(ish)#2 — The Don’t List

I woke up to a toddler screaming in my ear. My wife was asleep in the nursery chair with the baby.

It was 2:30 AM. Again.

So, I slept on my son’s floor — under a blanket the size of a dish towel, head resting on a stuffed bear. When my alarm went off a few hours later, I sat up and thought, “Okay. Maybe this isn’t how high-functioning adults live.”

I checked my phone. First thing I see? A productivity guru telling me how much I suck because I don’t have a solid morning routine.

By 8:20 AM I’m 20 minutes late for work, scrambling downstairs with A “nutrition shake” (I'm pretty sure it’s just chocolate milk that gives me heartburn), unbrushed teeth, and a head full of fog. Slack is on fire. My inbox is a landfill. My to-do list is a scatter plot across sticky notes and unsaved Word docs.

I muttered aloud: “Holy shit. Something’s gotta give.”

The shift in mindset

The self-help answer?

Eight hours of perfect sleep. A 5 AM run. Meditation. Journaling. Arriving to work early with a cold plunge and a smile.

Yeah… sure, bro.

I’ve tried doing more. Optimizing. Hustling harder.

This week, I’m trying the opposite. I’m making a don’t list — a short set of intentional no’s to create just a little bit of breathing room.

Not a reset. Not a system. Just some slack in the line.

Here’s what I’m trying

1. Don’t stress about stuff I can’t do anything about in the moment.

2. Don’t put off little work tasks that’ll bite me later.

3. Don’t cook every breakfast or rely on those nutrition shakes — I’m buying some pre-made stuff.

4. Don’t skip my Prozac. (Seriously, no matter what I tell yourself, I still need my meds)

What’s on your don’t list this week?

Not what you should do — what you’re choosing not to worry about, fix, or carry.

Sometimes all you need is to let go of some stuff — not adding more.

Reply and tell me your best “don’t” for the week. I’ll share a few favorites in the next edition (anonymously unless you want credit).

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Until next week,

Matt

Writer(ish)