There is an endless pool of life hacks out there discussing methods for improving your productivity, happiness, and general quality of life. However, there is only one life hack that forms the foundation for which all others are built upon. If you ignore it, you will fail. That’s the bottom line.
“Besides the noble art of getting things done,
there is the noble art of leaving things undone.
The wisdom of life consists in the elimination of non-essentials.”
– Lyn Yutang
This life hack consists of 3 easy steps:
- Figure out what is important to you. – The 80/20 rule suggests that only 20% of your daily activities are actually important. The other 80% are mostly excess time wasters of far less importance. The key to success rests in being able to distinguish between the two.
- Eliminate the excess. – What is cluttering your life? What don’t you use on a regular basis? Throw it all away. What extra steps are you taking that don’t directly support your goals? Remove them from your routine. If it does not help you move forward, it isn’t worth doing.
- Focus all your energy on the outcome of step #1. – After completing steps 1 and 2 you will be equipped with a clear vision of what is truly important. All you have to do now is focus your efforts accordingly. If done right, you will actually notice yourself doing less and accomplishing more.
This life hack is really quite easy to execute once you get past the first step.