📝 What if productivity starts with what you don’t do?

In partnership with

Hi there,

Welcome back to You Got a Minute by LifeAt. If you’re new here, you can get caught up by checking out our blog here!

If you’re interested in sponsoring a spot on our ever-growing newsletter, click here 🌱

Straight up, I love a to-do list. Crossing something off? Instant dopamine. But lately, I’ve realized half the stuff on my list was never meant to get done, it was just clutter taking up mental space. Stuff I kept wanting to envision myself doing but… honestly, was too overwhelmed to get to.

So I started making a different kind of list. A to-don’t list. Instead of asking, “What should I do this week?” I started asking, “What’s safe to set down?”

Why a To-Don’t List Feels So Good

The pressure to do everything (like answer every email, chase every opportunity, reply to every text right away) has us running in circles. But naming the things you’re not going to spend energy on this week? That’s a small rebellion.

And honestly, it works. Your brain relaxes. Your body unclenches. You get space back to actually focus on the things that matter, and permission to actually let go of tight expectations.

So, what goes on my To Don’t List?

Last week, here’s what my list looked like (in case you were looking for some inspo):

• Do NOT check the news an hour before bed.

• Don’t agree to social plans because you feel guilty.

• Don’t compare yourself to the other people on LinkedIn.

• Don’t open Slack the second you wake up.

• Don’t answer texts the minute they come in.

• DON’T IGNORE YOUR BREAKS!

They’re tiny, but each one gave me more breathing room. And that breathing room? It became the difference between a week that felt like drowning and a week that felt doable. Instead of scrolling my Slack threads, I found myself taking that time to cook an egg for breakfast. It was honestly pretty nice (especially when I added green onions and sriracha!)

🌱 The Quiet Power of Saying No

What surprised me the most was this: the to-don’t list didn’t just clear my schedule, it helped my mindset.

Suddenly, saying “no” to things didn’t feel like failure, it felt like alignment. When I skipped doomscrolling before bed, I actually slept better. When I stopped agreeing to every “want to hang out?” text, the plans I did say yes to felt lighter and more genuine.

It reminded me that “no” is a complete sentence. And sometimes the kindest thing you can do -for yourself, and even for others -is to not show up stretched thin and frazzled.

The Bigger Picture

We live in a culture obsessed with addition -more habits, more hustle, more hacks. But subtraction is just as powerful. Sometimes it’s not about doing more; it’s about making space by doing less.

A gentle to-don’t list isn’t laziness. It’s strategy. It’s trust. It’s saying: I know what deserves my energy, and I’m allowed to let the rest go.

📓 Journal Prompt

“What three things can I give myself permission not to do this week?”

Write them down. Feel the exhale. Stick to them.

Finding work shouldn’t feel like work.

You don’t need another job board.
You need a signal in the noise.

Indy AI, a new offering by Contra, helps independents find career-defining opportunities through the networks they’ve already built. It connects to LinkedIn and X, then quietly surfaces warm, high-fit opportunities hiding in your extended network, including from people you didn’t even know were hiring.

No cold outreach. No endless scrolling. No pitching into the void. Just real opportunities, backed by real people you already know.

It’s not hustle culture. It’s human signal.


And it’s how independents grow without burning out.

Finding work shouldn’t feel like work.


Let Indy AI do the searching, so you can focus on the work that actually matters.

Let work find you

Reader Spotlight ❤️

We want to feature our community bi-weekly! Submit your profile here!

Real or AI 🤖

Last week, I asked y’all to identify which news reporter was real and which was fake - Image 2 was the REAL reporter! 86% of you were right! That super smooth skin & uncanny valley smile felt way too off - AI has the tendency to overperfect images, so keep an eye on that!

You’re walking through a summer meadow, the air buzzing with warmth and the quiet hum of bees. Bright wildflowers scatter in every direction, and two butterflies catch your eye—one resting on a bloom, the other mid-flight.

But here’s the twist: one of these images is a real snapshot of nature, and the other is an AI-crafted lookalike.

Can you tell which is real and which is AI? Image 1 or Image 2—your turn to choose.