You may be focusing to try the trivial many in the society and has forgotten the vital few. Being an essentialist will help you choose the path that matters most to you. Keep in mind that it’s not about doing a lot of things right but to do the right things. Today, you will learn why you need to focus on the small things in life rather than the numerous stuff like other people do. You will also be guided on how to become an essentialist.
The concept of essentialism focuses more on the things that you value the most. This idea was introduced by Greg Mckeown who also thought that he can please everyone and forgot what really matters to him. He had a turning point in his life, wherein he have to choose between his family and work. Unfortunately, he ended up frustrating the people around him. Like any other person, no matter how you strive, but if you end up doing the wrong decision, you will totally get doom.
If you got exhausted and unsatisfied with all the things that you are doing, this article is for you. It is not too late to learn how to re-evaluate the things that you pursue and to make your life better.
Pursuing the Life of an Essentialist
All you need to remember when you want to pursue the life of being an essentialist is the three E’s: Explore, eliminate, and execute.
1. Explore your priority
Pause for a while in your life and reflect what matters most. Assess what’s the most important among your priorities. Identify what is vital.
“We discover how even the many good opportunities we pursue often far less valuable than the few truly great ones,” Greg stated. When you understand this, you will able to identify what is the most important few than pursuing the trivial many. Being an essentialist entails to obtain more awareness that one has the ability to choose.
“The word priority came into the English language in the 1400s. It was singular. It meant the very first or prior thing. It stayed singular for the next five hundred years. Only in the 1900s did we pluralize the term and start talking about priorities,” Greg emphasized.
2. Eliminate what is not important
Among the things that you are doing now, there are habits and commitments that are not important at all. Learn to weigh the benefits and costs whenever you made decisions in life. Sometimes even if you avoid the trade-offs, you can’t escape them no matter what.
As Greg suggested, it is important to plan things ahead of time. Give yourself a space to focus and think deeply of your week-long schedule ahead of time or things that are really vital for you. Evaluate the things that are okay to let go in order to give more time to the things that matter to you.
Sometimes people are too busy and have turned being hard on themselves. They forgot to assess how they did the past week. What’s more, they do not appreciate their previous achievements and been busy obtaining more even though it does not matter anymore. It is recommended to give your self a break, especially when things are getting more difficult for you. Even Bill Gates has a think week to allow himself to focus more. Do not allow yourself to do things without focus, quality is being compromised.
3. Execute
After exploring what you value and eliminating the unimportant matters, execute what you have chosen to pursue. Create routines, habits, and systems. Make things that are essential easy. In order to make it easy, make it attractive and obvious for you.
Here are great tips on how to establish habits:
- Changing your environment. Bear in mind that the environment affects one’ behavior
- Do the two-minute rule. Remember that it only takes less than two minutes to start a habit.
- Do the things that you need while doing things that you love at the same time.
The End Goal of Essentialism
All of these ways are the key on how become an essentialist. To become one is not easy but it is possible. One thing that essentialism teaches everyone, is to have the best quality of life. One’s life is short. Do not waste it on things that do not matter. Give yourself time, your family the bonding and comfort they needed the most, and most especially, to pursue your purpose.
