Effortless: Make It Easier to Do What Matters Most

by Greg McKeown

First, when people fear being judged, it drowns out their inner voice. They are able to focus only on what they think we want to hear, rather than on what they actually see or feel. Second, the moment our judgments and opinions are voiced, they compete for the limited mental space others need to draw their own conclusions. Contrast this with a practice used by the Quakers called the Clearness Committee. When someone in the community (the “focus person”) is facing an important dilemma, they often ask a few people they trust (the “Elders”) to come together to form a committee. The purpose is not for the committee to tell them what to do. The purpose is to help them figure it out for themselves. And in order to do this, the committee must remove judgment from the equation. When they gather, the focus person begins by sharing what the dilemma is and why it matters. The committee listens silently. After the context is given, the Elders have a few choices: they can ask “honest questions,” which are clarifying questions they could not know the answer to. They can reflect or repeat back what they have heard. Opinions, advice, and judgment are out-of-bounds. As Parker Palmer, an expert in the Clearness Committee process, has written, “Each of us has an inner teacher, a voice of truth, that offers the guidance and power we need to deal with our problems.” The intent of the exercise is to help people amplify this inner voice and gain clarity on how to move forward. We can help people...