The Anti-To-Do List
Name the behaviours you must avoid to remove daily boat anchors
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 5
- Confidence
- 98%
The Anti-To-Do List complements a normal task list by making avoidance explicit. Instead of planning only the actions that should happen, identify the behaviours that commonly pull you away from the person or performance you want. Write those behaviours as visible constraints, such as not complaining or not using your phone around your child. The list creates awareness at the moment an automatic pattern begins, giving you a chance to stop before it takes over. Its mechanism is subtraction: remove the recurring actions that hold you back, and useful behaviour has more room to operate. Because personal weak points and daily circumstances change, the list should be reviewed and refreshed rather than treated as a permanent set of rules.
Origin
Sahil Bloom described the Anti-To-Do List on Habits & Hustle as a daily counterpart to an overloaded task list, using his own tendencies to complain and use his phone around his son as examples.
Core principles
- 01Avoiding harmful actions can matter as much as completing useful ones
- 02Visible constraints interrupt automatic behaviour
- 03Transformation often comes through subtraction
- 04The right avoid-list changes with your current weak points
How to run it
- 1
Find today's boat anchors
Identify the small, recurring behaviours most likely to hold you back today. Focus on actions you can observe rather than vague traits.
Pro tip Start with one behaviour you already catch yourself doing repeatedly.
Watch out Do not turn the list into a catalogue of everything you dislike about yourself.
- 2
Write clear prohibitions
Convert each behaviour into a direct instruction such as “Don't complain” or “Don't have the phone out around my son.”
Pro tip Use wording that makes compliance unambiguous at the end of the day.
- 3
Put the list in view
Keep the constraints where you will see them during the situations that normally trigger the behaviour. Visibility turns a default reaction into a conscious choice.
Watch out A list hidden in a notes archive cannot create useful awareness.
- 4
Interrupt the pattern
When you feel yourself being pulled toward a listed behaviour, stop in your tracks and choose not to continue it.
Pro tip Treat noticing the impulse as progress, even when the interruption is imperfect.
- 5
Review and rotate
Check which constraints you honoured and which still caught you. Change the list as your circumstances and most important avoidances evolve.
Pro tip Keep effective constraints until the unwanted behaviour stops being automatic.
Watch out Do not preserve an item merely because it once mattered.
In the wild
Bloom naturally defaults to complaining about trivial things. Putting “don't complain” in front of him creates a checkpoint: when he feels himself being pulled into a complaint, the visible instruction helps him stop before continuing.
→ A habitual reaction becomes a conscious choice that can be interrupted.
Bloom includes not having his phone out in front of his son as a challenging Anti-To-Do item. The constraint focuses attention on removing one behaviour that conflicts with how he wants to show up as a parent.
→ The avoid-list protects attention during time with his son.
Common mistakes
Writing vague character judgments
“Don't be bad” offers no observable moment to interrupt. Name the specific action instead.
Adding too many prohibitions
An overloaded avoid-list recreates the same attention problem as an overloaded to-do list. Prioritise the few behaviours with the greatest drag.
Treating the list as permanent
The relevant constraints change over time. Review the list so it continues to target current behaviour.
Is it for you?
Best for
People who know what to do but repeatedly lose momentum through distraction, complaining, or another familiar habit.
Not ideal for
People who still lack a clear positive priority and need direction before tighter behavioural constraints.
From the transcript
“the anti-to-do list is like what do I need to not do during this day?”
“creating an awareness around the things that I'm trying not to do during the day is just as important as knowing what I want to…”
“sometimes growth actually comes from not doing the thing that is holding you back. Cutting the boat anchors.”
From the episode
Episode 498: Sahil Bloom: How Physical Wealth Unlocks Mental, Financial and Relationship Success
Sahil Bloom