Ditch it.

What can you simply stop doing?

This juicy prompt on Instagram Threads launched a list worth sharing. My response is the first one, followed by some other favorites.

• Finishing every book you start. If it hasn’t grabbed you by page 50, move on to something else

• Answering the door when someone knocks or rings the doorbell if you’re not expecting them

• Not eating what you feel like eating based on time of day. You want a cheeseburger for breakfast? Why tf not?

• Folding clean underwear + PJs. Just put them in the drawer!

• Wearing a bra

• Sharing the bed with your partner/spouse

• Stopping a show in the middle of the episode when I’m ready for bed and not waiting for the designated “end point”

• Covering job duties when a coworker is out. Just witnessed a coworker say no to my supervisor… and they just found someone else to do it!

• Caring about the uninvited opinions of others

• Getting weighed at the doctor’s office. I just refuse the scale

• Sorting the silverware into different compartments

• Saying yes to social events when I’d rather have time to myself

One commenter summed it up perfectly: “Everything, I mean EVERYTHING, is a construct” — to which another poster added “Yup. We assigned morality to pieces of paper and authority to clocks.”

Preach!

This may on surface seem like a fun and breezy thread. But underneath the surface, buzzing softly, is a deeper invitation.

What patterned, conditioned, socially endorsed behavior is holding you back or stealing your joy?

What if you simply stopped doing it?

Until next time, remember that creativity knows no bounds.