Most business owners keep a running to-do list. Far fewer keep a stop-doing list, and that’s a missed opportunity.
A stop-doing list names the habits, tasks, and commitments you need to walk away from. Unlike a to-do list, you don’t rewrite it every day.
You build it once, then return to it as you catch yourself slipping back into the old pattern.
What a Stop-Doing List Actually Does
The idea traces back to management researcher Jim Collins, who introduced it in his book Good to Great. Collins found that companies which went from good to great made as much use of stop-doing lists as to-do lists.
The logic is simple. Every hour spent on a low-value task is an hour you can’t spend on the decisions that actually move your business forward.
A to-do list adds work. A stop-doing list removes it. Removing the wrong habits is often what creates room for the right ones.
Why This Matters More for Business Owners
When you’re running a business, there’s no manager assigning your priorities. You decide what gets your attention. That makes it easy to drift into busywork that feels productive but isn’t.
Checking email constantly, redoing tasks you should have delegated, or sitting in meetings that don’t need you are common examples.
None of these mistakes will sink a business on their own. Stacked together over weeks and months, they quietly eat the time you need for pricing, planning, and customer relationships.
The payoff for fixing this is measurable. A Gallup study tracking 143 fast-growing CEOs found that in 2013, those with strong delegation skills generated 33% more revenue on average than those with weaker delegation skills, and posted three-year growth rates well above the low-delegation group. Cutting the wrong tasks isn’t just about time. It shows up in the numbers.
How to Build Your List
Start by tracking your time for a few days. Write down where the hours actually go, not where you assume they go.
- Flag tasks that don’t require your specific skills or decision-making
- Flag habits driven by guilt or old routine rather than current need
- Flag meetings, calls, or check-ins that rarely lead to a decision
- Flag tasks you’re only doing because no one else has been asked to take them
If time-tracking feels abstract, try a sharper version of the exercise. Collins poses it this way: imagine you inherit $20 million with no strings attached. Now imagine instead you learn you have ten years left to live. In both cases, ask what you’d stop doing. The answer is often the same list either way.
Once you have the list, be specific. “Stop micromanaging” is too vague to act on. “Stop reviewing every invoice before it goes out” is something you can actually change.
Habits New Owners Should Reconsider Early
If you’re still in the startup phase, a few patterns are worth watching for before they become permanent habits.
- Doing every task yourself instead of identifying what should eventually be delegated or outsourced
- Saying yes to every customer request, even ones that don’t fit your pricing or capacity
- Chasing every new idea instead of finishing the systems your business already needs
- Comparing your progress to competitors instead of tracking your own numbers
The first habit is the costliest. A 2025 survey of more than 250 growth-stage entrepreneurs found they spend an average of 36% of their working week on admin tasks like invoicing and data entry, while working roughly 45.5 hours a week overall. That’s over 16 hours a week that could go toward decisions only the owner can make.
You don’t have to fix all of these at once. Naming them early makes them easier to catch before they’re habits.
Keep the List Alive
A stop-doing list only works if you actually look at it.
Put it somewhere you’ll see it weekly, next to your to-do list is a natural place.
Update it when you notice a new habit pulling you off track, and cross items off once they’re genuinely gone.
Key Points and Facts About Stop-Doing Lists
- A stop-doing list names habits and tasks to walk away from, built once and revisited rather than rewritten daily
- The concept comes from management researcher Jim Collins, introduced in his book Good to Great
- CEOs with strong delegation skills generated 33% more revenue in 2013 on average than weaker delegators, according to Gallup research
- A 2025 survey found growth-stage entrepreneurs spend an average of 36% of their working week on admin tasks, working around 45.5 hours a week
- A useful list entry names a specific action to stop, not a vague intention
Action Steps for Building a Stop-Doing List
Track where your time actually goes
- Log your hours for three to five working days
- Note the task and roughly how long it took
- Don’t rely on memory or assumption — write it down as you go
Screen your task list for what to cut
- Mark tasks that don’t require your specific skills or authority
- Mark habits you keep out of guilt or routine rather than current need
- Mark meetings that rarely produce a decision
Write the list and put it to work
- Write each entry as a specific action, not a general intention
- Place the list next to your to-do list where you’ll see it weekly
- Cross off items once they’re genuinely gone, and add new ones as you spot them
FAQ: Stop-Doing Lists
How is a stop-doing list different from a to-do list?
- A to-do list adds tasks and gets rewritten often. A stop-doing list removes tasks and is built once, then revisited only when a habit resurfaces.
How often should I review my stop-doing list?
- Weekly works well for most owners. Keeping it next to your to-do list makes the habit easier to stick to.
What’s a good first entry for a new list?
- Pick the most specific, most time-consuming task you found while tracking your hours. A specific entry is easier to act on than a general one.
Should employees have their own stop-doing lists too?
- It can help, especially for managers who oversee their own priorities. The same principle applies: name a specific task to stop, not a general behavior to improve.
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