivity methods focus on what you, specifically, need to contribute to your workplace, team, or various responsibilities, but some of the best ones also leave space for you to <a href="/use-the-4d-method-to-keep-up-with-your-inbox-1850878672" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="open in a new window">delegate tasks to others</a>. Saying “noâ€ to requests or new tasks that you don’t have the capacity for or there’s no reason for you to be the one to do is <a href="/ask-yourself-these-questions-before-saying-no-at-work-1850686442" rel="noopener" target="_blank" title="open in a new window">a special talent</a> we should all cultivate a little better. One way to do that is to keep a list of the tasks you aren’t touching.</p><p>Consider making a list that includes things like the following so you can set clear boundaries and stick to them:</p><ul><li><p>Don’t pick up other people’s responsibilities on a group project.</p></li><li><p>Don’t follow up with someone who is refusing to communicate.</p></li><li><p>Don’t waste time on emails unlikely to get a response.</p></li><li><p>Don’t schedule everyone’s work for them.</p></li><li><p>Don’t agree to new elements of a project until existing tasks are handled.</p></li></ul><p>Keeping a real record of the things you are drawing a line in the sand about will help you actually stick to that line. It also helps to have and idea of what you’ll say if and when someone asks you to do something on your to-don’t list. Thanks to the existence of the list, you can simply say, “I appreciate you thinking of me for this, but I don’t have space for that right now in my current schedule. I’ll let you know when I’m done with the things I need to do.â€</p><p>Once you have your lists compiled, refer to them. Keep them somewhere you’ll see them, like next to your computer or in a note on your phone, and let the power of writing down what you’re <em>not </em>going to do guide you as you tackle the actual to-do list. </p>
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<p>Lindsey Ellefson</p>
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<p>Lindsey Ellefson is Lifehacker’s Features Editor. She currently covers study and productivity hacks, as well as household and digital decluttering, and oversees the freelancers on the sex and relationships beat. She spent most of her pre-Lifehacker career covering media and politics for outlets like Us Weekly, CNN, The Daily Dot, Mashable, Glamour, and InStyle. In recent years, her freelancing has focused on drug use and the overdose crisis, with pieces appearing in Vanity Fair, WIRED, The New Republic, The Daily Beast, and more. Her story for BuzzFeed News won the 2022 American Journalism Online award for Best Debunking of Fake News.</p><p>In addition to her journalism, Lindsey is a student at the NYU School of Global Public Health, where she is working toward her Master of Public Health and conducting research on media bias in reporting on substance use with the Opioid Policy Institute’s Reporting on Addiction initiative. She is also a Schwinn-certified spin class teacher. She won a 2023 Dunkin’ Donuts contest that earned her a year of free coffee. Lindsey lives in New York, NY.</p>
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