The Power Of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential

by Leo Babauta

The solution lies in setting limits to how much we consume and do. It lies in making the most of our time by focusing on the most important things, instead of everything.

Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest.

Simplifying isn’t meant to leave your life empty—it’s meant to leave space in your life for what you really want to do. Know what those things are before you start simplifying.

Focus on a goal. Focus is the most important factor in determining whether you’ll achieve a goal or stick to creating a new habit.

Focus on now. Focusing on the present can do a lot for you.

Focus on the task at hand.

Focus on the positive. One of the key skills I’ve learned is how to be aware of my negative thoughts, and to replace them with positive thoughts.

First thing in the morning, work on your Most Important Task. Don’t do anything else until this is done. Give yourself a short break, then start on your next Most Important Task. If you can get two to three of these done in the morning, the rest of the day is gravy.

Anytime you find yourself procrastinating on an important task, see if you can break it into something smaller.

I highly recommend that you think about your mornings and evenings, as they are two key times in your day, and they can do so much to change your life.