Essentialism ''firmware'' update

You are an effective and driven person. You have accomplished a few things in your life: good income, material comfort, investments, and life goals related to benefiting other people, but you find yourself in a situation where you don't get a lot finished. You plan and work hard on executing those plans, yet you end up not making significant progress. If this is you, trust me, you are not alone.

What's the problem?

Well, if you are like me, you end up juggling a couple of projects at the same time. In addition to that, you are on the board of a couple of local organizations or initiatives (case this is the way to give back to the community, right?). And slowly but surely you find yourself confused about your priorities mistaking your process goals for final goals.

Solution? Essentialism Mindset‍

It is time to update our personal firmware. And the most current version of it is called the essentialism mindset.

We all hear the term "minimalism" and that "less is [somehow] more". Wait, is it? Having less tools does not make you a better mechanic. On the other side, having the right tool at the right time does. Do you see a huge difference between these two approaches? One of them is promoting focus and effectiveness while the other is just a half-baked idea.

Overload & Decision Fatigue‍

Too many choices result in a lack of clarity, diffused efforts, and slow progress in multiple directions. We get overloaded, overworked, and yet underutilized. Our family misses us and our employees think we don't spend enough time communicating with them. And all this happens while we feel "busy" and exhausted.

Essentialism as Process & Mindset

Here is what the process of weeding out non-essential priorities looks like:

1. Set clear goals. Define the one thing you want to accomplish this year, this month, this week, and today. What is that one priority you will be working on going forward and becoming good at? Remember, setting too many goals or unclear goals diffuse your efforts. Remember, your family and relationships should be included in your short list of goals.
2. Collect Options. Collect and meticulously review all available and possible options. Inventory your current and upcoming projects and your involvement in them. Weigh all the opportunities. Be thorough. This review should take you some time and may require some time spent alone. Don't rush.
3. Eliminate non-essential. Compare and confirm the alignment of these options to the goals you clearly defined earlier. Remove everything that has no connection to your goal. Be unwavering and ruthless.
4. Execute. Only now you can laser-focus your value creation Death Star (a.k.a. your organization, product, or service) producing tangible and measurable results.

A smaller number of essential priorities and a user-centered approach will inevitably convert into a higher-quality of your product. And this is the whole point of this exercise! Focusing on only the essential priorities should inevitably increase the quality of the end result. The key word here is quality.

Just remember two things:

• 99% of the stuff out there is not essential. It's noise. Don't waste your time on it.
• Everything truly important is invisible to the eye (Exupery). Meaningful relationships, solid health, personal and professional growth, and making a difference in the lives of others.

Maybe, this is what's been preventing you to be more effective and have more meaning in life.

Now, let's go and get something done!