Yesterday I was able to do a webinar for educators and leaders overseas. I got to spend an hour with over 3,000 people changing lives every day.

I debuted a brand new session called “Teacher Wellbeing: Managing Workload in the First Weeks Back”. When creating the presentation and then sharing it yesterday, there was one idea that I shared that really seemed to resonate.

You see, I love a good to-do list.

There’s something satisfying about writing everything down, organizing it by priority, and crossing things off throughout the day. It gives me a sense of progress. It helps me stay focused. And honestly, there are days when that list feels like the only thing keeping me on track.

But over the years, I’ve realized something.

My to-do list was never the problem.

The problem was believing that everything on it deserved my attention today.

As educators, leaders, parents, and people who genuinely care, we often carry an invisible pressure to do it all. We answer the email immediately. We volunteer for one more committee. We stay late to make something just a little bit better. We say yes because we don’t want to disappoint anyone.

Before long, our to-do list isn’t just a list of tasks. It becomes a list of expectations we place on ourselves.

And that’s exhausting.

Recently, I started talking about something I call a “Not Today List.”

It’s exactly what it sounds like.

Instead of only writing down everything I need to accomplish, I intentionally write down a few things I’m giving myself permission not to worry about today.

Not forever.
Just today.

Maybe today I’m not going to obsess over making every presentation perfect.
Maybe today I’m not going to compare myself to someone else’s highlight reel on social media.
Maybe today I’m not going to answer emails the moment they arrive.
Maybe today I’m not going to carry responsibility that belongs to someone else.

That simple shift has been surprisingly freeing.

A “Not Today List” isn’t about lowering your standards. It’s about recognizing that your time, energy, and attention are limited resources. Every “yes” costs something. Every commitment asks you to spend a little more of yourself. The question isn’t whether something is good. The question is whether it’s the right thing to give your energy to today.

I’ve learned that if everything is urgent, then nothing truly is.

One of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves is permission.

Permission to leave work with work still waiting.
Permission to admit that “good enough” is sometimes exactly what the moment requires.
Permission to rest without earning it first.
Permission to stop measuring our worth by how exhausted we are.

Ironically, I’ve discovered that when I stop trying to do everything, I become better at the things that matter most.

I’m more present in conversations.
I’m more creative when I write.
I’m more patient with the people I love.
I’m a better leader because I’m no longer running on empty.

Our culture often celebrates busy. We wear exhaustion like a badge of honor, almost as if being overwhelmed proves we’re committed.

I don’t believe that’s true.
I think some of the healthiest leaders I’ve met aren’t the ones who get the most done.

They’re the ones who know what doesn’t deserve their attention.

That takes wisdom.
It takes courage.
And sometimes it takes reminding yourself that saying “not today” isn’t the same as saying “never.”

Perhaps one of the most faithful things we can do is recognize that we were never called to carry everything.

So here’s my challenge for you.

Before you make tomorrow’s to-do list…
Make a “Not Today List.”

Write down one or two things you’re choosing not to carry.

Not because they don’t matter.
But because protecting your peace, your relationships, and your wellbeing matters too.
Because the goal isn’t to do everything.
The goal is to faithfully do the things that matter most.

And sometimes the healthiest words you can say aren’t “I’ll get it done.“

Sometimes they’re simply…
“Not today.“