The hardest part of to-do lists is that they never seem to end. Every day brings something new.

Personally, this sometimes creates an overwhelming feeling – like I have an insurmountable list of things standing between myself and personal accomplishments. And it never stops growing.

I’ll agree, to-do lists help declutter the brain and remove a little bit of stress with lots of tasks spinning in my head, but what if I looked at it the opposite way? That there are actually things I could do without that would help me get to what I really want (or need) to do?

This thought came to mind from two examples at work.

Shiny Objects
I make lots of phone calls during the day. After hanging up, I found myself in the habit of scrolling through the screens of my phone to check social media feeds embedded on the screen (i.e. I didn’t even have to open the app…dangerous). A couple of minutes passed, and I would catch myself and regain focus on a task.

The same thing happened with email. While working on my computer, I found myself clicking back to Outlook to see if I had any new messages. Or as soon as a push notification came through my phone, I would check the message. It was a distraction that kept me from working efficiently.

Helping Me To Help Myself
In each instance, I added “checking facebook” and “checking phone email constantly” to a “to-don’t” list — a list of things I don’t need to do during the day.

To help myself even further, I removed the social media feeds from my home screens and turned off email push notifications.

Wouldn’t you know, everyone’s best comments and shares still show up in my feed later in the day, and I have yet to single-handedly cause the collapse of my employer by not immediately responding to an email.

As a result, I’m able to complete the task I started in less time. Consequently, I become a more dependable co-worker by passing on needed reports and information when it’s actually due. And if a last-minute request comes in, I’ll see it as soon as I’m finished with my current responsibility – then it will get placed at the top of my remaining “to-dos”. (More on this another time).

While it’s always important to know what we’re supposed to be doing, I’ve found it also helps to be conscious of what I shouldn’t be doing. And a “to-don’t” list is a great place keep track of those things.