Read time: 4 minutes
Key Points
- Identify the essential tasks/goals and eliminate anything else that is not necessary. Focus on less to achieve more.
- Build routines and habits around these priorities to reduce decision fatigue.
- Start small – don’t try to change everything at once. Master one habit or routine before adding more.
- By doing less, you free up time and energy for what truly matters.
One of the most powerful productivity tool is eliminating the unnecessary
The Power of Less
Confusing momentum with results
In our complex and busy world, it’s easy to get overwhelmed and lose focus. Information overload is real. There are so many things competing for our attention – email, social media, slack messages, to-do lists that never seem to end.
By identifying the essential and eliminating the rest, we can embrace the power of less.
Here are some actionable ways to integrate the power of less:
Set limitations
Place deliberate limits on your time and activities. Only check email twice a day. Block off chunks of time for focused work. Limit social media to one hour a day. Constraints force us to prioritize and focus only on the essentials.
Choose the essential
Continuously ask yourself – what is absolutely essential right now? Ruthlessly prune away everything else. Learning to say no to good opportunities opens up space for great opportunities.
Simplify
Simplify your physical environment, your schedule, and your workload. Declutter your workspace and calendar. Streamline workflows. Complexity drains energy and focus. Simplicity allows space for what’s essential.
Focus
Single-task. Turn off notifications. Remove distractions. Focus intently on one essential goal at a time. Bring your full presence and energy to the task.
Create habits
Automate routines so you don’t have to think about them. Build habits around essential priorities to make them effortless. Habits eliminate decision fatigue.
Start Small
Don’t try to change everything at once. Pick one essential habit or area of focus. Master that before layering on something new. Small consistent steps create big results.
The power of less is tranquil productivity. It’s a purposeful, focused work day….but also more ease, space, and freedom. When we clear away the clutter, we create room for what really matters.
Inquiries to Self-Assess
- What are my top 3 priorities right now? How can I focus on just these?
- What activities/tasks could I delegate or outsource to free up time?
- What meetings/appointments could be an email instead?
- What clutter could I clear out of my physical environment?
- What activities energize and renew me? How can I make more time for those?
- What are my peak productivity hours? How can I protect those?
- What limitations or constraints would help me focus?
- What does an ideal day look like with only essential activities?
Take the time to ask yourself the questions above and you’ll do a much better job of honing in on what you really need to do, and really want to do-a better job of focusing on what’s important, and on getting the important things done. That’ll cut back on the time you spend doing things that aren’t important, that you don’t love do-ing, that don’t lead to the accomplishment of your goals.