A stop doing list is the opposite of a to-do list, and it may be the most freeing page you write all year. We spend so much effort adding tasks, habits and goals that we forget the fastest way to find time is to remove something. 🌿
Welcome to Day 5 of the New Year Prep series. On Day 3 you decided what to leave behind from the bigger picture of your life. Today is more practical: you’ll build a stop doing list of daily behaviors, tasks and habits that quietly eat your time and energy. In this guide, you’ll learn 7 simple steps to create one you’ll actually follow.
If you’re joining midway, start with Day 4: Choose Your Priorities and Day 3: What to Leave Behind in the New Year. Your stop doing list protects the three priorities you chose.
🌟 Why You Need a Stop Doing List
Every yes has a hidden cost. Economists call this opportunity cost: the value of the best thing you gave up to do something else. When your day is full of low-value tasks, the cost is the time you never had for your real priorities.
A to-do list only adds. A stop doing list subtracts. It frees up hours without asking you to become more productive or more disciplined. You simply stop spending effort on things that don’t deserve it.
👀 Step 1: Notice What Your Day Really Looks Like
For three days, jot down what you do in rough blocks: morning, afternoon, evening. You don’t need exact minutes. Just note what actually happens, including the quick phone checks, the “I’ll just tidy this” detours and the tasks you do only out of habit.
You’ll probably spot patterns you’ve never noticed. That’s the raw material for your list.
🔍 Step 2: Know the Five Types of Drainers
Most things on a stop doing list fall into one of these groups:
- Time-wasters: endless scrolling, background TV, checking the phone first thing
- Low-value tasks: chores that could be simplified, shared or skipped
- Over-doing: perfectionism, redoing work that was already good enough
- People-pleasing yeses: commitments you accept out of guilt
- Mindless spending: impulse buys, “just browsing” and comfort shopping
Read your three-day notes and label each drainer with one of these types.
⚖️ Step 3: Ask the Opportunity Cost Question
For every drainer, ask: “What could I do with this time instead?” Be specific. Thirty minutes of evening scrolling could be a walk, a chapter of a book or progress on one of your three priorities.
Then ask the fresh start question: “If I weren’t already doing this, would I start today?” If the answer is no, it belongs on your list.
✍️ Step 4: Write Your Stop Doing List
Now put it on paper. Keep each item specific and behavior-based, and add what you’ll do instead. Limit your list to seven to ten items. Here’s a sample:
| Stop | Instead |
|---|---|
| Checking my phone first thing in the morning | Drink water and stretch for 10 minutes |
| Saying yes immediately to requests | “Let me check and get back to you” |
| Scrolling in bed | Read two pages of a book |
| Redoing tasks that are already good enough | Finish, then move on |
| Buying things on impulse | Add to a 48-hour wish list |
A list of “I will stop being lazy” isn’t useful. A list of clear actions is.
💬 Step 5: Handle the Hard Ones
Some items are easy. Others involve other people or deep habits. Here’s how to handle the tough ones:
- Guilt: remind yourself that saying no to one thing is saying yes to something you chose.
- Family expectations: try a kind, simple line like “I can’t take that on this year, but thank you for thinking of me.”
- Strong habits: don’t rely on willpower. Change the environment, like charging your phone outside the bedroom.
You don’t owe anyone a long explanation. A short, polite answer is enough.
📌 Step 6: Make Your List Visible
A list hidden in a notebook gets forgotten. Put your stop doing list where you’ll see it: a sticky note on the mirror, your phone lock screen or the fridge door. Pair each item with a trigger. For example, “When I get into bed, my phone goes on the charger across the room.”
Visibility and triggers do far more than good intentions.
🔄 Step 7: Review It Every Week
Take 10 minutes each Sunday to check your list. Ask: Which items did I stop? Which ones keep slipping? What new drainer showed up? Cross off the ones that have become automatic, and add one new item at a time.
Celebrate your streaks, even small ones. Three days of not scrolling in bed is a real win.
✅ Stop Doing List Checklist
- ☐ Tracked three typical days
- ☐ Labelled my drainers by type
- ☐ Asked the opportunity cost question
- ☐ Wrote seven to ten specific items with replacements
- ☐ Planned how to handle the hard ones
- ☐ Placed my list where I can see it
- ☐ Set a weekly review time
❓ Stop Doing List: Frequently Asked Questions
What is a stop doing list?
It’s a written list of habits, tasks and commitments you’ve decided to stop, so you free time and energy for what matters.
How is it different from leaving things behind?
Leaving things behind (Day 3) is a bigger life review. A stop doing list focuses on everyday actions you can change this week.
How many items should I include?
Seven to ten is plenty. If your list is too long, you won’t follow it.
What if I keep slipping back into old habits?
That’s normal. Check your trigger, make the habit harder to do, and restart tomorrow. One slip doesn’t erase your progress.
🌿 Final Thoughts
Your stop doing list isn’t about being strict. It’s about making space. When you stop spending effort on things that don’t matter, you finally have time for the ones that do.
Tomorrow, on Day 6, we’ll declutter your home, so your space supports your priorities too. And if you’d like all the New Year Prep worksheets in one place, grab the Ultimate New Year Prep Guide from The Mindful Studio Shop.
Now it’s your turn: what is the first thing on your stop doing list? Share it in the comments. I’d love to cheer for you! 👇
