From the course: Time Management Tips

Building a not-to-do list

From the course: Time Management Tips

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Building a not-to-do list

- Ever catch yourself doing something that you knew was not the right thing to do? I'm not talking in a moral sense, I'm talking in a productive sense. You find yourself running an errand to buy a box of paperclips on the other side of town when your time is far better spent working with a customer, that sort of thing. It's common in this interruptive world that we live in to find ourselves trapped in these kinds of low value activities. You've likely heard of the to do list which is incidentally something, in my time management courses, I encourage people not to have. What I do encourage you to have, instead of the to do list, is the not to do list. This is the list of things that you know will get you into trouble in a productivity sense. The leaders I coach and speak to who are most productive have learned to say no far more often than they say yes. This is a principle of success. You want to avoid entangling yourself in doing things that are low to no value. I believe it's a helpful exercise for everyone to go through to discover what should be on their not to do list. If you need a starting point for your personal not to do list, here are a few suggestions. Do not attempt to multitask. It makes things take longer, you'll make more mistakes, you'll increase your stress levels and you'll damage relationships. Do not agree to meet with people unless there is a clear objective for that meeting. This protects both your time and their time. Do not constantly check your email. Rather than having your email in a constant state of send and receive, have a scheduled time to go through it. Do not do something for someone else when you can teach them instead. Part of being a leader is helping other people learn and grow, and if you do things for them, not only will it hurt your short term productivity, but it will hurt their growth. Now, these are four ideas that are just a starting point. I recommend, at the end of this video, that you take a few minutes to create a list of at least 10 not to dos. Then, share that list with people, either through friends, through email, or post it up on social media. By making a public commitment of the things that you will not do, it will help reinforce your personal follow through and protect your time.

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