• Subscribe
  • Newsletter
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Login
Campus Rec Magazine
  • Sections
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Columns
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • Campus Rec Mastermind Groups
No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Columns
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • Campus Rec Mastermind Groups
No Result
View All Result
Campus Rec Magazine
No Result
View All Result
Home Columns

Create a “Stop-Doing” List

Heather Hartmann by Heather Hartmann
August 9, 2018
in Columns, News
0
stop-doing
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare on LinkedIn

We’ve all heard of to-do lists. What about stop-doing lists?

For weeks now, I’ve been blogging about the book “Good to Great.” Last week I touched on the culture of discipline and how that can be a powerful thing for any organization. This week, I’ve decided to write a follow up blog focusing in one thing Jim Collins wrote about in that chapter: stop-doing lists.

While you can read my last blog to get a good idea about where I’m coming from, I also think this quote from the book sums up the idea of a stop-doing list nicely: “Most of us lead busy but undisciplined lives. We have ever-expanding ‘to-do’ lists, trying to build momentum by doing, doing, doing – and doing more. And it rarely works. Those who build the good-to-great companies, however, made as much use of ‘stop-doing’ lists as ‘to-do’ lists. They displayed a remarkable discipline to unplug all sorts of extraneous junk.”

I don’t know about you, but this chapter hit our editorial team hard. We sat down to discuss it and realized how much “extraneous junk” we’ve been doing. That keeps us from working on our strengths and meeting our audiences’ needs. It keeps us from having a zeroed-in focus that can propel us to success. So, we decided to do something about it.

We made our own stop-doing list, thinking of all the things that draw our focus away from our Hedgehog Concept/mission in our jobs. Some things jumped out pretty quickly, items we’ve been doing for years because, well, that’s what you do. But they haven’t been a positive in helping us reach our potential. It was time to cut them out.

In fact, Collins’ last words of the chapter are powerful and pushed us to action: “The real question is, once you know the right thing, do you have the discipline to do the right thing, and equally important, to stop doing the wrong things?”

So we’ve been slowly shifting. Tasks and duties are being either cut out or reorganized. We are determined to work 80 percent in our strengths, 20 percent in our weaknesses. There’s a lot of change that needs to happen, and it’s going to be hard, but it’s obvious it needs to be done.

In the end, a stop-doing list can free up space on your start-doing list. So, what’s holding you back from creating one today? Sit down and ask yourself, “What am I doing that draws my focus away from our Hedgehog Concept?”

Once you find your list, stop doing those things as soon as possible. And remember, though it can be tempting to become busy again, it’s OK to say no. In fact, you probably should say no more than you do. As Collins shared, “It takes discipline to say, ‘No, thank you’ to big opportunities.”

Tags: campus reccampus recreationfeaturedGood to GreatHedgehog ConceptJim Collinslistsmissionstop-doingstop-doing listto-do list
Previous Post

Facility Basics Help Rec Centers Run Smoothly

Next Post

Studio Series Stability Ball

Heather Hartmann

Heather Hartmann

Heather Hartmann is the editor for Campus Rec Magazine. She can be reached at heather@peakemedia.com.

Related Posts

Officials
Intramurals

Addressing the Shortage of Officials in Intramural Programs

March 28, 2023
Mental Health Programming
Mental Health

Collaborations Enhance Student Mental Health Programming

March 21, 2023
NIRSA Rec Day
Programming

How Schools Celebrated NIRSA Rec Day

March 2, 2023
Matrix
News

Matrix Makes Education and Connection Possible at the Summit

February 23, 2023
Programming
Programming

Setting the Bar Low for Programming Success

February 21, 2023
Mental Health
Well-being

How Campus Rec Can Positively Influence Mental Health

February 14, 2023
Next Post
Stability Ball

Studio Series Stability Ball

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Facebook Twitter Instagram LinkedIn
Campus Rec Magazine

The premier business resource for college and university recreation centers.

The Current Issue

March/April 2023

March/April 2023

Browse

  • Home
  • Subscribe
  • Newsletter
  • Podcast
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

© 2022 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

No Result
View All Result
  • Sections
    • Facility Development
    • News
    • Operations
    • Programming
    • Rec of the Month
    • Staff Development
    • Well-being
    • Profiles
  • Magazine
    • Current Issue
    • Past Issues
    • Subscribe
    • Newsletter
    • Contact Us
  • Columns
  • Supplier Insights
    • Brand Voice
    • Supplier News
    • Supplier Voice
  • Podcast
  • Webinars
  • Education
    • CR Leadership Summit
    • Campus Rec Mastermind Groups

© 2022 Campus Rec Magazine. Published by Peake Media.

Welcome Back!

Login to your account below

Forgotten Password?

Retrieve your password

Please enter your username or email address to reset your password.

Log In