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[Nathan Hale]

I just finished reading The Four Hour Workweek, and I think I remember a brief statement about keeping a not-to-do list, just to make sure you're keeping things in perspective. This is an interesting idea to me...I think it could be very beneficial to clearly define for my self things I really don't want to do.

What do you think? Have used a list like this, and if so, what did you put on it?

[Brad Blackman]

I've not done anything like that, but it doesn't sound like a bad idea!

[technotheory]

I've never been able to get "not to do lists" or "guilty lists" to work for me.

Along the same lines though, I do create barriers: for things that will never be useful or I don't want to do, I try to make them more difficult.  Things I should do I try to make those more accessible and easier.  The classic example is putting the cookie jar in a really hard to reach place.  And, I guess surrounding yourself with healthy snacks or something.

Ramit talks about these a lot on I Will Teach You To Be Rich:
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/barriers-are-your-enemy
http://www.iwillteachyoutoberich.com/blog/i-use-small-barriers-to-avoid-kooks

[Jeroen Sangers]

I have once created a not-to-do list, but I dropped it because I was not looking at it often enough. I simply did not find a justification to integrate it into my workflow, and after a few days it simply felt like administrative overhead.

[Jason Echols]

Would it be a worthy step to add to your weekly review?

[DanGTD]

I have one, but it's not written down. I have it in my head.

It says only general things like "Do not start your day with either television or recreational surfing or any other recreational activity", "Don't do any activities (not even 5 minutes) during the day that you tend to get sucked into" etc.

[MarinaMartin]

As part of my weekly review, I go over two (printed) pages of my "big picture" notes - life mantra, adjectives I aspire to, etc. Part of this is a bullet list of "self-defeating behaviors" that I suppose serves the same purpose as a not-to-do list.

I have a cool story about this: for awhile this particular habit was neglected as part of my Weekly Review - I technically looked at the page but I wasn't actually reading it. (Bad Marina!) A few weeks ago I sat down to really go over it, and I realized I had genuinely overcome those vices. Of course then I immediately thought of five new things to work on

Often for me, a "not-to-do" is actually a project, if I really think about it. Just writing something down won't stop me from doing it - I need different strategies to support me. For example, I had a bad habit of stopping for fast food instead of going to the grocery store, so I turned this habit around by taping a picture of a hot girl on my steering wheel (ha), keeping healthy snacks in the car, and adding "pack a lunch" to my nightly routine so I wouldn't get so hungry at the end of the workday.

[Stephen Smith]

We just talked about a "Don't Do" list on the Productivity Mastermind call. I created my list from my daily time-tracker - looking for interruptions. The interruptions go on a 3x5 card that I keep by my computer, so I do not get distracted     .

[James Mallinson]

Never really done it though I've done similar lists (a to-done list being the primary one). I used to love these sorts of things but I've always found that it results in lifestyle micromanagement and provides more opportunities for you to "fail". If you end up doing something on a "not-to-do" list how are you meant to feel about it?