My not-to-do list
Here is my not-to-do list that helps me stay focused on important and high-level tasks:
- No administration (I’m really lousy with papers)
- No free lectures and no free consulting, with a few exceptions
- Mentoring one young person a year
- Lecturing at conferences I personally really want to attend
- Going to countries I haven’t traveled to yet
- No stress and anxiety, always action-oriented
- No letting fear limit me, always facing my fears
- No unrealistic expectations
- No cognitive distortions and negative thinking
- No dealing with haters or spending time with zombies and emotional vampires
- No working with bozos or irrationally demanding clients
- No crossing my margin and no overloading
- No checking my e-mail the first and the last thing in a day
- No e-mail client open when working
- No replying to every e-mail or IM
- No meetings (in person or by phone) with no clear agenda and a deadline
- No small talk (in person, by phone or IM)
- No reading news
- No social networks (except for the promotion of the blog)
- No shopping centers (except once a year when I have to update my wardrobe)
- No extreme thinking or disrespecting people with different views
- No negative emotional focus on the past or the future, always staying present
- No changing people (accepting them as they are)
- No gossiping about other people
- No going to bed late (after midnight)
- No heavy food after 7pm
- Do no evil
Now prepare your own not to-do list. You can help yourself with templates you can find at the end of this blog post.