Not to Do List

Few things frustrate people as much as their own procrastination. Numerous ToDo lists and methode help to avoid it. And yet it does not work.

I'll do that next week”, you think, while for the twentieth time you intend to actually do that task.
Don't kid yourself. You know quite well that you will not get around to that task.

It's time for a different way. Stop procrastinating. Just delete the task.
Anyone who thinks about tasks in this way will automatically make other choices and organize time differently.

In these instructables you will learn which steps to take. You can download the lists or draw something yourself. in the maantime you will gain more insight into the reasons for your procrastination.

But first I want to reassure you. You are not the only one who keeps putting off difficult jobs. You are in good company. In fact, about 20 to 25 percent of people see procrastination as an important characteristic of their personality.

Why you need a Not To Do list?

Research shows that procrastination is associated with characteristics such as fear of failure, shame and indecisiveness. Procrastinators have little confidence in themselves and are more likely to be pessimistic. They have a negative self-image. This is where a downward spiral begins. Postponing tasks causes guilt and stress. After that, it is even more difficult to break through the procrastination.

In the popular book "Eat That Frog," Brian Tracy described ways to stop procrastinating and get things done. The method teaches you to set priorities and plan them. This way you only work on the things that are actually important to you. Set achievable goals, divide your work into steps, and appreciate yourself for your efforts - not the results. The basis of this method remains, and we will supplement it with a new step. This 'Not To Do method' is based on Positive psychology.

• Pencil
• Printed downloads or your own bullet book

Download the 'much to do list' or grab your favorite app / bulletbook / ToDoList. Fill it in as usual.

If you don't know how to do that, you can find online numerous instructions for use. A populair one is "Eat That Frog," from the book by Brian Tracy

A realistic planning of your day and week gives peace of mind.
You can put up to twenty tasks on your to do list, but knowing that you will never get them all done will only be frustrating (and therefore not productive).

Tips:
> Schedule time for unexpected things.
> Schedule enough time for each task. Often things take twice as much time as you expect.

DO THE REALITY CHECK

Be honest with yourself. It will not work this week. Again.
There is an underlying reason why you procrastinate. View your smart planning and predict your own future. Which things are not going to work? If you are honest with yourself, you also know why.

For example:

• Overestimation, saying yes to everything, too many balls in the air.
• Self-underestimation, thoughts like "I can't do it." Anxiety can be paralyzing.
• Habit, you already expected it from yourself.
• Fatigue, your body steps on the emergency brake.
• Motivation, you have other priorities.
• Perfectionism, the bar is too high, you get lost in details and you never get it right.
• Doubts: You are not 100% sure you should do it.
• Ignorance, doubting where to start or how to proceed.
• Concentration, poor focus, for example if there are too many distractions around you.

Now list everything you are NOT going to do. These are the things you are really not going to do. They are just as important as the things you will be doing. So write out the list completely, so that you can also cross things out later. Make sure there are at least 10 items on this list.

Tips to select the not-to-do items:

• Take your ToDO list. Why are those tasks on your list? Which are actually not that important to you? Don't try to cram as many things into your day as possible, just think about what you're doing.
• Check if there are any tasks in the back of your mind that you should actually be doing. Write these down. Are there other things you don't feel like doing at all? Make sure there are at least 10 items on this list.

Eat that tadpole

If you don't feel like eating frogs, get there in time. With some tasks you can probably already predict that you will dread it later. Chances are that such a task will become your 'frog'. Now is the time to cross out those tasks. Kill all tadpoles before they grow into frogs. If you already know that you are not going to achieve a difficult job, you do not have to take the first steps. Accept that it won't work. Ask someone else or skip the task right away.

Eat the cake

At this time, there should be only feasible tasks on the list. Check if your day consists mostly of things that are important to you. The next step is to determine the best things on your list. Make them your cake, of something else you love to eat.

Important: You should absolutely not postpone the cake.

When you finish a taak

Don't immediately look for the next thing you can do when you finish a task, just enjoy what you've accomplished. Allow yourself to be in the moment and feel joy when you finish it. Then tick on the list that you have achieved a success.

At the end of the day, or at the end of te week. Take a marker. Cross alle the things you have managed NOT to do. Do it just the way you do with a normal ToDo list. Enjoy.

At first it may feel like you're kidding yourself, but it works positively if you start rewarding yourself for not doing things. Confirmation that something has been successful strengthens confidence in yourself. This will make other things easier.

You did it!