What, a Do Not Do List?

We are all “list” makers; after all, that is how we get the important things done. We can’t cross something off our list unless it first makes it onto the list. Our typical list would contain “prompts” and “reminders” of what tasks, chores, duties, along with other items, need to be done. Our minds are so jam-packed and overflowing with information that to ensure these important items are completed, they “live” in a special place; Our “To-Do” list.

Looking at the opposite, the flip side of things can often be more powerful and revealing. In this instance, let’s consider the juxtaposed “Do-Not-Do” list.

Do-Not-Do List.

Don’t…

• procrastinate…others depend on you.
• delay decisions…remember, ACTion is the hard part.
• micromanage…let your people work to their full potential.
• do what others can do better than you…your time can never be recaptured.
• make things more complex…
  

  “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.” Leonardo da Vinci

• talk before listening…let others speak; you will be amazed at what they say.
• put yourself first…because you think you are right does not make it so (HiPPO).
• spend more than you earn…do this, and you may work for a very long time.
• solve everyone’s problems…others learn when they solve their problems.
• break a promise…
  “I Meant what I said and said what I meant.”  Dr. Seuss
• follow the crowds..rarely are they smarter than you.
• compare yourself to others…
  

  “Be yourself; everyone else is taken.” Oscar Wilde

• add more to your To-Do List…more is not better; better is better.
• Say “Yes” automatically…remember your Do Not Do List (Saying No).
• Major in the Minor…it’s the little things that are most distracting.
• strive for being busy…being productive is a better choice.
• (add yours here…)
• (and here…)

There you go, my Do-Not-Do list, at least for now. This list is less task-specific, acting more like a “filter” to your To-Do list.

The items on the Do-Not-Do list are ACTions as compared to tASKS on a To-Do List.

With time, as one becomes better, more productive, more accountable, and more goal-orientated many of the items on this list will become habitual and automatic. Just imagine how your focus, productivity, and time management will soar while the distractions that “clog up” your day will disappear.

So…what’s on your Do-Not-Do List?