Focus tool
The Anti-To-Do List
A list for protecting the day by naming what you will not feed.
What this tool does
The Anti-To-Do List is not negativity. It is resource allocation. It names the loops, obligations, apps, chores, and performance tasks that do not get a bowl today.
Write one thing you will not do before noon. Then make it inconvenient.
Bad-week version
Use it when
- Your to-do list keeps growing without any funerals.
- You need to protect one priority from twenty fake emergencies.
- You know what steals the day but keep leaving it food.
How to use it
- Write today's one real priority.
- List the things likely to steal it.
- Choose three items for the Anti-To-Do List.
- Add a gate for each: delay, delete, block, move, or script.
- Review at day's end: what did I accidentally feed?
Worksheet version
Copy these prompts into a notebook, notes app, spreadsheet, or the nearest envelope that is already judging you.
Common traps
- Using the anti-list to avoid necessary consequences.
- Making the anti-list longer than the task list.
- Declaring a boundary with no gate.
Related tools
Read the book
Want the whole system?
The Anti-To-Do List is one handle from Build a Life That Doesn't Eat You Alive. The full book connects it to habits, boundaries, money, work, rest, and bad-week repair.