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Essentialism
Essentialism is not the same as minimalism, which states that "less is more." Essentialism is defined as "Less but better."
It helps you navigate a distracting world by focusing on things that are important to you. If something is not important, you eliminate it.
MORE IDEAS FROM THE ARTICLE
One of the many reasons we feel so overwhelmed is because we say yes to far too many things. It leaves you in a difficult place of committing to something you didn't want in the first place.
It's better to say, "let me get back to you".
Focus on a single "priority," not on multiple "priorities." The key to living an essential life is understanding what your priority is. Is it your family? Your career? Your hobby?
You will know your real priority once you know what you want out of life.
Because essentialism reduces your commitments to only the essential, it puts you in control of your day.
Many people allow others to take control of their day, e.g., colleagues requesting them to do this or that. When you know what is important to you, your day becomes your day. This involves having to say "no" more than you say yes. In time, others will also start to respect your time more. You will get to accomplish your priority in higher quality, which earns you more respect than trying to do everything.
Anything you want to achieve is made up of small steps that you consistently take over time.
If you want to write a daily journal, it is better to set a small goal of five sentences per day, than to believe that you have to write a thousand or more words per day. Over a week, you may not have much to show, but over many years, you will have enough for a novel.
Find out what is essential to you, and build them into your daily routines. Your routines will drive you towards accomplishing what you want to accomplish.
If you run around doing everyone else's work, you will not be able to achieve anything for yourself.
RELATED IDEAS
- Be unreachable: the more available you are to requests, emails, and messages, the more likely you’ll be to give up on your resting time.
- Focus on the important, yet non-urgent tasks on your list: things like exploring new skills, finishing side projects, or sharing your work and engaging with your community.
- Connect with people you’ve been meaning to: a simple conversation with someone who makes you feel good can give you a cognitive boost you can carry with you.
- Monastic: maximize Deep Work by minimizing or removing shallow obligations. Isolate yourself for long periods of time without distractions; no shallow work allowed
- Bimodal: divide your time into some clearly defined stretches to deep pursuits and leave the rest open to everything else. Reserve a few consecutive days when you will be working like a monastic. You need at least one day a week
- Rhythmic: involves creating a routine where you define a specific time period — ideally three to four hours every day — that you can devote to Deep Work
- Journalistic: alternate your day between deep and shallow work as it fits your blocks of time. Not recommended to try out first.