We’re taught to optimize, subscribe, track, and consume. To stack habits, gadgets, and upgrades like it’s a form of progress. But for me, clarity has come not from adding more, but from letting things go.
This is a list of things I’ve chosen not to do. Not as a rejection of society for its own sake, but as an experiment in living differently. Simpler, slower, less entangled, because in a world of more, we find peace in less.
Media
- I avoid news.
- I avoid social media algorithms from big tech companies.
- I don’t watch pornography.
- I don’t own or watch a television.
Daily habits
- I don’t wake up to the sound of an alarm clock on most days.
- I don’t eat breakfast every day.
- I don’t brush my teeth on most days.
- I don’t shower every day when the weather is cool.
- I don't drink alcohol on a daily basis.
Technology
- I don’t use any technology from Apple.
- I don’t have a calendar, digital or physical.
- I don’t own a smartwatch or fitness tracker.
- I don’t use cloud storage for personal data.
- I don’t use voice assistants like Siri or Alexa.
- I don’t subscribe to any paid streaming or software services.
- I don’t run smartphone or computer operating systems from big tech companies.
- I don’t play video games.
Health
- I don’t use antiperspirant deodorant.
- I don’t use skin products like lotion or sunscreen.
- I don’t use anything besides soap and water in the shower.
- I don’t drink soda or sugary drinks.
- I don’t use nicotine products.
- I avoid over the counter medications, using only in rare circumstances.
This isn’t a manifesto, it’s just a snapshot of one person’s quiet edits to modern life. You don’t have to agree with any of it. But if it gets you thinking about what you might stop doing, then it’s already served its purpose.
Thanks for reading! I hope this inspires more people to share their don’t lists.