reviews · whole group · offline + online
The Not-Anymore List.folder
The fastest capacity a team can free is the work it stops doing. List the recurring things, run one brutal test, actually stop one. Subtraction only.
// cost & stop cards · 25 min · print & run · tool pack · no projector, no account
A subtraction review, built as a complete workshop folder: a timed run sheet, printable cards, and a list-it → run-the-test → pick-one → make-it-safe mechanic that turns a full calendar into one thing actually stopped — with a bring-back trigger, an owner, and a review date, so stopping is safe rather than a gamble.
The props are poker-spec print cards (63.5 × 88.9 mm, bleed and cut guides included) — an it-costs card, a nobody-needs-it card, a kill-or-trial-stop card, a bring-it-back-if card, an owner-and-date card, a blank card and branded backs. Nothing needs a projector, and nothing needs an account to download.
the run sheet
// this is the guide file, word for word — read it here, run from it here. the .md at the bottom of the page is the same text, offline.
Folder: `the-not-anymore-list` · Category: reviews · 4–12 people · 25 min · offline + online · print props · tool pack License: CC BY 4.0
A 25-minute, 4–12 person review pointed at subtraction. Teams accumulate work that stopped earning its keep — the meeting nobody needs, the report nobody reads, the process that's now just ceremony. This review names what to stop and actually stops one thing, with a trigger for bringing it back so stopping is safe.
Objectives
By the end of the activity, participants will have:
- Laid every piece of recurring work on the table and run each through one brutal test: "if we weren't already doing this, would we start it today?"
- Actually stopped one thing this week — or trial-stopped it — with a bring-back trigger, a named owner and a review date.
- Named what the freed capacity is for, so the stop doesn't quietly reverse itself.
When to use this activity
- The team is always short of time, yet nobody reviews whether the standing work still earns its keep.
- A process grew up around some launch or crisis that has long since passed.
- You have 4–12 people who run recurring work together and 25 minutes — and you want the meeting to end with something actually gone.
Why subtraction beats addition
Most retrospectives add. Adding costs attention nobody can spare; stopping is cheaper to decide and it's the fastest capacity a team can free. One genuinely stopped thing beats ten improvement ideas posted and kept — and the "would we start it today?" test is fair enough that nobody can hide behind "we've always done it".
Setup
Space: one shared board with two columns — On the list · What we'll stop. Online, the same two columns live on a shared board.
Materials per person: sticky notes and a pen — one recurring thing per note.
Materials for the room: the card faces from `the-not-anymore-list-prop-cards.pdf` — an "it costs us" card, a "nobody needs it because" card, a "kill it / trial-stop" card, a "we'll bring it back if" card, an owner-and-date card, a blank.
Grouping: 4–12 people who run the recurring work together — meetings, reports, rituals, approvals. It also works solo on one calendar.
Roles: everyone writes and tests; you hold the subtraction-only rule, push every trigger toward something observable, and keep the decision to one thing.
Optional: put `the-not-anymore-list-activity-poster.pdf` on the wall so the two rules — "subtraction only" and "every stop needs a bring-back trigger" — stay visible. No projector, no account, no online form.
How to run it
| Time | Phase | What you do |
|---|---|---|
| 0–5 | List it | Write every recurring thing the team does — meetings, reports, reviews, approvals, rituals. One per note. No filtering yet. |
| 5–11 | The test | For each, ask "if we weren't already doing this, would we start it today?" Mark the ones that fail. That's the not-anymore list. |
| 11–17 | Pick one | Choose ONE thing to stop this week — or to trial-stop for a set period if the room is nervous. Not five. One. |
| 17–25 | Make it safe | Agree the "we'll bring it back if…" trigger, an owner, and a review date. Say what you'll do with the freed time — or it silently comes back. |
The card
The stopped item lives on the "kill it / trial-stop" card; under it, the "we'll bring it back if" card carries the observable trigger, and the owner-and-date card makes the stop real. The "it costs us" and "nobody needs it because" cards are what you write during the test — a stop with neither is just a mood.
Failure modes
- Nobody wants to let go. Make it a trial-stop with a date. Pausing something is far easier than killing it, and the pause usually reveals it was never needed.
- The list is all other teams' processes. You can only stop what you own. Reframe to what this team can unilaterally drop, and hand the rest over as a named request.
- The bring-back trigger is vague. Push until it's observable — a count, a signal, a date. A fuzzy trigger means the thing comes back by default.
Variations
- Zombie-meeting audit: run it only on recurring meetings; cancel each one that fails the test for a month and see who notices.
- Post-launch: point it at the process that got you across the line — most of it shouldn't survive the launch.
- Personal: one person runs it on their own calendar; the same test is just as brutal.
Facilitation notes
- Name the freed capacity out loud before you close — unclaimed time fills itself straight back in.
- If the room hesitates between two candidates, pick the one whose absence nobody can point to in the last month.
Put it on the wall
Print `the-not-anymore-list-activity-poster.pdf` (A3) to hold the test question, the stopped item and the bring-back trigger on one wall while you run it.
Props in this folder
- `the-not-anymore-list-prop-cards.pdf` — poker-spec print sheet (63.5 × 88.9 mm, bleed and cut guides): "it costs us", "nobody needs it because", "kill it / trial-stop", "we'll bring it back if", owner-and-date cards, blanks, branded backs
- `the-not-anymore-list-run-sheet.pdf` — the print edition: this run sheet + the debrief, bound as one A4 document with bookmarks (`-Letter.pdf` is US Letter)
- `the-not-anymore-list-activity-poster.pdf` — the whole review on one A3 wall sheet
- `the-not-anymore-list-guide.md` · `-debrief.md` · `-start-here.md` — the facilitator guide, the debrief, the one-page start here
- `the-not-anymore-list-license.md` — what you may do, how to rebrand, what shipped when
- `SKILL.md` · `the-not-anymore-list.zip` — the machine-readable manifest, and the whole folder in one download
Agent version
Every file in this folder has a stable public URL — an AI agent can fetch the cards, the debrief and this run sheet with three curl commands (see `SKILL.md`). The paper version needs nothing but sticky notes, two columns and a pen each.
the debrief sheet
// the debrief questions, in full — the .md version prints on one page for the room.
The review isn't over when something is crossed off — it's over when the stop has held, the trigger is real, and the freed time has a named purpose. Use with `the-not-anymore-list-guide.md`. The make-it-safe round at minute 17 is the compressed version; this sheet is the full one.
How to run this debrief
- Keep the not-anymore list and the one stopped item visible while you talk — you are testing a decision, not reopening the argument.
- Push every answer toward the observable: a count, a signal, a date. Feelings don't protect stops.
- Close on the capacity — the stop only pays when the freed time goes somewhere the team chose on purpose.
Read the list
- What failed the test. Anything marked "wouldn't start today" was standing on habit alone. Look at how much of your week that is.
- What was uncomfortable to stop. Discomfort is usually one person's preference wearing the team's need. Name whose it was.
- How big a cut you actually took. The item you stopped — was it the biggest cost, or the safest one to cut? The safe one is a warm-up.
The four debrief questions
- Is the bring-back trigger real and observable — "if two people ask for it" — or a feeling — "if it feels needed"?
- What's the trial period, and who owns the call at the end — to make it permanent or bring it back?
- Are you stopping it for everyone, or only for the people in this room?
- What exactly will you do with the time and attention you just freed, and when do you check that it's really gone — and really not missed?
Failure modes of the debrief
| Failure mode | Why it happens | The rescue |
|---|---|---|
| Nobody wants to let go | Killing feels permanent | Make it a dated trial-stop; the pause usually reveals it was never needed. |
| The list is all other teams' processes | You can only stop what you own | Reframe to what this team can drop alone; hand the rest over as a named request. |
| The trigger is vague | "If it feels needed" is unfalsifiable | Push to a count, a signal, a date — a fuzzy trigger means it comes back by default. |
| The freed time refills itself | Nobody claimed it | Name what the capacity is for before closing, or the stop quietly reverses. |
Who is The Not-Anymore List for?
Teams whose calendar has filled with meetings, reports, and rituals nobody chose this year, or a group reviewing the process after a launch. It needs 4–12 people and 25 minutes; it runs on a shared board online.
What does it produce?
One thing genuinely stopped (or trial-stopped) with a bring-back trigger, a named owner, and a review date — plus a stated plan for the capacity you freed. No pre/post measure; the artifact is the stop.
Can my AI agent use this folder?
Yes. Every folder ships a SKILL.md skill file: frontmatter for matching plus runnable prep commands — fetch the cards, pull the debrief. The three-step workflow (discover, install, run) lives on the skills page, every folder ships a one-command zip bundle, and the machine index is skills.json.
Is it really free?
Yes — CC BY 4.0, no account, no email wall inside a folder. Download it, run it, copy it, rebrand it for your own workshop. Attribution keeps everything free.
make it yours
This review needs no online form and no account — two columns and cards. The card prompts are the one file to change: rename it-costs-us / nobody-needs-it / kill-or-trial-stop / bring-it-back-if to how your team talks, and reprint at poker spec; the bring-back trigger stays. The license file covers the rest — keep the CC BY attribution line and it stays free to use, sell, and redistribute.
Files in this folder
All files are free under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: “The Not-Anymore List · WorkshopSkill · CC BY 4.0.”