Have you heard the story about Warren Buffett’s long-time pilot, Mike Flint? 

It goes like this. One day, Flint was sharing with Buffett about his long-term career goals, and Buffett invited him to do a career planning exercise together.

First, Buffett asked Flint to write down his top 25 career goals.

Next, Buffett had Flint review the list and circle the top five most important goals. 

At this point, Flint had a list of his top five goals, and a list of the next 20. Buffett asked Flint what this revealed, and Flint said that he’d prioritize the top five, while continuing to pursue the remaining 20, as time permitted.

Buffet replied: “No. You’ve got it wrong, Mike. Everything you didn’t circle just became your Avoid-At-All-Cost list. No matter what, these things get no attention from you until you’ve succeeded with your top 5.”

It’s rare to have an “Avoid-At-All-Costs” list, especially around this time of the year. The holidays are busy, and we often need a to-do list to stay on top of it all. As we set our sights on New Year's resolutions and intentions, it’s easy to create a long list of everything needed to become the best version of ourselves in 2025.

But the “Avoid-At-All-Costs” list might be an even more important list to make.

This is our Don’t Do list, and it’s rooted in the belief that to create the space we need to prioritize the most important things in our life, we need to let go of the things that take up our time and attention.

Is it possible that the best version of you doesn’t come about by adding, but instead by subtracting or eliminating?

Consider creating your own “Avoid-At-All-Costs” list of things you won’t do for the rest of December or in the new year. 

Practice the skill of being ultra-selective: what good things can you let go of to make space for the most important things? Or, as James Clear says, “The most dangerous distractions are the ones you love, but that don’t love you back.” 

Three intentions: Narrow the focus. Increase the quality. Eliminate everything else.

Insights

How to define your vision for 2025. Now is the time to start setting intentions for 2025 and crafting your vision for the year ahead. Here are three interconnected reflection exercises you can do in December so you can hit the ground running in January: 1) Choose three words for the year to guide your actions and mindset; 2) Define in specific detail what your future self looks like, 3) Write your future eulogy; What would you want to be remembered for? Harder to Kill (12 minutes)

A psychologist’s guide to building financial wealth. The biggest predictor of building financial wealth is your mindset. On a recent podcast, Dr. Brad Klontz, a financial psychologist, wealth manager, and professor, explains the critical difference between being broke and being poor, how learned helplessness keeps people financially stuck, and practical ways to develop an agentic, wealth-building mindset. Art of Manliness (40 minutes)

The single best predictor for longevity. According to new research, the single best predictor of how long you will live is not your age, the existence of disease, or your body fat. It is the physical activity you perform in a typical day, as measured by a wrist tracker. Outside Magazine (5 minutes).

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