How to ‘do more by doing less’

Trying to be productive is a good aspiration, but what does productivity really matter if we are not doing the right things? I have found it rare for people to question whether their productivity is based upon the tasks that will create the highest point of contribution to a goal.

You may feel obligated to take part in every opportunity that is given to you, whether that be a new project at work, or an invitation to a social event. Trying to do everything can lead to making little progress on the most important things that you want to achieve. You can do more with less by focusing on the truly meaningful things and removing the trivial from your life.

Living as an essentialist

In his book ‘Essentialism: the disciplined pursuit of less’, Greg McKeown provides a road map to help you invest your time in the right activities. The book states that ‘an essentialist is driven by the idea that almost everything is noise, and that very few things are essential.’ In a world full of distraction, finding signal in the noise can be difficult. Becoming more essentialist will allow you to focus your efforts on the things that really matter.

This diagram from the book explains the whole idea:

In everything I do, I try to enact the image on the right. I focus all my energy on the few things…