Die Not-To-Do-Liste

by Rolf Dobelli

'We systematically overestimate the role of success factors; but at the same time, we systematically disregard the role of failure factors. Why? Because successful companies, projects and people make it into the media. Flops, on the other hand - no one wants to hear about them. Deadbeats don't usually write autobiographies. And in the rare event that they do, they fail to find a publisher or at the very least an audience.

So, we study these shining examples and delude ourselves that success is the result of a series of carefully orchestrated success factors, when it's really about avoiding the things that kill success. Why not visit the graveyards of failed companies, projects, people, marriages and families instead? That's where you'll learn the most - namely, what to avoid.'

Just as some people collect vinyl, video game consoles or vintage clothes, for years Rolf Dobelli has been accumulating stories of failure - botched attempts at work, family life, marriage and life in general. Using information gleaned from some of the world's most innovative and curious minds, as well as from his own experience as a writer, businessman, entrepreneur and philosopher, Dobelli skilfully distils the 52 most important habits to avoid if you want to live a successful, and ultimately happy, life.

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Productivity, Psychology, Philosophy, Audiobook

Hardcover

About the author

Rolf Dobelli is a Swiss author and businessman. He began his writing career as a novelist in 2002, but he is best known internationally for his bestselling non-fiction The Art of Thinking Clearly (2011, English 2013), for which The Times has called him "the self-help guru the Germans love".

Reviews

[Jan❕️Mikael · Rating 3 out of 5]

52 mehrheitlich Binsenwahrheiten zum Vermeiden von Lebensfehlern. Das Buch ist aber liebevoll aufgemacht, schön illustriert und eignet sich daher bestens als "coffee table book".

[Marcel Ruesch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Ich weiß nicht was ich erwartet habe, denn ich habe bereits “Die Kunst des klaren Denkens” von Rolf Dobelli gelesen und mochte es damals auch nicht.

Aber ich dachte ich geb dem ganzen nochmal ne Chance.

Doch dann gab es 300 Seiten der offensichtlichsten Lebensratschläge die ich je gesehen habe.

Gut, das wär jetzt kein Problem, wenn das Buch dafür auch vernünftige Ratschläge geben würde wie man diese obvious Sachen aber auch tatsächlich ins Leben einbaut.

But it doesn’t.

Und dann wertet sich das Buch immer mal wieder selber ab, mit Whacko Aussagen wie:

„Wenn sie fünf jahre lang zum Psychotherapeuten gehen um ihre Vergangenheit aufzuarbeiten, machen sie etwas falsch“.
Ahhh, ich muss die Vergangenheit einfach loslassen. Wär ich da mal früher drauf gekommen.

Ich hab mir zwei einigermaßen nützliche Stellen im ganzen Buch markiert, aber die waren nicht so herausragend um den ganzen Rest auszugleichen. Für mich das zweite Buch und das erste Sachbuch des Jahres, dem ich einen Stern gebe.

[˚ ༘♡ ⋆Bernice ｡˚ ❀ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sie lesen das Inhaltsverzeichnis und haben das Buch damit eigentlich schon durch. Es ist als würde meine Mutter mir sagen etwas nicht zu tun, ohne zu erklären warum. Die Ausführungen des Autors zu jeder Wege wirken, als hätte man ChatGPT einen ‚Nicht-zu-tun‘-Satz gegeben und den Rest einfach generieren lassen. Trotzdem sind die darin erwähnten wirklich Gewohnheiten, die wir nicht haben sollten.

Um Ihnen Zeit zu sparen, hier sind die 52 Wege, die Sie besser lassen sollten:
English readers, to save you time, below are 52 habits you shouldn't do:

1 Let everything wither away
2 Feed your inner procrastinator
3 Be unreliable
4 Be a jerk
5 Harbor high expectations
6 Live for the moment
7 Keep having conflicts in your marriage
8 Give up as quickly as possible
9 Preach water, but drink wine
10 Hold on to your bad habits
11 Set ridiculous goals
12 Drink yourself into misery
13 Meddle in other people's affairs
14 Learn exclusively from your own experience
15 Spend your free time on social media
16 Lose your temper in traffic
17 Surround yourself with grumpy people
18 Pick fights with your neighbors
19 Get high on drugs
20 Maneuver yourself into a dead end
21 Please, no ease
22 Wallow in guilt
23 Be ungrateful
24 Trust your banker
25 Be paranoid
26 Don’t take others seriously
27 Live in the past
28 Listen to your inner voice
29 Believe in the rational human
30 Become a nihilist
31 See catastrophe in everything
32 Consider money unimportant
33 Cultivate self-pity
34 Become submissive
35 Get rich quick, get smart quick
36 The endless loop of thoughts
37 Trade your reputation for money
38 Avoid every difficulty
39 Let your emotions run wild
40 Try to kill yourself
41 Marry the wrong person and stay together forever
42 Hold grudges
43 Devote yourself to an ideology
44 Try to change people
45 Always say what you think
46 Do everything possible at once
47 Stay superficial
48 Surround yourself with psychos
49 Throw yourself into competition
50 Say yes to everything
51 Clutter your life
52 Fall into the content trap

[Haniye_Mirkamali · Rating 1 out of 5]

خوانش: ۴ تیر ۱۴۰۴

این کتاب با عنوان فهرست کارهای انجام ندادنی از نشر مون منتشر شده..
کتاب سطحی و پیش پا افتاده با مطالب تکراری..
مثلا همه میدونن که نباید با ادم های منفی باف تو زندگیشون بگردن
یا همه میدونن باید مدیریت مالی داشته باشن و ولخرجی نکنن
یا هممون میدونیم باید تمرین کنیم که هر چیزی رو قبول نکنیم و بلد باشیم نه بگیم
و حالا ۵۲ قانون اینجوری در ۳۰۰ صفحه نوشته شده که نه تنها نکات جدیدی رو نمیگه بلکه فقط تکرار نکات قدیمی و سطحیه..

[Slinkysnake · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's funny because there's a lot of good insights here but the anecdotes suggest the author might lean towards some of the not to dos.

[Sam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Gute Kapitel, aber am besten war der Sarkasmus.

[Nikhil · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish this book didn't have the sarcastic or ironic sections at the beginning of each chapter, each of which is consumable enough. The author applies the law of inversion to state various points on how to lead a good life. All of which are earnest enough but as a reader I really could have done without the sections at the beginning of each chapter. Would have made for a thinner and more consumable book. I picked up this book because I have read the author's earlier work which was great. This is a basic but good enough read you can consume quickly.

[Fo · Rating 3 out of 5]

کتاب در مورد شیوه های مرسوم شکست خوردن است، پس منطقی است که با انجام ندادن آنها، احتمال شکست خوردن کم شود یا حداقل اینکه شکست ها کم عمق تر شوند. در واقع احتمالا همه خوانندگان قسمت عمده ای از مطالب کتاب را از قبل می دانند و شاید دقیقا به همین دلیل است که کتاب امتیاز بالایی کسب نکرده است ولی از سمت مقابل، اگر به دید یک یادآوری به کتاب نگاه بشود، کتاب قابل اعتناتر می شود. البته که ممکن است با مباحثی از کتاب موافق نباشید ولی بهرصورت به عنوان یک داربست فکری، مفید است. به نظرم می رسد که شخصیت نویسنده ذاتا کمی بدبین و محتاط است، به همین دلیل هم است که کلیت کتاب کمی ناامید کننده است. اما یک نکته قوت کتاب، پیوست نسبتا پر و پیمان انتهای کتاب است
پینوشت: کتاب من از نشر مهرگان خرد با ترجمه فاطمه یزدانپناه بود

[milena · Rating 3 out of 5]

die ratschläge hätten konkreter sein können aber an sich sehr spannend!

[Popescu Constantin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some good parts, some less good parts. I feel like the author tries to gloss over a lot of complex topics, providing oversimplified solutions (and for some chapters I just flat out disagree with him).

[Cathal Ó · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read the English version of this book, but I'd imagine it's a shit book in German too.

Dobelli had a good book in The Art of Thinking Clearly and it found worldwide success, and rightfully so. It was actually good. But he made the mistake of continuing to write things down. In truth, the stuff he had to say in that book was all he had to say. All further books are attempts to repeat this same success, and to do so, he writes about the same stuff.

Some of the things he advises are so blatanly obvious - be nice to people, or whatever. Then he says things that are downright SILLY, if you'll pardon my French. He talks about not committing suicide and basically says just not to do it. Gee, Rolf. I never thought of it that way. If only suicidal people just simply didn't commit suicide. What a world it would be, and how much additional space we would have in local graveyards! That's Swiss efficiency.

I respect that he tells the book from his own perspective and he is loyal to his own beliefs to a fault, despite how cringeworthy some of them are. He parades his Reddit-esque atheism without seeing the irony of it, maybe because his fedora is pulled down over his eyes. Facts and logic are all that exist. Including the fact that this book is shit.

His chapters are ridiculously short, which can be done well in some books, like Catch-22 for example, but Dobelli makes it feel rushed, and you get the impression he didn't put in very much effort. Half of each chapter is some reverse psychology thing where he tries to convince you to do the opposite of what he's actually recommending, which I undertstand is the book's central idea but is also a massive waste of paper. He also just copied the premise for the book from Charlie Munger, who he quotes constantly throughout.

Want a fun drinking game? Take a shot every time you see the words "Nobel Prize". This guy is obsessed with the Nobel Prize. Why? What's so special about it? Alfred Nobel invented this prize to improve the public's opinion of him after he invented dynamite. It's sanitary and meaningless, just like this book with it's pretty white cover.

This book is a cash-grab. He has his contract with the publisher, he does his public speaking, he writes his mediocre books, and life goes on. All the more power to him.

[Bianca · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a masterclass in cutting through the noise of modern self-help literature, and honestly, it's one of the most useful reads I've encountered in recent years. What makes The Not To Do List genuinely exceptional isn't the complexity of its ideas—it's the clarity with which Dobelli presents what we already know deep down but have somehow lost in the chaos.

The genius of this book lies in its premise: instead of yet another motivational tome telling you what to do, Dobelli does something radical by telling you what not to do. The 52 items he outlines feel painfully obvious once you read them, yet they're precisely the things most of us are actively doing wrong—caught up in the exhausting, chaotic lifestyle that characterizes our modern age. Whether it's saying yes to everything, listening to your unreliable inner voice, having impossibly high expectations, or endlessly multitasking, nearly every reader will find themselves uncomfortably reflected in these pages.

What strikes me most is how the author validates what we suspect: if you're feeling stuck, unfulfilled, or perpetually exhausted, the problem likely isn't that you're missing some secret ingredient or success hack. The problem is almost guaranteed to be one (or several) of these 52 items. And Dobelli articulates each point with surgical precision—not with motivational fluff, but with the steady, unsentimental reasoning of someone who understands both business and human psychology.

Despite appearing deceptively simple or like "just another self-help book," this is genuinely one of the best investments of time I've made reading in the last couple of years. The usefulness-to-page ratio is extraordinary. There's no filler, no lengthy anecdotes stretched to chapter length, no vague philosophizing. Each chapter is focused, actionable, and respects your intelligence. Dobelli treats the reader like someone capable of understanding complex ideas without needing them spoon-fed through repetitive motivational language.

The book is most valuable for people ready to genuinely question themselves—for those willing to admit that their life isn't working the way they want and are honest enough to explore what role they might be playing in that failure. If you're someone who reads self-help books because you're serious about reconsidering your life direction and eliminating what isn't serving you, this is essential reading. It won't make you feel good; it will make you think acutely and, more importantly, act differently.

[Sambasivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ralf Dobelli is one of my favorite authors. The art of thinking clearly is one of the best books that I have read on the subject of thinking.

In this book he adopts an inversion method to call out the negative practices and then tells us why one should stay away from it.

If you keep away from the 52 practices life can be good.

Go for it.

[Eileen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Das Buch nutzt mal den Ansatz der umgekehrten Psychologie. Man erhält 52 Tipps wie man sein Leben so richtig in den Sand setzen kann. Ich habe immer nur ein paar Kapitel gelesen, weil ich mich damit bewusst beschäftigen wollte. So konnte ich danach noch ein wenig sinnieren. Die Kapitel sind dafür recht kurz. Der Autor hat vieles gesammelt das schief geht, zeigt auf schwarzer Humor Basis wie man es richtig „verkacken“ kann aber dann kommt „die Stimme der Vernunft“ und zeigt auf wie man es lieber richtig macht.
Für alle Lebenslagen ist etwas dabei!
So als kleines Nachschlagewerk finde ich es gut, wenn etwas einen bedrückt oder nervt.

[Roger Rohner · Rating 3 out of 5]

Das Buch umfasst 52 kurze Abrisse, um Fehler in verschiedenen Bereichen der Lebensgestaltung aufzuzeigen. Dabei wird zuerst das Fehlverhalten umrissen und anschliessend aufgeklärt.
Die Auflistung wirkt teilweise etwas beliebig und mitunter etwas gesucht. Manchmal sind gewisse Kapitel auch etwas trivial, einige aber durchaus originell.
Nur schon die Struktur des Buches sorgt dafür, dass der Leser wohl wenig mitnehmen kann daraus. Es liest sich aber durchaus flüssig und auch unterhaltsam.

[Tairachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

From the author of The Art of Thinking Clearly comes a new non-fiction title, The Not To-Do List: The Surprisingly Simple Art of Success!

Instead of a To-Do List for success, Dobelli has come up with the inverse, a Not To-Do List. Each chapter consists of sarcastically written entries on a Life of Misery, followed by advice from the Quiet Voice of Reason. Formulaic, but an inspiring self-improvement book to get oneself back on track, if you're feeling unmotivated, sluggish. This book outlines the keys to a life of failure, and counters such negativity with logic. 

The Not To-Do List is a powerful and wise guiding force for living your best life each day.

One thing I didn't quite like was how the author kept referring to Warren Buffett, Charlie Munger, Berkshire Hathaway so frequently, it felt like a shameless plug/advertorial at times which was a bit cringey for me. And there was a lot of 'reflected glory' kind of remarks like 'oh my friend who happens to be a billionaire' which I found off-putting.

But here are some lines I enjoyed:

'Maintenance is by no means a heroic deed. It is boring and unsexy, and most of it goes unseen. But that's not to say it's any less important than heroism - in fact, quite the opposite. While we systemically overestimate the value of a grand design or a brave rescue mission, we systematically underestimate the value of quiet ongoing maintenance.' 

'[Benjamin Franklin] was on a constant quest for self-improvement. At the age of 20, he came up with a plan to 'perfect' his character. He compiled a list of 13 virtues he wanted to cultivate in his life - things like industry, frugality, resoluteness and avoiding unnecessary small talk. He devoted a week to each of these virtues, consciously practising and focusing on them. Then he started the cycle all over again from the beginning.' 

'Never give others a reason to meddle in your personal life. Set clear boundaries and deal with your own problems behind closed doors. A small cast, three-act play is over faster than an epic opera.'

'Your environment offers plenty of lessons on the foolish things that are best avoided. I'm not suggesting you delight in them, but you should definitely learn from them. Where exactly did this person go wrong? Probe like a scientist.'

'In a hundred years' time, people will wonder: what on earth was going through these people's minds when they posted and consumed all that inane nonsense? Didn't they have anything better to do with their lives?' 

[Nrlhakimin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not your ordinary self-help book filled with tips on how to be successful, this book uses the inversion method and makes you focus on the nasty habits (so that you can avoid them, of course! 😂)

The idea is to avoid doing things that are going to sabotage your peace of mind and your life. The author starts each chapter of how-to-ruin-your-life tips with sarcasm and words of encouragement for you to sabotage your life. Next comes the quiet voice of reason, rationalising what you actually need to do.

For people from other cultures, it might sound negative or demeaning, but I grew up with that. Asian mothers will respond to you tripping on the floor while running crazily with your cousins by asking you to RUN MORE MY DEAR CHILD. You’ll get things like “Ha, larilah lagi. Lari lagi. Kenapa berhenti?” 🤣We are so used to detecting things that are going to spell doom for us from a young age. So reading the sarcasm part is quite entertaining for me 😂

Nevertheless, it’s a 3⭐️ from me because the sarcasm part grows shorter as the book progresses. Thank you Definitelybooks and Izah for this Do-Not-Help-Yourself book! 🤭

[Sushil Kumar · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've ever found yourself making the same life mistakes over and over, Dobelli's "The Not To Do List", instead of telling you what to do (like most self-help books), this one flips the script and focuses on 52 things you should avoid.

The book's central philosophy borrows from Charlie Munger's wisdom: "All I want to know is where I'm going to die, so that I'll never go there." Each short chapter identifies a common pitfall, explains why it's problematic, and then offers "the quiet voice of reason" - practical advice for steering clear.

For newcomers to self-help literature, this is an accessible, quick read with straightforward language and a unique negative-to-positive approach that makes lessons stick. Experienced readers will find majority of chapters familiar territory, despite that they will find it as a good read.

Overall, it's a good addition to your reading list if you're looking for practical life advice presented in a novel way - just don't expect mind-blowing revelations if you're already well-versed in self-improvement literature.

[Deotima Sarkar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Subtraction, not self-improvement.
This is not a book that tells you to work harder. It's the gentle friend who leans in and whispers, "You don't have to do that." And somehow, your shoulders relax.
.
Rolf Dobelli does not give out mantras. He gives you a scalpel. Every idea in The Not-To-Do List challenges you to cut—habits, distractions, mental rubbish posing as ambition. There is a relief in the way he writes: exact, limited, and pleasantly unsentimental. It is not intended to make you feel better. It is intended to make you think more acutely, live more simply.

Some of it stung—because it was true. The cult of remaining perpetually in high expectations, the urge to multitask, the fantasy that saying yes always counts—Dobelli takes these down with a measured, matter-of-fact voice that admits no performance. You get the message or continue to overpack.

For me it was a gentle course correction. The best part being this isn't a guide to do more. It's permission to do less—and do it well..

[Liong · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is totally different from other self-help books. 🧐

It tells you what to avoid, rather than what you should do.

It includes many historical examples of mistakes to steer clear of.

It offers 52 practical Not-To-Do Lists you can learn from.

The goal is not to do more, but to do less, better. 👍

It’s about gaining clarity, focus, and peace by consciously removing the unnecessary.

The Not-To-Do List is a powerful reminder that what you choose not to do is just as important as what you do.

[Paul · Rating 3 out of 5]

While I appreciate that the author tried to do something different, the book’s format didn’t quite work for me. Each chapter starts with a sarcastic section where the author encourages you to do something you shouldn’t, followed by an explanation of why you should not act that way.

I could have easily done without this sarcastic part, and I ended up skipping it in most of the chapters.

That said, some chapters were better than others. Some of the advice felt overly simplified or even extreme at times.

Overall, it's a mediocre self-help book.

[Khadija]

No for rating for this book - as I don’t know how to rate it.

This book motivated me to go see a dermatologist (weird I know) and motivated me to rethink the way I save. However, there some points I disagree with (Cult chapter, I’m looking at you!). At the same time, the author says in the end of the book that he is entitled to change his opinions and might change them, I hope he does. (No, I’m not trying to change people.)

To sum up, give this book a read.

[Viktoria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good book if you’re busy and on the go. This book has a lot of mini chapters (3 pages) and I personally love how he Star each chapter sarcastically. This book is easy to read. I’d you already into self help books and have read half of the books on the market, then this book is more of a reminder and you won’t learn much more.

[Trine Maria · Rating 1 out of 5]

Started this in April but eight months later, I’ve given up on finishing it (am 75 pages in). The concept was interesting but the chapters are too similar to be anything but boring at this length. I never count time spent on reading to be time wasted but unfortunately, I would think of whatever amount of time, it would take me to continue reading this to be wasted.

[Sathish · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good pieces of wisdom, some of them obvious but the book serves as a great reminder for them.
Some chapters I resonated a lot with like the chapter on maintenance of things (Chapter 1) and the chapter on Emotions Defining you (Chapter 39)

[Nischaya Jain · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book on self development. Nothing new called out but the way of writing is unique and engaging. Writing is based on inversion method suggested by Charlie Munger. It keeps you hooked till last page.

Must read

[Carolyn Ong · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight to the point as the title suggests and 3-4 pages per topic, in Dobelli’s style. Every chapter got you thinking - have I made this mistakes before? Or, did it remind you of someone?

Though I’d think some topics needs much more depth to the solutions, not a simplified one size fits all approach.

Overall an easy to read book, a bit underwhelming compared to his previous bestsellers. ‘the art of thinking clearly’ and ‘the art of good life’ knock better sense.

[Jacob Ingram · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this approach to development, with an emphasis on the inversion mental model to show you how NOT to live. Compiled across many areas of life and disciplines, the book has several different suggestions, tips, perspectives, frameworks and tools for improving your thinking.

[Deon Bryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

inversion theory to explain success

I love the book by changing the narrative of telling you what you need to do be successful but by turning it on its head talking how not to be good at doing something. Great concept

[Jack Horton · Rating 2 out of 5]

Patronising. Mentions warren buffet so many times. Not practical. An example, don’t kill yourself, take anti depressants. Such a general view and out of touch