The To-Stop-Doing List

You know how the to-do list can define our day’s sometimes? We stare at these tasks sometimes, overwhelmed by them, but we start doing them and then when we finally mark everything off, we do a quick happy dance and feel free! Then we do it all again.

I like having a to-do list mostly because it helps me to remember what I have to do. But I’ve been thinking about making sort of an anti-to-do list. I call it the To-Stop-Doing list and it will include things that make me feel like crap. Things I don’t really have to do but kinda suck up too much of my life, time, and energy. Finishing things on this list will not only give me a since of accomplishment but could actually improve quality of life, like right now. Just like the to-do list reminds me what I need to do, the to-stop-doing list reminds me of things I need to not do.

The To-Stop-Doing list can have everything from:

too much time on social media
being around too much negativity
eating too many Chick-fil-a Minis
Spending too much time on a task I could delegate

Anything and everything that is having an undesirable effect on your life, put it on the list.

Things to consider before making the To-Stop-Doing list:

1) Start by paying attention.
-To the way things are making you feel. If the answer is bad, put it on the list and start moving towards having less time and energy spent on it.

2) Ask yourself, What’s the worst that would happen if I just didn’t do this?
-More than likely, the world will go on.

3) Once it’s on the list, don’t do it.
-Just like with the to-do list, once it’s out of your routine you’ll likely have more energy to do stuff that matters.

4) The list doesn’t have to be permanent or final.
-For example: If I say Chick-fil-a Minis are having a negative effect on me. I may want to stop eating them for my health and for my bank account but that doesn’t mean I’ll never eat them again. (That’s just crazy! So good.) Or if some aspects of social media are having a negative effect on me, maybe I have certain days when I don’t look at it? Just make sure if it’s having a negative effect, pay attention to that.

The thing is, I know I have just as many things that I could stop doing as I have that I need to start doing or to-do. Both are doing to help me get more work done. So I think some motivation or at least some reminder, like having a physical list, is order for things I should stop doing as well.

Questions:
What are some things you would put on your To-Stop-Doing list?

What kind of awesome stuff could you do if you did stop doing those things?

Happy Friday!