Max Mednik
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact

Readings and musings

Notes on The Power of Less by Leo Babauta

7/16/2011

1 Comment

 
Picture
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
1 Comment
Gary Sponholz
1/31/2014 12:27:29 am

Hi, Max. Thank you for this fine summary. I, too, have read/reread this fine book. The two "biggies" for me were: 1) Identify the essential, eliminate the rest, 2) Place limits.

A very helpful book.

Reply

Your comment will be posted after it is approved.


Leave a Reply.

    Archives

    June 2021
    May 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    April 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    May 2019
    March 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018
    February 2018
    January 2018
    November 2017
    October 2017
    September 2017
    May 2017
    April 2017
    November 2016
    October 2016
    September 2016
    August 2016
    July 2016
    June 2016
    May 2016
    December 2015
    November 2015
    October 2015
    September 2015
    August 2015
    July 2015
    June 2015
    May 2015
    April 2015
    March 2015
    February 2015
    January 2015
    December 2014
    November 2014
    October 2014
    September 2014
    August 2014
    July 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    April 2014
    March 2014
    February 2014
    January 2014
    December 2013
    November 2013
    October 2013
    September 2013
    August 2013
    July 2013
    June 2013
    May 2013
    April 2013
    March 2013
    February 2013
    January 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    October 2012
    September 2012
    August 2012
    July 2012
    June 2012
    May 2012
    April 2012
    March 2012
    February 2012
    January 2012
    December 2011
    November 2011
    October 2011
    September 2011
    August 2011
    July 2011
    June 2011
    May 2011
    April 2011
    March 2011
    February 2011
    January 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    October 2010
    September 2010
    August 2010
    July 2010
    June 2010
    May 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    February 2010

    Categories

    All
    Angel Investing
    Cacti
    Cars
    China
    Community Service
    Culture
    Design
    Djing
    Dogs
    Education
    Entertainment
    Entrepreneurship
    Family
    Finance
    Food
    Google
    Happiness
    Incentives
    Investment Banking
    Judaism
    Law
    Lighting
    Magic
    Marketing
    Medicine
    Networking
    Nolabound
    Philosophy
    Professionalism
    Psychology
    Reading
    Real Estate
    Religion
    Romance
    Sales
    Science
    Shangri-La
    Social Entrepreneurship
    Social Media
    Sports
    Teams
    Technology
    Travel
    Turtles
    Ucla
    Venture Capital
    Web Services
    Weddings
    Zen

    Subscribe

    RSS Feed

Picture
Picture
  • Home
  • About
  • Interests
    • Angel investing
    • Magic
    • Scuba Diving
  • Blog
  • Contact