It’s easy to identify what we want to add to life during this time of year:
more savings
more family time
more books
more PTO
more followers
more muscle
moreMoreMoreMoreMore()
Whatever you want more of, the easiest way to get it is by doing less.
Below are the things developers like us can stop doing immediately.
Yes, we can just not do these things.
No one is going to arrest us.
We won’t get fired or go bankrupt.
People will think we’re “weird,” “intense,” “selfish,” “stinky.”
That’s a small price to pay for having more time to get what we want.
43 WORK Things You Can Avoid
Dev
Shipping your product on mobile + web + tablet + desktop
Following daily AI news
Migrating to the trendy framework
Improving performance before users complain
Microservices
Supporting every browser
Building a design system
Reading all the newsletters in your inbox
Adding AI stuff to your product: mcp-server, chat, agents
Maintaining a personal portfolio
Maintaining a landing page
Maintaining staging & production environments
Doing canary deployments
A/B testing
Tracking product analytics
Supporting SSO, OAuth
Backing up everything every day
Marketing
Building a personal brand
Optimizing content for SEO
Maintaining a community on Discord/Skool/GitHub
Formalizing your niche
Creating an affiliate program
Attending conferences
Making a logo
Blogging
Posting on IG/TikTok/X/LinkedIn/YouTube
Cross-posting
Writing an email sequence
Updating your “about” page
Operations
Letting people pick your brain
Responding to all emails
Creating an LLC
Getting business insurance
Opening a business bank account
Waiting to start your project until you find a cofounder
Waiting around until you get into YC
Raising VC
Hiring an assistant
Having employees
Getting advisors
Documenting internal processes
Formalizing OKRs
Writing a business plan
34 LIFE Things You Can Avoid
Consuming
Using credit cards
Watching TV/Netflix
Going on social media
Following the news
Subscribing to Amazon Prime
Following sports (highlights, betting, fantasy)
Buying a house
Getting a better car
Upgrading phones
Listening to podcasts
Watching p**n
Reading everything in the group chat
Being normal
Cooking
Going to the gym
Showering immediately after working out
Putting on deodorant
Responding to texts, calls, and voicemails
Cleaning your place
Small talk
Mowing the lawn
Changing clothes every day
Sleeping 8 hrs/night
Tracking calories
Having a phone
Saving for retirement
Celebrating holidays
Going out
Going on vacation
Catching up with old friends
Getting a dog
Getting a girlfriend
Having a wedding
Having kids
Explaining yourself
4 Things You CANNOT Avoid
And what happens if you try for long enough
Taxes → jail
Being honest with investors → jail
Offering things (code, media, ideas, access, time) → insolvency
Asking for things (money, time, feedback) → insolvency
You probably thought, “but I like doing that thing” a few times while skimming that list.
That’s cool, then do it for pleasure.
But realize that pleasure !== productivity.
The more things you do for pleasure, the less time you’ll have for your goals.
Unless you can achieve your goal with pleasure exclusively.
(If that’s the case, LMK what your goal is!)
We tell ourselves that we need so much.
Our codebases, calendars, homes, and minds are so full.
Then we’re surprised when we can’t find room for a new habit.
To get what you want in 2026, eliminate what you clung to in 2025.
What’s something I forgot? LMK so I can get some time back.