Every journey has two fundamental sides:
- Where we want to go.
- And where we don’t want to go.
For the first side, we create a To-Do list. But what about the second side?
The Not-To-Do List can help us stay away from the traps that slow us down or even worse – prevent us from reaching our goals.
A Not-To-Do list helps us stop bad habits and avoid distractions. It focuses on protecting our time and mental energy by choosing what not to do in order to achieve our goals.
I myself have a daily to-do list and I love it. It helps me move forward with my dreams.
I also have a Not-To-Do list that I know by heart and I follow strictly. It contains a set of things I don’t want to do because it won’t help me reach my goals.
If you don’t have a Not-To-Do list yet, don’t worry. Today we are fixing that.
When it comes to health,
I can write a veeeeery long Not-To-Do list. And not because I like restrictions but because the modern life we’re living is just made to be unhealthy. Look around when you leave your house: polluted air everywhere, plastic clothing, chemicals in every product, limited organic produce in the regular supermarkets, very expensive quality items that only few can afford.
Despite all of that, I am not giving up and I will always strive to find quality food, air, water, clothes, cosmetics and peace at home.
Let’s go back to the list.
While a To-Do list has the set of daily actions that move you forward to reaching your goals, the Not-To-Do list has the set of daily actions and habits that we have to avoid in order to achieve our goals.
Below I’m sharing with you part of my Not-To-Do list for health. Please free free to copy it or adjust it according to your lifestyle and goals.
But first, let me share a few Not-To-Do things I believe everyone should add to their list.
1. Don’t waste your time.
Parkinson’s Law says that work expands to fill the time you give it. For example: if you plan to clean the house for 1 hour, you will clean the house for 1 hour. But if you give yourself only 20 minutes to clean the house (and you do it faster and more organised), you will be left with 40 minutes that can be spent on growth.
I had to begin with this one just because one of the most frequent excuses I hear about health is “I do not have time”. You do have time! We all do when it comes to our health. What else could be ever more important than our health?
I speak a lot about time management on my social media and newsletter, so if you are interested in the topics, make sure you join me there.
2. Don’t Fit In
Most people live their lives fitting in their communities, even if the environment doesn’t serve them. Just because our friends drink alcohol, it doesn’t mean that we should do it too. Just because we grew up celebrating Christmas with pastries, cakes and a week of overeating, it doesn’t mean that now, when we are adults, we have to continue this way.
Create your own environment where your body feels good! It is beautiful to be different and it’s so worth it.
You can be slim and fit, on no medication, full of energy, with long hair and low biological age despite your friends and family having health issues. Don’t fit in somewhere just to be part of the group.
Some people don’t want to live long. Or don’t want to put in the work on securing a healthy body past their 60s. This is okay!
However, this doesn’t mean that you should live like they do. Perhaps you have different life goals, therefore your daily actions should align with your goals, right?
3. Don’t trust everything you read online.
Do you notice how flooded with information we are? Since the era of social media started, everyone shares information and that information rarely gets checked. We cannot trust everything we read or listen to. There are even specialists who share certain stuff just to get more likes or follows.
We need something better. We need to find just a handful of reliable sources of information, get it checked ourselves and follow the steps towards our goals.
If your goal is to lose weight, you will hear things like “Go carnivore.”, “Stop all carbs.”, “Start your day with fat and protein.” which isn’t necessarily something YOU need to follow. Maybe the reason for your weigh gain is different and thus your actions should be different. What if carbs are good for you if you eat the right ones and combine them correctly?
Choose wisely where do you get information from.
4. Do not supplement if you didn’t get checked first.
We know that the majority of the people are deficient in vitamin D, magnesium, vitamin C and more. But some are not.
Also, you cannot overdose on some supplements but you certainly can harm yourself with others. So please, don’t take supplements if you hadn’t talked to a health specialist who can guide you on what to check and how to supplement correctly.
5. Don’t follow someone else’s health routines
There is no one-size-fits-all solution to health conditions. Each of us is different and has a different lifestyle.
You can try recipes, workouts, some simple daily actions but if you want results for YOUR health, you’ll need a deeper focus and strategic changes that work for you.
Here is the promised part of my Not-To-Do list:
- Don’t look at my phone for the first 30 minutes of the day.
- Don’t consume animal products. My body needs foods that give life.
- Don’t drink stuff some influencer promotes if they aren’t suitable for me.
- Don’t overeat!
- Don’t go to bed after 10 pm.
- Don’t eat sugar, wheat flour and dairy products.
- Don’t drink alcohol and don’t smoke.
- Don’t listen to what other people think about health. Trust my body and my instincts.
- Don’t seek instant gratification.
- Don’t do things just to fit in. Always do what aligns with my vision of health.
- Don’t stay on social media for more than 30 minutes a day.
- Don’t waste my time.
- Don’t hang out with people who have the opposite of my vision for life.
Now let me show you how you can create your own Not-To-Do List.
To build a health-focused Not-To-Do list, sit down and reflect on the daily habits or routines that leave you feeling drained, sluggish, or overwhelmed. Write down these habits and routines. At the beginning, it can be difficult to list many so no worries – a list of 3-5 is still good!
I will give an example:
If your health goal is to heal your migraine, start with analysing your sleep habits, your daily foods, your cosmetics and your water intake. List the following things you might want to avoid doing:
- Don’t consume animal products and gluten for 3 months.
- Organise your days around your sleep and never go to bed late.
- Don’t use cosmetics that aren’t 100% clean.
- Don’t let the body get dehydrated.
Evaluate in 3 months and adjust accordingly. If I had a migraine, this is where I would start my healing journey.
Your Not-To-Do list isn’t set in stone – it’s meant to evolve as your goals shift. Keep adding more or remove the ones that don’t serve your goals anymore.
Keep your Not-To-Do List somewhere visible right alongside your To-Do list. Check it regularly.
Remember that every single choice you make is a vote for the healthier, more vibrant version of yourself you’re actively building.