Everyone has heard of a ‘to do list.’ An idea that has been floating around amongst productivity nerds for a while is the related notion of a ‘to don’t' list. Today I was stuck in traffic on my way home and I was reminded of this idea. Having the same commute for 25 years has led me, unfortunately, to be a bit impatient driving home. I tend to get easily frustrated in traffic and today was typical in that regard. However, I eventually remembered (admittedly, it took awhile) the uselessness of getting angry at traffic, as my feelings one way or another were going to have zero effect on my ability to get home any faster. The advice of Shantideva and the Stoics came to mind. Indeed, “don’t get upset about things you can’t control” became my mantra today and that led me to try and think of other behaviors I should keep atop my personal ‘to don’t’ list. Here a few more that came to mind:

  • Gossip

  • Compare myself to others

  • Doom scroll the news

  • Ruminate about the past

  • Think rigidly or ideologically

Easier said than done for sure, but definitely worth the effort.