Why is a Not-To-Do List more Important than a To-Do List?

We all have a To-Do list, but does one have a Not-To-Do List? A strong Not-To-Do list can assist you in getting rid of bad habits in no time. With such an inventory , you'll get obviate habits like using err while talking, reacting when angry and more. During this article, you'll find out how to make an easy yet effective Not-To-Do list which can assist you overcome your own bad habits.

So you've made a to-do list, kept it simple and updated, striking one task after another, becoming a superhuman at productivity. Kudos, that’s an excellent leap thus far .

So far you've got to specialize in getting things done. At an equivalent time, it's important to spend some time doing only those things which matter. you'll get over excited with the momentum of doing task after task, many of which aren't adding any value. At work, a bazillion tasks crave your attention, out of which just some are valuable. As important as it's to try to do things which are important, it's equally important to not do things which are of no value.

Force of habit

This article is Step 9 – Why may be a to not Do list more important than a to try to to list of Phase 2: Gain Momentum with Routine of the three phase transformation into superhuman productivity. you'll begin right from step 1 by accessing the index here – 3 Phase Transformation into Living Your Dreams.

To understand the aim behind the activity I like to recommend you to read through the article. But, for the busy bees, you'll go on to the exercise.

Let us deem an example of the goal of fixing a restaurant. there's no got to spend some time researching how other restaurants are writing their blog posts once you produce other basic tasks associated with the found out to require care of.

The most common mistake of task completion

A common mistake when it involves tasks is spending an excessive amount of time on a task only for the heck of completing it. For instance , when opening a restaurant, it's necessary to research how other successful restaurants manage their business to avoid any pitfalls. However, if you spend half your available time on a day to day for such research, you're dalliance . you've got to also spend time in other areas of fixing the restaurant.

You think you are not making such an error, don’t you?

As trivial as this error seems, you commit similar mistakes on a day to day basis too. Once you are battling a task, what does one do? Aren’t you hell-bent on completing it, sort of a man on a vengeance?

It is natural to feel the urge to finish the task because completing the task makes us feel relieved. Driven by the completion urge, we ignore that we've a more important task to finish .

How a to not Do List helps

Have a stop doing list

This is where a to do not do list comes in. You and I have behaviors we'd like to avoid. Though you think that you're the simplest of the simplest , you continue to have a scope to enhance .

It might be browsing Facebook/Instagram needlessly, reading news endlessly, browsing through random articles aimlessly, checking the fridge repeatedly then on.

Bad habit

The tricky part of such behavior is that you simply might not even be doing it consciously. You exhibit an equivalent behavior so regularly that you simply have formed a habit. Therefore, to urge out of this habit, you've got to stay telling yourself “Do not do it”. If not, you'll be doing it time and again without your conscious mind even realizing it.

Ask yourself, does one skill often peek into your phone and why? you are not doing it because the behavior is now controlled by your subconscious.

From my very own experience, I even have a habit of taking tons of your time to write down an email. I do so with all the great intent. I work on making the email look neat, understandable, and digestible from the reader's perspective, keeping it short enough to hide context while also not making it long with unnecessary fluff.

Only recently did I realize “Damn, I'm spending tons of your time on the emails I compose!” While the trouble is justified for a few of the important emails, it had been unnecessary for each single email I sent. I had to stay telling myself, don't spend tons of your time drafting an email unless necessary. I combine the self-reminder now with a mental timer to finish it faster and that I am making steady progress. Though I'm not completely out of the woods yet, I have even been ready to reduce my addiction to writing down an excellent email for each single email.

Example of a Not-To-Do List

The reason I got better was by listing the bad habit of writing perfect emails on my Not-To-Do List.

Restrict yourself

The most prominent use of a to not Do List is to urge out of the clutches of bad habits you've already formed. Trust me, you've got many of them. a couple of of them already crossed your mind. If you apply some thought you'll realize some more. there'll even be some that you simply aren't even conscious of .

Currently, here are a couple of of the things on my to not Do List:

• Do not spend tons of your time drafting email content unless necessary
• Do not overuse “OK” during verbal communication
• Do not jump to a conclusion as soon as you hear any information which features a natural negative presumption
• Do not start a sentence with No, But or However

As you'll see, none of those are major bad habits. These are little changes which will make me a far better person. A Not-To-Do list helps in serving that purpose. The list above should offer you a thought of what to place on a to not do list. you'll even create a to not do list template by specifying a format for an item. An example below:

• Do not ___________ which consumes results of my time
• Do not ___________ in order that
• Do not ___________ in order that I can be used

Differences between a Not-To-Do List and to try To-Do-List

Here are some inherent differences of the Not-To-Do list from the standard To-Do List

The items on the to not Do list are usually recurring: the rationale you've got for the item on your No to-do list is that you simply have formed a nasty repetitive behavior. you can't just not roll in the hay once and strike it off sort of a to-do list, can you?

The items on the list haven't any deadlines or reminders: the things on the No To-do list usually happen at any time of the day . Neither is there a selected timeline or frequency once they appear nor is there a selected time on the clock you can't set to mark the bad behavior as solved.

The items on the list remain for an extended time: the first reason for putting out a Not To-do list is to interrupt you out of a nasty habit or behavior. Like any habit, this is often not an overnight task. Sometimes my items have remained on the list for months. I have not even been ready to break away completely from some habits yet. So be prepared to possess items on the Not-To-Do list for an extended time. Once you finally believe that you simply have gotten rid of the habit or it appears only very rarely, you'll mark the item as complete.

There is no blast to travel through the Not-To-Do list: How often do you have to check out your to not Do list depends upon what you have listed and what you would like yourself to prevent doing. You would possibly want to look at the list every morning, every day, every few days or hebdomadally. If you are not to check out the list even once during a week, it always means the item should be struck off already.

Personal Experience of getting obviate a habit

The purpose of the Not-To-do list is to either escape an old habit or form a replacement habit(of stopping something). you'll ask, how is that any different from knowing we've a nasty habit?

Using Filler words

Let me tell you about my very own personal story. I want to use “err” often as a filler while speaking. Although I used to be aware I exploited “err” repeatedly during verbal communication, I never improved. Awareness of the habit isn't an equivalent as keeping a conscious tab thereon to vary . The only reminder to your brain every once during a while adds the corrective behavior into your conscious brain.

We fail to urge obviate bad habits because most of them are driven without conscious thought. I never shall use “err” intentionally in my speech. I had a habit of causing words to err to return out of my mouth once I am checking out words or unsure about which words to use.

The moment I made a conscious effort, getting rid of the bad habit became easy. It simply happened naturally and in no time the habit was gone.

When I kept reminding myself that I shouldn't use “err”, “you know” or the other filler words in my conversation, I used to be surprised how quickly I got rid of the habit which I had carried with me for years. It took roughly 2 weeks to urge obviate the habit. All I did was mentally reprimanded myself as soon as I repeated the bad behavior. I reminded myself to pause rather than employing a filler word.

Exercise of making a Not-To-Do List

Why don’t you create a Not-To-do list for yourself?

Go ahead and make a to not Do list immediately . It's simple and simple . you'll roll in the hay in 3 steps as stated earlier.

Step 1: List down the foremost obvious bad behaviors to prevent

Step 2: Take a while to think what are the bad behaviors you'll drop

Step 3: attempt to identify a number of the bad behaviors you're not conscious of. Asking a beloved like your spouse, siblings or ally helps.

Leave to discuss what bad behavior you plan to prevent .

Aim to unravel one or two bad behaviors at a time. Choose the one which needs the foremost attention. it's not necessary that the foremost obvious one that you simply identified in Step 1 needs attention first. A more serious bad behavior could be one which your spouse sees and you don’t.

Conclusion

The benefits of a stop doing list are understated. It helps you avoid bad habits with ease. Now that you simply have a to not Do List, start with one. you'll realize the facility of a to not Do List yourself.

Your to not do List is a reminder making it a conscious thought. With enough conscious effort, the message seeps into your subconscious. Now , you do not have to apply any longer conscious effort to prevent doing whatever you aimed to prevent.

Get rid of your bad habits starting today. Start following your Not To-do list now.