OVER-GLAMORIZED WORKAHOLIC LIFESTYLE

As Brooke McAlary puts it in her book Destination Simple, ‘We are over-worked, over-connected and over-stressed, and we compete over how busy, important and sleep-deprived we are.’ For far too long society has glamorized the workaholic lifestyle. This is especially true in the entrepreneurial circle. Believe me, as an overachiever, I’m guilty of it. In the past, I too was proud of “Getting Things Done”, even if it sacrificed my health and relationships. But I’ve learned over time that working smarter and not harder is the best approach.

ELIMINATE THE TRIVIAL MANY, FOCUS ON THE ESSENTIAL FEW

Follow through in anything you do is important, of course, but how fast you do it or how many items you check off your to-do list is not. This concept is at the core of the book Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less. Instead of celebrating being busy and trying to do it all, we should only focus on what is essential, and put all our energy towards getting the best results.

Image Above: “In both (graphics) the same amount of effort is exerted. In the (graphic) on the left, the energy is divided into many different activities. The result is that we have the unfulfilling experience of making a millimeter of progress in a million directions. In the (graphic) on the right, the energy is given fewer activities. The result is that by investing in fewer things we have the satisfying experience of making significant progress in the things that matter most.” Source: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less

WANT A CHALLENGE?

Want some practical steps towards eliminating the noise? Try the 21-Day Challenge from the author of the book, Greg McKeown, when you subscribe to their email list. I’ve highlighted my favorite ones here.

Day 1

Write down the most important six activities for today. Put them in priority order. Now cross off the bottom five.

Day 2

Spend one day watching for when you use the words, “I have to.” Replace them with, “I choose to.”

Day 3

Pause once today and ask, “Is this the most important or valuable thing I could be doing right now?”

Day 4

Catch yourself when the thought crosses your mind, “I will do both.” When you do: stop, pause and pick one of the choices.

Day 9

Today, if it isn’t a clear yes then make it a clear no.

Day 10

Before going into your next meeting, pause and ask yourself, “What is the one thing I really want to achieve coming out of this meeting?”

Day 13

Establish a new rule for today: if you want to add a new activity you need to edit out two existing activities.

Day 20

Start an essentialist journal: you’re only allowed one sentence for the whole day.