How to Stop Wasting Time and Be More Productive

I am a Type A personality. I have been organized and driven for my entire life. I am goal-oriented and have a strong sense of urgency. In other words, I wake each day with my to-do list in hand and am ready for action. Even as a young mother, I was up at the crack of dawn, showered, and ready to face the day with my four young children. I had a list of activities planned for the day. We played school, practiced drawing, picked up all the toys, had lunch at exactly noon, and naps at 1:00.

My best friend at the time had four young children whom she home-schooled. I would load up my kids, and we’d visit them. We’d arrive promptly at 11:00 a.m. and enter the house. Everyone in her home was running around the house, still in their pajamas. My dear friend was a Type B personality. She was much more relaxed and easy-going, enjoying the freedom of living without a schedule.

When she would come to my house 20 minutes late, at 11:20, she found a very different environment. She would ask, “How do you do this?”

We are all wired differently. For some of us, creating a to-do list, planning our day, and reaching our goals is easy. For others, we are wired to be relaxed about life and enjoy the autonomy of having no plan.

Each personality has its challenges and pitfalls. I am in no way bragging that I am a Type A personality. I have to work at being more laid back and basically not annoying people with my personality. No matter your personality type, we all need to have more self-awareness, have more control, and enjoy our life a little more.

I’m talking about meeting our goals and accomplishing our purpose by making an “I’m not going to” list.

An “I’m not going to” list is a list of tasks or habits you consciously want to avoid. In other words, you are saying, “I’m not going to do….

We are going to stop doing things that are not aligned with who we want to be in the future.

For instance:

I’m not going to go down the rabbit hole of scrolling on social media.

I’m not going to hit the snooze button.

I’m not going to think negatively.

I’m not going to hang around with negative people.

I’m not going to ____________. [fill in the blank]

Using our time wisely allows us to meet our goals and our purpose. Wasting time will get you further from where you want to be in life.

Can you create a list of who you don’t want to be and what you don’t want to do? What do you want to avoid so that you can meet your purpose?

As a Type A personality, this list sometimes involves eliminating things that cause me stress. Sometimes, I make a to-do list that is beyond what I can accomplish in one day, and I need to avoid overbooking myself and creating stress.

I am a people pleaser. Perhaps my “I’m not going to” list might include being myself and not trying to please everyone.

Now, are you ready for the next step?

Identify the WHAT and the WHY. Add a “why” to the end of your sentence.

I’m not going to scroll on social media because it makes me feel like others have a better life than I do.

I’m not going to think negatively about my relationship with (insert their name) so I don’t feel stressed when I know I am going to be with them.

I’m not going to _________ because I don’t feel good about myself when I do it.

I’m not going to allow myself to complain anymore because I want to be more positive.

I’m not going to show up late for events anymore because I want to show other people that I can be counted on.

I’m not going to stay in my comfort zone because that holds me back from meeting my goals.

I’m not going to depend on my phone for entertainment because I want to be fully present in every situation.

I AM going to dig my heels in, and I will not do this again.

Be honest with yourself. Think about who you want to be and who you don’t want to be.

1.      What are my typical time-wasting habits?

2.      What are negative behaviors that I want to get rid of?

3.      How am I holding myself back?

Be specific. Don’t just say that you will use your phone less, but say: “I will not use my phone for the first hour that I am awake each day.” Or, “I will not use my phone after 6 o’clock each night.”

Be committed and consistent, and take it one step at a time.

Making change is a journey; take it one day at a time and stop wasting your time on negative habits and thoughts. Woohoo!

Comment below and list something from your “I’m not going to” list. When posting a comment, you only need to fill in the “name” category.