Tuesday, June 16, 2026

The "Not to Do" List

"Don't worry, be happy."

Why read the blog? It fixes nothing. I agree. If the blog had a "virtual legacy," it would be, "Love reading, love learning, and use them to forge your better self." 

Rolf Dobelli, author of "The Art of Thinking Clearly," also wrote the "Not to Do List." Benefit by avoiding "losing behaviors." 

1. Show up late. 

Einstein proved that time is not a fixed commodity. Don't worry about it. That's a terrible idea. Showing up late disrespects others. Sometimes late arrival locks you out (e.g. standardized tests). Be punctual

2. Procrastinate.

There's nothing wrong with putting obligations off until the last minute. That will eventually bite you on the backside. The reading list unread or the term paper not completed can sink your dreams. 

Work on assignments today

3. Good enough is good enough.

It doesn't have to be perfect. "I'm good." Larry Bird and others told themselves, there's always somebody else out there working to beat me. 

Former Coach and Melrose AD Ellis Lane said, "I'm pleased but I'm not satisfied.

4. Take credit. If you don't others will.

Be a credit hog. Stand in the limelight. Architect Frank Lloyd Wright lost business because he wouldn't share credit with young colleagues. Jonas Salk, principal researcher of the polio vaccine, declined to share credit with his research team. As a result he never was elected to the National Academy of Sciences and never earned a Nobel Prize. 

Deflect credit to coaches and teammates and ultimately get more recognition, not less. 

5. The work will take care of itself. 

Let distractions get in the way. You have a life to live. That works until it doesn't. 

Skill building, film study, outside reading, strength and conditioning aren't a given. Hard work is a skill

6. Don't sweat the small stuff (attention to detail).

You can't know everything. If I don't call the ball or just make sure I get the serve in, what's the worst thing that can happen? 

Dodger Manager Tommy LaSorda said, "There are three kinds of people, those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who wonder what's happening." The devil is in the details

7. Night at the Opera (mi-mi-mi)

It's all about me. Just keep thinking that way. When selfishness and self-serving behaviors consume us, others wave "bye-bye."

Be a great teammate. Support others. Be happy for others' success. 

8. Care what other people think. 

All that matters is what other people think. As long as they think you're a good person, you're all set. 

Coach Wooden said, "Be more concerned about your character than your reputation. Character is who you are and reputation is what others think."

9. Planning and preparation are for the other guy.

I'm good, no need for studying or preparation. I know my role. Do you? Excellence requires blueprints. You can't build a house without a blueprint or cook a gourmet meal without a recipe. 

Be prepared

10. DATU. "Doesn't apply to us." 

Rules don't apply to us; we're special. Recent headline news showed that's a bad strategy. 

In The Art of War, written about 2500 years ago, Sun Tzu wrote, "Every battle is won before it is fought." 

11."Hang around with low character people. It will make you look good." 

You know the saying, "It's hard to soar like an eagle if you fly with turkeys." Great teams have great teammates. 

Coach Mike Krzyzewski of Duke said, "Surround yourself with great people." You have an excellent coaching staff. Listen and learn. 

12."It's okay to quit. It's too hard." 

What's one of the hardest tasks in the world? Raising children. It takes decades for full physical, intellectual, and emotional maturity. Your parents don't say, "It's too hard," although they may think it sometimes. 

Do. Not. Quit. History writes the story of persistence. 

Lagniappe. An AI take on Rolf Dobelli's "Not to Do List"

share a dozen big ideas from Dobelli's "Not to Do List"

Dobelli's central idea is classic Charlie Munger inversion:

Instead of asking, "How do I succeed?" ask, "What behaviors reliably lead to failure?" Then avoid them.

For a coach, investor, or writer, that approach is particularly powerful because mistakes are often more predictable than success.

Here are a dozen of the biggest ideas that emerge from The Not-To-Do List:

1. Don't Let Small Problems Rot

The roof leak, strained relationship, declining skill, or nagging injury rarely improves through neglect.

  • Fix problems while they are small.
  • Maintenance beats crisis management.

This aligns perfectly with coaching: don't wait until February to address a November weakness.

2. Don't Drift

Many people live by default rather than design.

  • Be intentional.
  • Don't confuse motion with direction.

Dobelli argues that success is often the result of deliberate choices rather than passive drift.

3. Don't Multitask

You can do multiple things.

You cannot create multiple things simultaneously.

Deep work beats fragmented work.

4. Don't Start the Same Job Twice

One of the simplest ideas in the book.

  • Finish what you start.
  • Touch emails once.
  • Complete tasks before moving on.

Every restart incurs a cognitive cost.

5. Don't Say Yes Automatically

Every "yes" is a "no" to something else.

Before agreeing to something, imagine it happening tomorrow.

Would you still want to do it?

If not, decline.

6. Don't Chase Mediocrity

Dobelli repeatedly encourages eliminating average activities.

  • Delegate them.
  • Automate them.
  • Stop doing them.

Reserve your energy for work that matters.

7. Don't Depend on External Motivation

Motivation is unreliable.

Build systems.
Build habits.
Build routines.

The professional works whether inspiration arrives or not.

8. Don't Keep Bad Company

Your environment shapes your behavior.

Avoid:

  • Chronic pessimists
  • Complainers
  • Status addicts
  • Drama generators

The people around you become your future.

9. Don't Feed Your Ego

Ego creates:

  • Defensive thinking
  • Poor decisions
  • Fragile leadership

Humility is not weakness. It is a decision-making advantage.

10. Don't Confuse Luck with Skill

A recurring Dobelli theme.

Successful outcomes do not automatically validate decisions.

In investing and coaching:

  • Good decisions can lose.
  • Bad decisions can win.

Judge the process first.

11. Don't Consume Endless News

A long-standing Dobelli principle.

His view:

  • News exaggerates the unusual.
  • News increases anxiety.
  • News rarely improves decision quality.

He advocates deeper knowledge over constant updates.

12. Don't Ignore Relationships

Many people treat relationships as self-maintaining assets.

They aren't.

  • Invest time.
  • Stay connected.
  • Repair damage early.

Like a garden, relationships require continuous maintenance.


For your blog, the most transferable lesson may be:

Don't let weaknesses compound.

A volleyball team that ignores serve receive in August, a basketball team that ignores rebounding in December, or an investor who ignores risk in a bull market are all committing the same mistake.

Dobelli's philosophy is remarkably similar to Via Negativa—the idea you've written about before. Improvement often comes less from adding something new than from removing the habits, distractions, and errors that hold us back

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