ONLY ESSENTIAL THINGS
Saturday, Feb. 1, 2020
Everywhere I turn, there are 7 rules, 10 suggestions, 12 steps or 3 easy lessons – the rule of 3, the magic of 9, the lucky 8, and the top 40…
Self-help and DIY are never sold as one thing, but we should turn our attention that way, because we are too bombarded by too many things.
Fewer commitments = more focused work, period.
Fewer meetings…
Fewer calls…
Fewer trips…
Fewer obligations (yours) and fewer perceived obligations (ones you think others expect of you)…
Try to focus on one thing.
Then, cautiously, focus on a second without losing focus on the first thing.
It seems simple to understand that if a second thing distracts, that a third thing will distract even more.
So why do we try to focus on five or ten or more?
It’s crazy, but most of us try most of the time.
One focus is not crazy.
One (1) focus at a time does not preclude putting things on back-burner(s), but it does imply having only one of them on high-heat at a time.
Make a shortlist of what you do every day, from the time you wake till you sleep, of everything you MUST do to stay alive, and schedule them on your calendar (i.e., eat, sleep, wash/shower, toileting, flossing, etc.), now add time (schedule these too) for things you MUST do to feel alive.
This works best with a full week calendar because some things which are very important might be only one day a week (i.e., gym on Saturday morning, church on Sunday, yoga, visiting a friend, volunteer work, taking recycling to the depot, visiting a library)
Now, very slowly. Very timidly. Add other things. Make sure they are essential to your life; otherwise – don’t add them to this list. (i.e., not forgetting your boss’s birthday or having a tidy bathroom might matter, but probably doesn’t belong on this list)
