The title came to me from a book I’ve been reading lately, Things I Don’t Want to Know—which, to be honest, I haven’t liked very much.
I’ve also seen a few blogs doing their own versions of “things I no longer do.” The original spark seems to have been a tweet by Greg Isenberg, though I don’t actually know who he is. Still, I liked the premise immediately and started making my own list. Oddly, the moment I tried to write it down in detail, my mind went blank. After several days, I only have this much. Maybe it makes more sense to treat it as a long-term memo and keep adding to it over time.
Done with
- I don’t drink alcohol anymore.
- I don’t use my phone in the dark anymore. Even if I wake up in the middle of the night and start scrolling, I turn on a light first.
- I don’t drink processed beverages anymore.
- I don’t watch screens while eating.
- I don’t click links in the middle of reading anymore. I either finish the piece first and open them later, or just don’t read them at all.
- I don’t give my attention or emotional energy to things I dislike or disagree with.
- I don’t add emoji, exclamation marks, or filler particles to conversations or writing just to make my tone seem softer.
- I don’t rely on Google alone for search anymore. About half the time now, I use Ecosia.
Still trying
These are not done yet, only desired:
- I want to stop reading new books just because they’re part of the current conversation or suddenly everywhere. Empire of AI would be an example.
- I want to stop repeatedly refreshing my stats after publishing a blog post.
- I want to stop bringing my phone or tablet into the bathroom or into bed.
- I want to stop collecting ebooks just because I might want to read them someday.
- I want to stop ordering takeout. I had been doing well with that one, but recent delivery discounts broke the streak.
- I want to stop drinking coffee. This feels almost impossible, but hope should stay alive.
For now, this is the list. It’s shorter than I expected, but maybe that’s fine.