Hell No List: When you are in the weeds, you need to get out the weed wacker
Ever stare at your to‑do list and whisper, “I’ve got this - I’ll just bend the laws of physics”? News flash: you can do anything, but you can’t do everything. Leadership means choosing, and choosing means cutting. Time to fire up the weed‑wacker.
Why Leaders Need a Hell No List
Greg McKeown, author of Essentialism, puts it bluntly: Your job is to filter noise. When everything feels urgent, nothing truly important happens. The Hell No List is your noise‑canceling headphones.
Discern more = Do less
The Three Step Trimmer
Pause: Hit the brakes before you RSVP “Sure!” to yet another calendar clog. Pro tip: Silence notifications, including the one screaming “Buy plane tickets now—sale ends in 12 minutes!”
Evaluate: Does this task move the mission? If it’s not a clear “heck yes,” it’s a “hell no.” Ask: Will doing or deleting this make my life better in 90 days?
Eliminate: Delete, delegate, or defer. If it feels brutal, you’re doing it right.
The Four C’s of Ruthless Editing
Cut: Options are like weeds; yank them.
Condense: Inbox novels? Turn them into haikus.
Correct: Course‑correct projects drifting off‑shore.
Cease: Sometimes the bravest move is to stop entirely.
Remember: Subtraction adds life. Every “no” makes space for a louder, more resonant “yes.”
Quick Challenge
List the top 10 drains on your time.
Circle the two that actually matter.
Everything else? Hell. No.
Close the laptop, cancel that pointless meeting, and schedule something that sparks joy, or at least decent coffee. Leadership isn’t mowing every blade of grass; it’s knowing which weeds to rip out.