what’s on your stop doing list?

I'm starting to map out my creativity intentions for 2010. (I prefer not to use the word "plan" - seems so flat. "Intentions" feels fused with both direction and moxy.) Much is swirling in my DNA. Three new books...maybe five. Concepts with roots. Roots growing concepts. Streams of coin, streams of giving... And white space. Mostly white space - can never seem to get enough of it.

If I'm to realize my intentions, what I stop doing is just as important as what I start and continue to do. Stopping = the white space. Stopping = room to run free and create from the deepest place of being without restraint or compromise. Stopping = more time for what matters most.

I know how to go, go, go. Stopping, I've learned is the stuff of mastery.

Master Jim Collins sums it up brilliantly in this USA Today article. He brings forward three profoundly simple questions from Darwin Smith CEO Kimberly-Clark, which became the foundation of the Hedgehog Concept:

1) What are you deeply passionate about?
2) What are you are genetically encoded for — what activities do you feel just "made to do"?
3) What makes economic sense — what can you make a living at?

If your answers to what you're doing come up no, no, and no to these questions - then stop doing it. Shut 'er down. Take it off your plate. Let it die. Cease. And exhale a sigh of relief. You can move with more velocity toward your dreams.

Look back on this year and get very clear about what sucked. What didn't work, got mired with resentment, felt onerous, weighed you deadly down? A note on resentment: you can't continue to do things you fully resent and think they're going to transform into enjoyable activities over time. It just doesn't work that way. Think of resentment as a blaring, mega-watt STOP sign. And stop.

WHAT'S YOUR STOP DOING LIST? Here's mine for 2010:

  1. No red eyes flights. Ever. Never worth it.
  2. I will not leave Twitter, Facebook and Gmail open while I write. I need blocks of two to three hours to think clearly and craft that clarity into something useful. Writing is a "yes!" to all three of the questions.
  3. No schlepping my old book to speaking gigs to sell. Forget it. I pay for extra luggage, I cuss at my suitcase as I'm heaving it up escalators. And besides, since I left my last company, I don't make a cent off of the book (because I signed the copyright over to the incorporation.) See questions 2 and 3: I'm not passionate about it. I can't make a living at it.
  4. I will continue to lovingly decline requests for on-going coaching. I'm a Strategist. Capital S on that. I do my very best work around creativity and entrepreneurship, facing forward, thinking big while being ruthlessly pragmatic. I'm not great at untangling things that happened yesterday. See question 2. I'm just not made for it.
  5. I will not pursue a conventional publishing deal for my next project. I will fly higher, faster, on my own for the next round. Innovate or die.
  6. I'll stop answering business-related email on weekends. I've thought of putting "I don't work weekends" in my e-signature, but that'd be just obnoxious.

All of the above activities only serve to make me busier, or put me out of the zone of my true strengths. (And you know how I feel about busy-ness.) Stopping what's distracting, draining, or aggravating you doesn't require any heavy lifting or stamina. Just love and self respect.

So seriously, consider this a poll. WHAT WILL YOU STOP DOING FOR 2010? What ACTIVITIES are coming OFF your to-do list? What will create more space when you get it off your plate? This will be the topic for my CBC TV segment this week and I'm trolling for your chutzpah and boundary-championing.

xo
Danielle

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posted 20 Dec 09 in: business + wealth articles   ·   tags: ,   ·   Comments

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  • Fantastic. I tell many companies that they need a stop doing list. Unless you can make time (I haven't quite figured that one out), then you need to remove something to make room for something else.

    An individual stop-doing list is even better. I really like the turning off twitter, etc. while writing. I used to go to places with no wi-fi to write so there were no distractions. I was good at staying off email. Twitter started popping up. I need to reinstitute some old rules there.

    I wrote about goals and planning for 2010 here, including a link back to this post: http://jamieflinchbaugh.com/2009/12/forget-the-...

    Jamie
  • Melissia
    I am going to stop agonizing over things I cannot control, including other people's choices.
  • You know what's sad? I read this to avoid the work I don't want to do, but feel obligated to do. At 10:30 pm. So, thanks for the kick in the pants.

    This year I will stop taking my day job home. Stop saying yes to others just because they ask. Stop "keeping up" online, to make way for directed learning. Stop accepting "lack of time" as an excuse for not taking the next step.
  • happy to be your distraction...and kick in the pants. I love your webpage. so clear.
  • Lisa
    I will stop being INVISIBLE
  • Louise
    Two thumbs up!
  • I'm going to stop making fracking excuses. That will mean hard work, more work, and less time for fun. No matter, hard work pays off, and I'm ready. No excuses.
  • chris
    I'm going to stop working for unprofessional clients.

    I'm going to stop saying 'yes' to projects that are Mickey Mouse and that neither pay well, nor are portfolio-worthy.

    I'm going to stop doing graphic design work for clients who fancy just because they own Photoshop they can do my job. "Oh, do you have Microsoft Word too? Then how about you write a novel while you're at it."

    Yes, 2010 will be better!
  • Annie P.
    Holy crap - Deidre's comment is resounding with me, too. I will STOP all the resentment-inducing and anger-flaring activities and reactions!
  • Annie P.
    I love Alana's comment (take this on a date and work on it :-0). I have no shortage of things I love and things that move me....am trying to figure out which/how have the potential for earnings.

    In the meantime, will stop doing things just to be "nice" (rather than doing them genuinely), will stop accepting jobs that put me in demoralizing places, and will start exploring my creativity, daily.
  • You always seem to say what I need to hear. I was inspired by your post to bounce off my own ideas and encourage others to come your way. You can read it here: http://treasures-found.blogspot.com/2009/12/mov...
    (Keep going until the end....)
    I will give this some more serious thought. And I am also reading Style Statement and I am hoping that will point me in the right direction.

    Thank you for your inspiration.
    Enjoy the day!
    Erin
  • Thank you for this post; it is so absolutely essential to me today that I have printed so that I can pour over it over and over again (that's an awful lot of overs....).

    Megan
  • I actually did this last year, but my stop-doing was to quit acting like my personal free time was negotiable or that if I was technically free, I was obligated to fill that time. Basically, me time became me time. I schedule it for myself like it is an event, because actually, it is.
  • At our business for 2010 we have decided to only work with design clients in the way WE LIKE TO WORK! That means a minimum of 10 hours for a consultation and design board- we have spetnt alot of time doing the 1-3 hour consults- we don't like it- its inefficient and we are changing our ways- it feels great! Also- keeping a waiting list when it gets crazy instead of trying to make everbody happy NOW- it all works out and we work best without a lot of pressure! Suzi and Sarah
  • yeah yeah yeah!
  • Sally
    Going to Stop....being afraid... to STOP... so that I can...START...the possibilities are endless
  • Thank you for introducing the, "...three profoundly simple questions from Darwin Smith..." and for your application, which I find insightful and motivating.
    It appeals to my thinking mind, to that part of me I consider 'will'.

    I am feeling my way to interpreting it in view of my experience. I've been allowing a yoga meditation practice to grow over the last 3 or so years. I am noticing that as it grows, the habit grooves in my mind and heart are changing. Little things. Seemingly unimportant things. Things like I have found my attachment to down bedding seems to have dissolved without conscious effort. My aversion to bananas is no more. Not that I now crave bananas, but more that my attachment to, "I hate bananas." has dropped. I now eat banana served to me in fruit salad without much energy. I notice bananas and enjoy the salad.

    In short, I notice that allowing space for meditation decreases my need to rely on willpower and increases what I notice and how quickly I return to calm after a reaction.
  • Thank you for your article. My list of things to stop doing in 2010:

    + Stop spending time debating the purchase of time savers that cost less than my time spent debating sells for.

    + Stop accepting disruptions from my team; retune our relationship to ensure they only provide supportive services.

    + Stop putting off website housekeeping chores while I wait for the 'perfect' solution; often the perfect solution evolves as you work through the 'hard' way.

    I think more will come along as I think through these.
  • Great post - I'm going to STOP being impacted by other people's timelines and lack of sense of urgency and START working with and finding people who share my own sense of blinding, driven need to be inspired, stay inspired and to inspire. I'm going to STOP being silent and LIVE OUT LOUD. Can you hear me, am I loud enough? Thanks Danielle.
  • This is what I needed to read today--not *what are you going to start doing* but *what are you going to stop doing*! Thanks for grabbing my shoulders and forcing me to look at this situation differently. I think sometimes I try not to look at the unpleasant things in my life--as if they were an absolute I must drag around--but that changes now!
    Take Care,
    Jill
  • "I know how to go, go, go. Stopping, I've learned is the stuff of mastery." That hits me hard. It made me stop.
  • Ok! I'm alarmed about the "on-going coaching" thing. You'll still do fire starter sessions, right? Because I've referred several people.

    ON a different note:

    1. I will STOP undercharging. Ugh. Did it AGAIN just yesterday.I have a rate and I will quote it. No one has said "no" yet when I've increased.

    2. I will, at some point this year, STOP doing housekeeping. I suck at it.

    There will be more, I'm sure but that's a start.

    As usual, thanks!
  • oh yeah - Fire Starters are happening out the wazoo, full tilt strategy and love. booking into February at this point.
  • I will stopping printing out every interesting article. I hate reading from the computer, but enough is enough. My spunk and funk needs to be fanned and reading and not DOING ain'ta gonna get me where I want!
  • yes. love it. the STOP DOING list is about actions that you ... stop doing. inhibiting thought forms are great to "stop" but the point here is free up actual time.
  • I will grab the scissors and fun with them to cut out negativity - cut out dead-end friendships, cut out the doom and gloom tape that plays in my head when life overwhelms, cut out the drama and need to be part of it to "fit in". I am cutting out ME TIME to be create, to claim my space in this cosmos. It will make me a far better parent, writer and lover. But I promise I will not use the scissors to cut my own bangs. Lesson learned!
  • cut out the drama and need to be part of it to "fit in". YES! Cutting out ALL need to fit in (what the hell does that mean anyway??? And why do I still worry about it at 46?)
  • Well, I do know, and for someone in the art industry fitting in means thinking the same politically, and I am here to tell you that to be an almost-Libertarian is just not done, just not accepted, and if you want certain jobs it means keeping your mouth shut and your fingers crossed that no one has read something on your blog that would wise them up to your true beliefs. That said, I came out of the closet last year - conservative/Libertarian being the new gay in the world of creativity - and just told folks, just said to them "you loved me before you knew, I ain't any different, stereotypes are bullshit, and there you go." I lost a few readers, was dropped from some address books, but too bad. It was the right thing to do, and in the long run, readership went up. More doors opened. 2010 looks to be fun.

    Was it easy? No, no and no. I had an upset stomach for days. Do I talk about politics? Almost never, unless I'm responding to something someone else has written or said. But stopping that silence freed me in other areas.
  • I have no idea, but from high school to being a mommy at preschool, to the school parking lot, the office games and the wide world of small town politics - "fitting in" is one of the most ridiculous losses of Self ever. I simply refuse to play along any more.
    And thank you for not realizing I wrote "fun" instead of "run" with scissors. Oh the shame ;)
  • Deirdre
    Danielle, your insights are always a channel directly to the spirit. I vow to shrug off all the things I do that lead to resentment - all the things that make other people's lives easier but don't enrich mine. The blaring, mega-watt STOP sign of resentment is the way my spirit yells that I'm fiddling while Rome is burning. And, like all addictions, resentment has become a mug's game - even those that benefit are tired of the attitude.

    Many heartfelt wishes for a serene holidays and a rocking, creative 2010.
  • I just finished reading "The War of Art" yesterday and this post goes right along with it. Many of the things you mention seem to fall into line with the author's description of resistance. I love the idea of having solid writing blocks. It's pretty crazy just how much a little time of disconnect from Facebook, Twitter, GChat can increase productivity.
  • War of Art is on my Amazon wishlist. His block rocks!
  • Crap. Meant his blog rocks...
  • Oh yeah...forgot to boundary-champion. In the immortal words of the mighty Danielle LaPorte: "boundaries are a bitch - but the ROI is huge".
    XO
    T
  • Sa-weet...thank you!

    I was introduced to the notion of start, continue and stop as a form of feedback and am looking to apply it to my planning for 2010. "Stop" is the hardest...which means it's the richest and the one that needs to most attention. Bravo (encore!)
  • i am going to stop doubting about myself and my abilities ... yes, it is going to be about love, sharing and possibilities !
  • i totally agree. i want to stop holding myself back.

    great post, danielle! revolutionary!
  • I'm gonna stop letting the end goal blind me from the fun of the process - instead of aiming for the published book on the shelf, i'm aiming to dive into my writing to discover what the hell comes out. way more fun.
  • i'm going to stop saying yes to things i don't want to do but think i 'ought' to do. Because i then do them halfheartedly (so pointless) and end up hating myself and the person/company who asked me to do them. A complete and utter waste of time and energy all round!
  • I'm with you on this one. I find myself feeling guilty because I don't give enough but end up hating the end result for tasks that I don't want to do but feel I have to.
  • revolutionary. you'll free up SO much time and energy.
  • #2 was on my list too...
    I am also going to stop giving away my services beyond the percentage I have allocated for pro bono work. No more slippery slopes. Clear limits = no resentments that weigh me down.
  • "A note on resentment: you can't continue to do things you fully resent and think they're going to transform into enjoyable activities over time. " Yes! Looking forward to mulling over my stop list. Thank you.
  • Mel
    You caught me. Right there, red-handed, my hands in the pie of all the things I can't stop doing despite knowing they suck the life blood out of me. Now, that I am found out I will have to make the list. Sigh. But thanks. :)
  • I'm printing this out and taking it on a date. We need some time together.
  • Rachel
    In 2010 I will STOP avoiding the yoga mat while craving/longing for all the gifts that regular mat visits bring. Instead I will START investing in attaining those gifts.
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