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Stop-Doing List
Instead of a "start-doing" list, build a "stop-doing" list: what activities to cease to free energy for the most important?
Goal
Reverse the leadership habit of "adding" to "subtracting". Most teams need to stop, not start.
Steps
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1
Each leader writes 10 recurring activities their team does (meetings, reports, tasks).
Expected Outcome
Immediate
A list of 5-10 activities actually stopped (not deferred), with clear announcement per each.
Evidence base
School: Good to Great / Jim Collins
Founders: Jim Collins · Peter Drucker (2003)
Coined by Jim Collins in HBR (2003) from his Good to Great research. Builds on Peter Drucker: "Nothing is so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all".
Keywords
Frequently asked questions
How long does "Stop-Doing List" take?
This exercise takes about 60 minutes, practiced in a group in a Written reflection format.
When will I notice the effect of "Stop-Doing List"?
A list of 5-10 activities actually stopped (not deferred), with clear announcement per each. In the short term: Within 2 months, each leader recovers 4-8 hrs/week for higher-value work.
Is "Stop-Doing List" evidence-based?
Yes — it draws on Good to Great / Jim Collins (Jim Collins, Peter Drucker (2003)). Coined by Jim Collins in HBR (2003) from his Good to Great research. Builds on Peter Drucker: "Nothing is so useless as doing efficiently that which should not be done at all".
Is "Stop-Doing List" suitable for beginners?
Its difficulty level is: Intermediate. No external tools required — it can be practiced directly inside the app.
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