How To Make a To-Don’t List?

making a to-don't list
Source: mindtools

We all add several things-to-do lists to make ourselves efficient. It helps us to keep in mind so many other things. It relieves you from doing multiple things, and you can check whether you have done them or not. We all are familiar with to-do lists, but this blog is about the to-don’t list with one exception. It consists of the tasks that one shouldn’t do. We will let you know how to make a list. Let’s get into this blog and explore 

Don’t Spend Too Much Time On A List

Well, it’s good that you have listed everything, but spending so much time on such things will reduce productivity. No one has time to spend more time making a list. You shouldn’t spend more than 15 minutes. 

Avoid Judging From Single Or Short Term Perspective

While making a to-don’t list,, you are judging yourself from a single to short-term perspective. Judging everything from a single or short-term perspective would leave an impact on a bigger scale and long term. Keep aside all the things and mention to challenge yourself. If everyone is jumping on the same bandwagon, then don’t join. Always go for whatever suits you.

Don’t Rely on the time

We mostly hold ourselves back from trying new things and relying on time, but we actually want to mention here that we don’t wait for the perfect time. Let’s get started today, and whatever your mistakes were, learn from them because this is something you should keep in mind. 

Don’t Focus On Perfect And Flawless

While making a to-don’t list, you shouldn’t pay close attention to be perfect and flawless. When the to-don’t list is prepared, you should always add the challenging things you want to compromise on. Prepare a list and be ready for the difficult things to move on. 

What Should Be Included In To-Don’t List?

A to-don’t list is the best way to break all the bad habits related to work, health, and relationships. Creating a list is a personal experience; keep in mind everyone will have to follow a different routine.

1. Constantly Check The Emails

Batch your email checking time in one or two slots should be preferable in one or two slots. I have seen many people constantly checking their emails. It could be a bad habit and for this, people add an autoresponder to allow senders to get an immediate response. 

2. Don’t Eat Lunch At the Desk

Breaks are essential for mental and physical health. Many people take frequent breaks to keep themselves motivated to work and not lack self-control. Lunch times give the opportunity to leave the desk. Go for a walk and catch up with colleagues. Properly focusing on food will help to avoid eating too much quickly. Don’t work without breaks as well so it’s a perfect thing to add to the list for not affecting your break. 

3. Avoid Attending Useless Meetings

Useless meetings are a waste of time, so always encourage asynchronous communication within time and never compromise this. Useless meetings will have no clear plan and impact productivity as well. 

4. Don’t Spend Too Much Time On Social Media

Spending excessive time on social media to know about the latest updates isn’t useful. Checking again for the latest updates can impact your mental health, and you might get addicted too. Scrolling all the time is not peaceful, so make sure you have set up a timer when browsing social media and block these mediums for the rest of the day. 

5. Every Email Doesn’t Require A Reply

Replying to every email is not necessary. Not all emails require a reply and be mindful of your and other people’s time. If you find a question that needs to be answered then go ahead. If it’s not required a reply then simply archive the email without replying.

6. Taking Coffee Late In the Afternoon

Well, there is no harm in having a few cups of coffee during the day, but relying on caffeine to sustain focus and alertness is not helpful. Make sure to add this to your to-don’t list for not having a coffee late in the afternoon. It can disrupt the sleeping cycle, and you would get addicted too. 

What Is The Worst Part Of To-Don’t List?

Well, we have seen many people paying attention to-don’t list, but it could also affect productivity. Here we have mentioned some of the worst things about deciding on productivity methods.

1. It’s Not a Replacement Of To-Do List

People who are writing down all the tasks to tackle their routine should expect this help but it’s not a complete replacement for the to-do list. It consists of habits you would like to start that don’t bring value, and you need to keep the list close. Relying on a list of tasks to avoid helps you memorize everything you should give attention to. 

2. Reminding Yourself Of What Shouldn’t Do

People may have to get into it to remind themselves of what they shouldn’t do. Although many people find it difficult to remember these mostly, it is an unconsciously repeating unwanted behavior. To avoid this reminding repeatedly, you shouldn’t make this to-don’t list as visible as possible or set the alarm to remind multiple times to get old habits. 

Final Thoughts

These are the few things that can help you get rid of your worst habits. You can add all of them to a list and then work on them to supervise without repeating old mistakes. Accept your weak spots and let them go. Bad habits can have a negative impact on self-esteem and 

You May Also Like