Coaching practices for The Not to Do List When Starting Out
Describe almost anything you are working through and IX Coach finds the practices whose real-world fit is closest. For The Not to Do List When Starting Out, these are the strongest matches in the current practice library.
Does this sound like the set of challenges you might be facing?
- I keep telling myself I’ll cut back on the things that drain me, but every single time the moment comes I cave and say yes again
- It’s not junk that derails me
- It’s not that the whole task is huge
- My list is just a flat wall of tasks that all look equally urgent, so I keep grabbing whatever’s easiest instead of whatever matters
- There’s never a point where I get to say I’m done
Practices that may help
- The Not-To-Do List
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention. - Write and commit to a standing not-to-do list
Turn elimination candidates into an explicit, reviewed list of permanent refusals.
The Not-To-Do List - Treat items 6–25 as active avoidances, not a later list
Everything not in your top 5 must be actively avoided — it is your "do-not-do" list.
Warren Buffett’s Two-List Strategy - Use a five-second micro-start to breach the initiation threshold
Commit only to the first five seconds of an action — not the full task.
Task Initiation: Overcoming the Start Problem - The ABCDE prioritization method
Label every task A (must), B (should), C (nice), D (delegate), or E (eliminate) before starting.
Eat That Frog, Made Practical - Work from a closed daily list
Write today’s task list before the day begins, then refuse to add new items to it.
Do It Tomorrow, Made Practical - Separate "will-do" from "to-do" lists
Keep a master to-do list distinct from the closed daily "will-do" list that you actually commit to.
Do It Tomorrow, Made Practical - Start before you feel ready
Begin the session with the lowest-friction action — any word, any mark — without waiting for readiness.
The War of Art, Made Practical - Engineer a lower-stakes entry point into the avoided task
Make starting cost nearly zero by beginning with the smallest, least aversive part of the task.
Structured Procrastination, Made Practical - Follow explicit rules and procedures without improvisation at the novice stage
When new to a domain, follow the given rules precisely — understanding comes after compliance, not before.
The Dreyfus Model: Five Stages from Novice to Expert
Related concerns
- Not To Do List Examples
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
- The Not To Do List As A Caregiver
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
- The Not To Do List As A Parent
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
- The Not To Do List At Work
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
- The Not To Do List For My Teenager
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
- The Not To Do List In A New Job
The not-to-do list is a set of behaviors, tasks, and commitments you commit to stopping or refusing — permanently. Tim Ferriss argues that elimination is more valuable than optimization because low-leverage activities consume time that no amount of efficiency can recover. The approach is largely practitioner advice backed by mechanistic reasoning about opportunity cost and attention.
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