Notes on The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

A quick read (listen) that I enjoyed was The Power of Less by Leo Babauta. It was quite similar to The 4-Hour Workweek and Getting Things Done in its essence, though it was a bit less extreme and less detailed in its methodologies (this was both good and bad). I honestly found the book a bit too general/high-level as it tried to cover a very wide range of topics. The best parts were when the author wrote of his own personal experience and used specific details of life changes he made and how he went about that.

The takeaways I liked best were applying constraints/limits to all aspects of life and choosing the 1-3 big, challenging tasks each day that are required to move towards one's long-term goals, rather than simply doing what's easy and taking care of low-hanging fruit.

Introduction

• Overload of information and tasks
  
• Key is to make choices
  
• Simplicity
  
• Identify the essential
  
• Eliminate the rest
• Author went from bad life to good life
  
• Set limitations
  
• Choose essential
  
• Simplify
  
• Focus
  
• Set habits

Part 1: Principles

Ch. 1: Why less is better

• Now, more always seems better
  
• Finite number of hours looks like a problem
  
• High volume, short-term vs. focused and long-term thinking
  
• Lessons of haiku thinking
  
• By setting limitations, we choose the essential
  
• By choosing the essential, we create big impact with the fewest resources
  
• Examine your task list: Will this have impact beyond this week?
  
• Start with your goals, and each day choose the one task that moves you towards them
  
• Apply limitations to all aspects of life

Ch. 2: The art of setting limits

• Start with one area of life at a time
  
• Email
  
• Daily tasks
  
• Online reading
  
• How to set limits
  
• First, just arbitrary
  
• Test limit until it's a habit
  
• Analyze current usage level
  
• Try lower limit
  
• Test for a week
  
• Adjust if necessary and retest
  

Ch. 3: Choose the essential and simplify

• Put horse before cart
  
• Effectiveness vs. productivity (hello, Thinking on Your Feet class!)
  
• Ask in all parts of life what the essentials are
  
• What are your values?
  
• What are your goals?
  
• What do you love?
  
• What has the biggest impact?
  
• What has the longer term impact?
  
• Needs vs. wants
  
• Eliminate nonessentials
  
• Continual editing process
  
• Life commitments
  
• Yearly goals: only one or two
  
• Work projects and tasks
  
• Emails
  
• Finances
  
• Clutter
  
• Regular review
  
• Enjoy the process

Ch. 4: Simple focus

• State of flow
  
• Single tasking
  
• Mornings, work on your most important task. No distractions. Then take a break. Then other tasks.
  
• Practice focusing on present
  
• Exercise
  

Ch. 5: Creating new habits

• To make them long lasting
  
• 30 day challenge
  
• Only one habit per month
  
• Write down plan and exact tasks per day, who will report to, what will trigger
  
• Tell people publicly
  
• Report on progress daily
  
• Celebrate new habit
  
• Specific, accountable, encouraging
  
• Only one habit at a time 
  
• Choose an easy goal, even easier than what you think you can do
  
• Have a measurement
  
• Do exercise at same time daily
  
• Report daily
  
• Expect setbacks
  
• 12 key habits, one per month
  
• Set 3 MIT daily: Most Important Tasks
  
• Single tasking
  
• Process inbox to empty (hello GTD!)
  
• Check email just twice a day (hello 4HWW!)
  
• Exercise 10 min. per day, then increase slowly
  
• Work with no distractions
  
• Follow a morning routine
  
• Eat more fruits and veggies daily
  
• Keep your desk de-cluttered
  
• Say no to requests that aren't on your short list
  
• De-clutter house 15 min. per day
  
• Stick to a 5 sentence limit for emails

Ch. 6: Start small

• Small increments
  
• Narrows focus
  

Part 2: In practice

Ch. 7: Simple goals and projects

• One goal system
  
• One subgoal at a time
  
• Make a list of all goals then choose just one and focus completely on it; choose the one most desirable that will take 6 months to 1 year to complete
  
• If it takes longer than 1 year, break it into subgoals
  
• Figure out monthly subgoals
  
• Figure out weekly goal towards subgoal
  
• Figure out daily action towards weekly goal
  
• Keep a projects list
  
• Choose just 3 total projects for simple projects list
  
• Everything else keep "on deck"
  
• Things moved to simple projects list only when all 3 on simple list done (not one at a time to prevent starvation)
  
• Keep 3 projects related to one goal
  
• Having a couple projects is to compensate for blocking on others
  
• Focus on completion
  
• List tasks required for project
  
• Talk to your boss about your system. Do projects on your list first.

Ch. 8: Simple tasks

• 3 MITs per day
  
• Set MITs first thing daily
  
• Do them first thing in morning
  
• One MIT should be always goal-related
  
• Single task in it
  
• Break into small 30 min tasks
  

Ch. 9: Simple time management

• Don't schedule appointments ahead of time
  
• Keep meetings to minimum
  
• Use calendar to list options for activities
  
• Stay in flow
  
• Choose a task that's challenging enough
  
• Remove distractions
  
• Keep an open schedule
  
• Batch processing of smaller similar tasks
  
• Keep list of batch tasks organized by type: calls, emails, errands, paperwork, mailbox processing, meetings, online reading

Ch. 10: Simple email

• Find ways to combine different addresses
  
• Check at 10am and 4pm
  
• Process to empty, use external to-do system
  
• Write no more than 5 sentences

Ch. 11: Simple Internet

• Awareness
  
• Track internet usage time
  
• Have purpose to your use
  
• What are your real needs?
  
• What are fun sites? Use as reward for work
  
• Disconnect physically from net
  
• Offline hour or day regularly
  
• Discipline
  
• Break addiction for one week
  
• Set rules on usage per site
  
• Get social pressure from others
  
• Reward yourself

Ch. 12: Simple filing

• Alphabetical filing, just one drawer (hello GTD!)
  
• File immediately
  
• Have materials at hand for easy access
  
• Reduce filing needs
  
• File electronically
  
• Reduce incoming paper
  
• Stop paper versions of newsletters
  
• Pay bills immediately or batch twice per month

Ch. 13: Simple commitments

• Reduce number of them
  
• Take inventory of commitments
  
• Work
  
• Side work
  
• Family
  
• Civic
  
• Religious
  
• Hobbies
  
• Home
  
• Online
  
• Make a short list of what matters
  
• 4-5 top commitments
  
• Cut off all else
  
• Be firm
  
• Free up time and spend time doing nothing

Ch. 14: Simple daily routine

• Power of morning routine
  
• Wake at 4am and enjoy silence
  
• Go for morning run
  
• Read
  
• Create calming routine
  
• Do everyday, set habit
  
• Ideas below; choose 4-6
  
• Have coffee or tea
  
• Watch sunrise
  
• Exercise
  
• Shower
  
• Bath
  
• Read
  
• Eat breakfast
  
• Yoga
  
• Meditate
  
• Walk in nature
  
• Prep lunch
  
• Write
  
• Journal
  
• Choose 3 MITs
  
• Review goals
  
• Have gratitude session
  
• No work routines part of this
  
• Evening routine ideas
  
• Calming and prep for next day
  
• Unwind, prep, review, calm, keep house clean, spend time with loved ones, log day
  
• Cook dinner
  
• Eat dinner
  
• Shower or bath
  
• Brush and floss
  
• Journal
  
• Write
  
• Read
  
• Exercise
  
• Prep clothes and lunch for next day
  
• Meditate
  
• Work on lawn
  
• Review day
  
• Facial
  
• Read to kids
  
• Spouse conversation
  
• Focus on routine to set habit
  
• Make routine rewarding
  
• Log progress and report daily online

Ch. 15: De-clutter workspace

• Benefits of clean desk: focus, calm
  
• Set aside some time
  
• Clear off all except tools
  
• With each piece, deal with it then, don't put back on pile
  
• Options: trash, delegate, file, add to to-do list
  
• Remove knick knacks
  
• Celebrate when done
  
• Keep clean and file away new stuff going forward
  
• Do same for full home 
  
• Reduce desire for more
  
• Stop buying new stuff

Ch. 16: Slow down

• Stop self when switching attention
  
• Simple meditation, attention only on breathing
  
• Slow working
  
• Choose what you love
  
• Find your peak time
  
• Slow eating
  
• Drive slow

Ch. 17: Simple health and fitness

• Form exercise habit
  
• Schedule your workout time
  
• Gradual healthy diet changes
  
• Share goals with others
  
• Log workouts and diet daily

Ch. 18: Motivation

• Start small
  
• One goal
  
• Join group of likeminded people
  
• Visualizations