In his weekly newsletter from today, Atomic Habits author James Clear suggested this as a way of getting better at saying no:

Keep a list of things you say no to. Whenever you ignore a distraction or turn down an opportunity, add it to the list. As the list grows, you begin to feel a sense of accomplishment for your ability to say no and remain focused on what matters.

Reading this reminded me of a similar approach that a friend told me about a few weeks ago. As I explained in Transitioning to life after work, my friend keeps a list of things she has said yes to and things she has said no to. This habit helps her to make decisions about which invitations to accept and which invitations to decline.

In my case, my noes would be less about declining requests from others and more about avoiding activities that are not good for me. What would I put on my no accomplishments list? Putting away my phone when it's time for bed rather than scrolling through social media. Turning the lights out no later than eight hours before I need to wake up the next morning. Engaging in non-screen activity rather than spending time on my phone or laptop.

I already keep an Accomplishments log. I'll just add a line or two each day to capture the things I said no to.