06 Don't Do List

What if the fastest way to level up isn’t adding more, but cutting what drags you down? On today's episode, we dive into the power of a "Don’t Do" list.  These are simple rules that protect your time, energy, and focus so your calendar reflects your priorities instead of everyone else’s.

With time being finite and attention being limited, pre-deciding what you refuse to do slashes decision fatigue and stops reactive work before it starts. You’ll hear practical identity-based suggestions like never saying yes on the spot, skipping meetings without an agenda, and blocking off peak hours that turn vague intentions into daily defaults. We'll also tackle the emotional traps behind urgency, why other people’s emergencies don’t have to be yours, and how to avoid the morning spiral of email and notifications.

You’ll learn how to turn time leaks into boundaries, post your list where it guides your choices, and share it with teammates and family so the guardrails are respected. The goal is intention and iteration, not rigidity. Get ready to write three simple “I don’t” rules that calm your day and create space for better yeses. 

If this conversation helps you reclaim your attention, subscribe for more practical strategies, share it with a friend who needs stronger boundaries, and leave a quick review to tell us your top three don’ts.

Blinn Bates - BlinnBates.com

Woods & Bates, P.C. - woodsandbates.com

Right Fit Evaluator: https://blinnbates.com/right-fit-evaluator

Chapters

• 1:00 Why A Don't Do List Matters
• 2:10 Benefits: Space, Focus, And Fewer Regrets
• 3:41 Identity Rules That Calm Your Day
• 4:00 Real-World Examples Across Workflows
• 5:21 Turn Drains Into Clear Boundaries
• 5:44 Share Rules, Iterate, And Take Action

Transcript

SPEAKER_00: 0:30

Welcome back. We all have a to-do list, but not very many of us have a don't do list. Today I want to show you why committing to the things that you won't do can be just as powerful, if not more powerful, than the things you plan to do. Sometimes leveling up is about subtraction, not addition. So the idea is saying no is going to create space for us to do the things that are more important. Oftentimes our success depends on not only what we're choosing to do, but what we are refusing to do. Our time is finite, as we've discussed. Our focus is limited. And when we're doing those things that we hate doing, our energy is going to get depleted even faster. So having a don't do list is a commitment to putting some guardrails around the things that we are not going to do in our life. It's going to protect our time from those things that drain, distract, and those obligations that pull us off of the path we want to be on that's in line with our priorities. Every no that we give is going to create space for a better yes, something that we want to do, something that's in line with our priorities. So creating this don't do list is going to do a lot of things. It's going to eliminate decision fatigue that we've talked about by removing temptations and distractions in advance because we know that we do not do those things. It's going to help us avoid reactive work, emotional decision making, unnecessary commitments that we later regret. It's going to hopefully better align our day with our priorities instead of other people's agendas. So this is going to help mold our identity. Or I don't take meetings on the same day. I don't start my day without a plan. These are examples of us knowing what we do, but also knowing what we don't do. And that helps our path become clearer and our days become calmer. So what are some examples of this? There are some real-world examples I can give you in different areas. So as far as email and communication, maybe I don't process my email before my top priority is done. Or I don't respond to non-urgent messages right away. I give myself time to think about that. Maybe I don't attend meetings that don't have an agenda. Those waste time, they're frustrating, I just don't do it. I don't schedule anything over the blocks of time that I know that I'm most productive. I don't start the day without knowing my one or two top priorities. I don't ever say yes on the spot. I have a rule that I sleep on it. I don't allow distractions during my most productive hours. I don't start my morning looking at my email on my phone. I don't skip my planning for the day or my planning the night before for the next day. I don't confuse urgency with importance. I don't let other people's emergencies become my priorities. One of my most favorite quotes of all time is your failure to plan does not constitute my emergency. And that's so very true. And if that's something that we understand and live by, it makes our life so much better. So these are simple rules, you know, these are just examples that you can come up with your own and you can identify these by looking at what are the things that leak my time away? What keeps interrupting me day in and day out? What drains my energy? What do I just hate doing, hate thinking about doing? Turn these into your rules. So convert these distractions, these things that you don't like doing into a don't and put them on your list. It's clear, it's simple, it's direct. You can post the list for yourself so that you stay true to that. But also, not only can it be a reminder to you, you can share that with your team members at work, you can share that with your family members. And these boundaries work best when people know what they are. This isn't gonna be perfect. This is going to be a work in process, but it's all about intention. I intentionally don't do these things because they do not bring me joy, they do not light me up. I don't want to do them. I would challenge you today to write down three things that you're gonna stop doing. Don't do it tomorrow, do it right now. Just sit down and say, I don't do this, I don't do this, and I don't do this. What you're doing is you're protecting your own time. You're making space for you to be able to say yes to something else that you do enjoy doing. So when you protect your time over time, you're going to maximize your time and elevate your life. See you next time.