In the status quo, everyone is deep in the ocean of information, inevitably absorbing all of it, and trying to retain all of the information. However, the onus on us to retain leads to a lot of complications like stress, burnout, and confusion. There is a rising interest in something called that idea of “Minimalism”.
People are coming to this realization that they are exhausting themselves with unnecessary things which are available to them, could be consumer products or their life decision/ life choices and demands. It is just never-ending. This of no surprise that people are shifting towards ideas like “essentialism” and “minimalism”. Getting saturated with hoarding material goods and realizing that most of the things they own are not what they need but are pushed to them by the market.
Why Less is more?
In the past couple of decades, we are bombarded with all kinds of opportunities. Attributing to the accessibility of the internet to the most remote areas of the world. For instance, 20 years back if you wanted to pursue a career in direction and wanted to make a short movie, you would be laughed at unless you had parents who could fund your project, buy you the required camera and other equipment. Even in that scenario, you would not have any platform to showcase your film. Today, with just the phone that you carry around, you have the potential to earn millions of dollars, Platforms like Youtube and TikTok gives you the right opportunity. This is just one example, technologies like the internet and smartphones have made it easy and present us with copious opportunities.
The question is if it is this easy to follow what you want why is not everyone doing it? The answer to it is that the opportunity is just way too many. With so many opportunities at hand, it is very difficult to pick the right one for and you. In today’s day and time, successful people are those who chose an opportunity and run with it until they convert that opportunity into success.
How can you benefit from “Less is more”?
Learn to say “NO” more often
A big reason why we stay stressed all the time is that we feel overwhelmed with the thing we could not say no to. Although, on the face of the moment it is much easier to say “yes” than “no”. But it leaves you in a complicated position with things you did not want to commit to in the first place. Next time you commit to anything you are not sure about asking yourself if you really want to do it. It is easier to say “I will get back at you about it” than simply saying “Yes”.
Remember that, there things which you have to do like filing your taxes, visit a doctor for your appointment, even your household chores. But a lot of things like invitations and commitments are based on your choice and not any obligation.
Focus on your priority
Do not mistake the word “priority” for its plural. That’s a mistake many people make. Know what is that one single thing that supersedes others. Is it your family? your career? your current job? Most of the people never really discover what they are most interested in and instead hop from one thing to another. This prevents them from really experiencing the joy of creating something special.
For instance, my top priority in life is to help as many people I can by helping them discover the benefits of being productive. Because I have discovered where my interest lies and what my top priority is, I am able to make better decisions about what I want to do every day.
Build routines around what is essential
Identify the set of things that are extremely essential for you. For example, there are three things which are really very important to me: Writing content, exercise, and reading. If I am able to peacefully do these three things, I can say I had a great day. Therefore, I have built it into my daily routine.
Never forget that it is your routine that enables you to accomplish what you really want in your life and chase it. If you are busy doing the work of other people, I doubt if you will be able to create something substantial for yourself.