Eliminate All But The Essentials: A Guide to De-Cluttering Your Life
If you have an endless list of tasks that need to be done, and most of us do, it can be
overwhelming. The list just gets longer and longer each day because you can’t get today’s list
completed, and more tasks just keep coming at you.
If you can pare your list of to-dos down the most important tasks, you can keep your planning
and time management system simple. A simple list of the 3-5 most important things is all
that nearly anyone needs to be very effective and successful.
Follow these steps to manage your time and make success your reality:
- Get rid of the extra stuff in your life. Unless you live like a monk, you have more stuff
than you need or use. If it’s not important to your life, consider getting rid of it. You
spend a lot of time and money on those things that provide minimal value. Eliminate the
clutter in your life and you eliminate a lot of the clutter in your mind. - Eliminate the trivial. Start by making a list of everything that you feel you need to get
done. Cut the list in half. Don’t worry; you can come back to those items later. Now go
through the same process and cut the list in half again. - Review your goals. What have goals got to do with eliminating all but the essential?
Reviewing your goals allows you to see what tasks are most essential. Assuming that
your goals are very important to you, they provide an excellent tool to evaluate which
tasks are the most important to you. - Be aware of what’s essential. The essential things are those that support your goals. Pay
your bills on time, work toward your goals, and take care of yourself and your family.
Life is short; spend it on the most important stuff. - Evaluate your other commitments. Is the weekly poker game worth it? Golf every
Wednesday? Clubs, charities, committees, and more all take time. Eliminate the extra
activities that mean the least to you. This includes all the people in your life, too. Some
people you’re stuck with, others are optional. - Minimize your sources of information. We all spend too much time receiving
information and too little time doing worthwhile tasks. Cut back on TV, newspapers,
browsing the Internet, email, Twitter, and Facebook. It’s largely wasted time that could be
better spent. - Review your list regularly. Periodically, take a look at your list of things to do and go
back through the elimination process. Don’t worry about the stuff that gets axed. If it’s
important, it will come back around after the really important stuff gets done.- We have a tendency to do the things that are the easiest; what’s important is to do the
critical few items each day. - Simply ask yourself what the advantage is to getting an item done and what is the
disadvantage to not getting it done. Don’t choose tasks based on what is the quickest or most enjoyable; that’s what average people do. Be exceptional and do the most important items
- We have a tendency to do the things that are the easiest; what’s important is to do the
If you spend all day on important tasks, your life will be remarkable.
Life doesn’t have to be an endless list of obligations. The key is to recognize that only the
most important tasks really matter. When you can see that, you feel free to start chopping
obligations.
Most of us major in minor things. Focus on the most important stuff and feel comfortable
letting the rest slide. You’ll have more free time and your life will change for the better.
