Not too long ago I learned the power of a not-to-do list. This is nothing new; many successful people will recommend such a list. It comes down to your time: do you spend a lot of time engaging in an activity that you know isn’t productive, that doesn’t help you get to where you want?

That used to be surfing the web for me, particularly the sites ESPN and Reddit. I used to spend hours after work reading about anything and everything. It was interesting and entertaining, and I did learn a good deal. But it also drained my energy, and the things I was reading about didn’t contribute at all to what I wanted to achieve in life.

So for my New Years resolution a few years ago, I banned myself from those 2 websites. I didn’t restrict my time web surfing or do anything else except for eliminating those 2 online destinations.

My time proliferated. All of a sudden I had much more energy, because I wasn’t staring at my phone for 3 hours a day. I became bored more easily, and thus intentionally choose the activities I wanted to fill my time. My productivity increased, as well as my relationships. All from excluding 2 websites.

Small changes can make a significant impact. As we usher in 2020, maybe we can try some small changes in the public sphere. How about no longer name calling any politicians? Or cutting out a news outlet we can sense is toxic for our thoughts? These small steps might be just the thing that allows us to reconnect, and eventually unite. In 2020 let’s all adhere to a not-to-do list.