to not do list

you've got a to-do list. probably several. apps, notebooks, sticky notes — an entire ecosystem dedicated to things you need to accomplish. but have you ever written down the things you need to stop doing?

the anti-list

a to-not-do list is exactly what it sounds like: a written inventory of your worst habits, your most destructive patterns, and the behaviors you know are holding you back. not vague aspirations like "be healthier." specific, concrete actions you want to eliminate.

stop checking your phone in the first 30 minutes after waking up
stop saying yes to plans you don't actually want to attend
stop eating lunch at your desk
stop staying up past midnight scrolling
stop comparing your progress to other people's highlights

write them down. all of them. be brutally honest.

why this works better than goals

goals are additive — they pile more onto your already overloaded life. the to-not-do list is subtractive. it creates space by removing the behaviors that waste your time, drain your energy, and keep you stuck.

and here's the satisfying part: when you successfully eliminate a habit, you cross it off. not because it's done like a task, but because it's dead. you killed it. that line through the text is a permanent record of a pattern you broke.

how to build yours

spend ten minutes writing down every habit you wish you didn't have
pick the three that cost you the most (in time, energy, health, or relationships)
put the list somewhere you'll see it daily
when you go a full month without a behavior, cross it off with a thick, satisfying line

addition by subtraction

you don't need to add more to your life. you need to remove what's weighing it down. the to-not-do list is the most honest document you'll ever write, because it requires admitting exactly where you're failing yourself.

start yours today. the first step to quitting a bad habit is admitting — in writing — that it exists.

if this resonated, share it with someone who needs to hear it.