Twitter CEO Says Doing These Things Will Ruin Your Productivity

Remember when you wanted to be more productive after weeks of being lazy? Well, you're doing it wrong. Instead of focusing on what you should do, maybe you should focus on the things you shouldn’t be doing.

Well, at least that's how Jack Dorsey, the Twitter CEO, does it.

Just like any other office workers, Dorsey starts his day by listing some priorities such as meditating, working out, writing memos and reading. BUT the major key is he also keeps a won’t-do list that reminds him what not to do.

His "won't do" list included drinking alcohol and making a decision on an initiative labeled "#fast team initiatives."

The co-founder of Twitter and Square said "Every morning I write a checklist of work I intend to do today, and work I won't do today," This way he will more "focused on more strategic efforts rather than calendar stuff."

Unlike us, Jack Dorsey needs a list of things he won’t do each day Pic source: JD Lasica

He also said that he checks out the “won’t do” section before he goes to sleep. Sooner or later, he will move these items to the “to-do” list.  

“To-do” lists don’t acknowledge other important tasks. As a result, these lists don’t always reflect the decisions you need to make in a given day to move forward on main priorities.

Jack Dorsey's daily list of dos and won't dos.

Jack Dorsey’s daily checklists show he’s careful and mindful about what he will and won’t work on. This helps him to take control and improve his time management. As a matter of fact, ruling out irrelevant tasks is important for boosting productivity.

"The "won't do" list is often more important than the "do" list. Setting the intention to deliberately not work on something gives me clearer space to think and work, and be less reactive. Some items stay on the lists for days/weeks/months" tweeted Dorsey.

Dorsey has talked about his "won't do" lists several times in the past. The "won't do" list he shared during a talk included being late, avoiding eye contact and setting expectations he couldn't meet.