My Not-To-Do List

Tim Ferriss posted his Not-To-Do List a while back. As he said,

“Not-to-do” lists are often more effective than to-do lists for upgrading performance. The reason is simple: what you don’t do determines what you can do."

After reading it and listening to him describe it, I decided to make one of my own. Some of his points are spot on for me, so I've adopted them. I've also thought of others on my own.

1. Do not check or respond to email first thing in the morning or last thing at night.

As Tim says, "The former scrambles your priorities and plans for the day, and the latter just gives you insomnia. E-mail can wait until 10am, after you’ve completed at least one of your critical to-do items…"

I've scheduled on my calendar 2 one-hour blocks to check my email and phone. By batching these tasks, I am able to focus on completing the work that I have identified as high-priority for the day. It also allows me to respond on my own timetable, not the other person's.

2. Do not allow push notifications

I have disabled push notifications on my phone for everything. I don't even get text notifications unless I choose to check to see if I received a text. It's liberating, and it allows me to focus on the task at hand. I haven't regretted this since implementing it about a month ago. Most of the time texts, emails, and other notifications can wait until the scheduled time.

3. Do not answer unknown numbers

Again from Tim, "Feel free to surprise others, but don’t be surprised. It just results in unwanted interruption and poor negotiating position. Let it go to voicemail, and consider using a service like GrandCentral (you can listen to people leaving voicemail) or Simulscribe(receive voicemails as e-mail)."

I allow most phone calls to go to voicemail so that I can engage in the communication from a state of preparation. Fabian tactics applied to business - I engage at the time and place of my own choosing.

4. Do not meet without an agenda

This applies to business and personal. Ask for an agenda beforehand, including discussion topics, goals, and attendees. If these things are not provided, why would you agree to waste your time, or worse - be blindsided by someone else's agenda?

5. Do not work more to fix overwhelm or to sell more

From Tim, "If you don’t prioritize, everything seems urgent and important. If you define the single most important task for each day, almost nothing seems urgent or important. Oftentimes, it’s just a matter of letting little bad things happen (return a phone call late and apologize, pay a small late fee, lose an unreasonable customer, etc.) to get the big important things done. The answer to overwhelm is not spinning more plates — or doing more — it’s defining the few things that can really fundamentally change your business and life."

For me, overwhelm (or underperforming) don't get fixed by working more. Those things get fixed when I take a deep breath, take time to think, and make a plan. I reverse-engineer my desired outcomes.

6. Do not expect work to fill the place of relationships

Work is work. It can be really awesome. A lot of my good friends are people that I work with, and I cherish those relationships.

BUT...

"Work is not all of life. Your co-workers shouldn’t be your only friends. Schedule life and defend it just as you would an important business meeting. Never tell yourself “I’ll just get it done this weekend.” Review Parkinson’s Law in 4HWW and force yourself to cram within tight hours so your per-hour productivity doesn’t fall through the floor. Focus, get the critical few done, and get out. E-mailing all weekend is no way to spend the little time you have on this planet."

I have recently focused on developing a band of brothers. These guys are awesome, and we all really care about one another. We get together at least once a week and spend meaningful time together. This group of guys has helped me get through some really rough spots.

7. Do not stay discouraged

Life is pretty tough sometimes. Things happen. People hurt us. When life deals us a tough hand, it is easy to wallow in it. It's also easy to put on a brave face and repeat, "I'm fine, thanks." like a mantra, all the time wishing it would just be true already.

In my experience, problems don't go away when we act like they're not there. We gain ground when we can be honest with ourselves and others that yes, life is not easy right now. When we start with honesty and truly own our own stuff and allow other people to take ownership of their actions, the light starts filtering in. Do not stay discouraged.

8. Do not spend all day looking at screens

I'll be honest with you, this is a tough one for me. I have a 39" 4K and a 27" 1080p screen smiling back at me in addition to my 13" MBP. I have a beautiful iPhone 6 (should have gotten the 6+!). There's a lot of really cool stuff out there to learn about.

But I feel better when I get out and take a walk. When I leave my phone behind, get out in the world, and look people in the eyes. I live in a pretty beautiful place, and I feel more whole when I get out and enjoy the beauties of nature, especially when I enjoy them with the people that I love.

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Steve Underwood is a technology sales professional with 13 years of experience. He is currently focusing on large account acquisitions for Workfront, and is based in sunny San Diego, CA.

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