{"id":247,"date":"2017-09-25T04:45:33","date_gmt":"2017-09-25T09:45:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/michaelhyatt.com\/?p=247"},"modified":"2017-09-25T04:45:33","modified_gmt":"2017-09-25T09:45:33","slug":"do-you-have-a-not-to-do-list","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/fullfocus.co\/do-you-have-a-not-to-do-list\/","title":{"rendered":"Do You Have a Not-to-Do List? You Should"},"content":{"rendered":"

To-Do lists are so popular they need no introduction. You\u2019re surrounded by them: at the grocery store, around the house, even in outer space<\/a>!<\/p>\n\n

It\u2019s easy to see why these agendas are so popular. You list the items that need to get done on a piece of paper or a device, preferably in the order of most to least important, and then cross them off as you go, giving you a sense of real accomplishment.<\/p>\n

It\u2019s a simple, elegant, powerful solution as to how to organize your days. But there\u2019s a catch.<\/p>\n\n

When To-Dos To-Don\u2019t<\/h3>\n

Often, To-Do lists give you more items than you can reasonably\u2014or even unreasonably\u2014get done. What then? Enter the Not-to-Do List.<\/p>\n

I came up with this idea several years ago and keep coming back to it. Happily, several people have joined<\/a> the not-to-do bandwagon.<\/p>\n

The idea is to list all of the activities you are intentionally going to stop doing for the sake of greater productivity<\/a>.<\/p>\n

And here\u2019s why that\u2019s important: As you succeed at work, you attract more and more assignments. It\u2019s like you become a task magnet.<\/p>\n

\u201cGive it to Lori,\u201d colleagues will say. \u201cShe\u2019ll do a great job!\u201d<\/p>\n

But people are a finite resource. You only have so much energy<\/a> and so much time, no matter how good you are.<\/p>\n

When You Really Need a Not-to-Do List<\/h3>\n

The only way for a super-productive person to continue to grow professionally without going crazy is to periodically decide what you are not going to do<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is particularly important when you have just been promoted to a new job. That\u2019s when you really face the pressure to perform, and it\u2019s the most difficult to say no. But you must say no if you are going to say yes to the things that really count\u2014both in your job and in your life.<\/p>\n

Keep in mind that the great risk for most people in new jobs is that you will continue to do your old job<\/em>.<\/p>\n

\u201cNow why would people do that?\u201d you ask. \u201cThat\u2019s crazy!\u201d<\/p>\n

Probably because it is familiar. And your supervisor never said you had to stop<\/em> doing it. Being aware of this dynamic is half the battle.<\/p>\n\t\t