I think at one point or another everyone has made a To-Do list. But have you ever created a To-Don't List?

Arthur C. Brooks, a Harvard professor who specializes in happiness research, argues that instead reflexively adding things perhaps we should focus more on subtraction. 

You could say Brooks's argument is practical. Negative experiences stick clearly in our minds, and we are guaranteed to get a boost in happiness from removing them. 

"After a weekend at the beach with your family, you can probably list the irritations far more easily than the pleasant aspects," he writes. "When you get home, you'll have a list of things you experienced, and you can easily name the ones you didn't like and don't want to repeat next time (for example, bringing your brother-in-law). In contrast, the things you might add (such as a different guest, who, you hope, won't get arrested) are hypothetical. Subtractive knowledge is practically guaranteed to lead to improvement, but additive knowledge is often just a guess." 

So where to start on your To-Don't list? Helpfully, Brooks offered eight suggestions… But you have to read the article to find out what they are!