Let me guess: You have a long list of to-dos that never get done. Some may say that you’re not completing these tasks because you don’t have enough motivation or passion in your life. While that’s possible, I think your instincts about why you’re not checking things off are right: You’re just too busy.

So, for those of you who think you just can’t handle something else to do today, here is my list of all of the things you think you have to do today, but you really don’t.

1. Check your email twenty times. Check it when you get into the office in the morning, when you return from lunch and an hour before you leave. Remember, if someone really needs to get your attention, they can call.
2. Surf Facebook. It’s only going to make you unhappy anyways. Need proof? Check out this article.
3. Watch TV. Need to unwind after a long day? Go for a walk! You’ll feel better and more energized after a 20-minute walk than a 2-hour TV fest. Stop watching people do things on TV, and go out and do it yourself. Who knows, someday you might end up on television.
4. Gossip. It is poisonous to your company and your mind and a complete waste of time. If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say anything at all.
5. Say “yes.” There’s nothing to be ashamed of when you say, “I would love to, but I have too much on my plate right now.” Say “yes” to yourself by giving yourself permission to say “no” to others.
6. Organize a team meeting. Do you need the whole team in the room for 45 minutes? Fine. But could you get the same results with a bullet point list of priorities and spending 10 quality minutes going over the specifics? If the answer is yes, then you just bought yourself 35 minutes to grow your company, work on sales, or make that productive phone call you’ve been putting off.
7. Volunteer. That means basketball coaching, church choir, Boy Scout leader, field trips, and Lunch and Learns. Again, repeat after me: “I would love to, but I have too much on my plate right now.” (Just make sure to follow through on a commitment you’ve already made so that you don’t leave anyone hanging.)

We’re caught in a culture of “busy,” and it’s entirely of our own making. Print out this “NOT To-Do List” and put it on your refrigerator or above your computer or on your nightstand as a reminder to cut back on everything that you don’t have to do.

Remember: when you remove the clutter in your life, you have the time to write the life you want.

Curtis Zimmerman

As a speaker and author, Curtis Zimmerman has impacted over one million people with his life-changing messages and award-winning programs. Curtis is an expert at transforming organizations by inspiring individuals to live their lives at performance level.

Want to be inspired? Check out his podcast The Next 24 Hours.