Essentialism for Self Actualizers

[Sahil Pandit]

As we begin to dive deeper into our personal practices, the question inevitably arises: "What should i do? How should i spend my time? What is working?

These questions boil down to essentialism, which is the disciplined pursuit of less. 

Here are some quotes to ponder by Greg McKeown, who wrote "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less":

1.) “Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it’s about how to get the right things done. It doesn’t mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.”

2.) “If it isn’t a clear yes, then it’s a clear no.” 

3.) “Essentialism: only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter.” 

4.) “NO IS A COMPLETE SENTENCE."

5.) “It is about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what is essential.” 

6.) “The reality is, saying yes to any opportunity by definition requires saying no to several others.”

I hope these spark some action in you to look into Essentialism for yourself and to make the conscious effort to ruthlessly cut out everything else that doesn't help your daily practices. Also, refer to @Leo Gura 's video about LifeStyle Minimalism for more.

 

[okulele]

Nice one 

[molosku]

That one is going to my wishlist! can you elaborate on point 2? Sounds interesting. 

[Sahil Pandit]

@molosku It comes back to what is essential for you, in your life.

You want to be clear with what your boundaries are. What you willing to do, and what you will trade off for.

When you strive for the only the essentials, then clarity opens up around what is most important and worth doing. Once you figure those out for yourself, (whether it be self actualization techniques or Enlightenment exercises, etc)  the others fall into the nonessential category.