Essentialism is about doing the right things. Doing the right things effortlessly, however, means doing them the right way. Using brute force-whether mental or physical-often doesn’t lead to higher productivity. In fact, it can result in decreased efficiency. Important things don’t have to be difficult; there’s almost always a simpler path to achieve a goal. In other words, pushing yourself to the limit doesn’t necessarily produce better performance. It may sound counterintuitive, but the author argues that often the opposite is true.
Take reading, for example. If you can read about forty pages in an hour, that doesn’t mean you’ll read 400 pages in ten hours. In reality, you’ll likely read far fewer. As time passes, you’ll get tired. You’ll get distracted more easily. You’ll take more breaks. You’ll start wanting to do something else. Maybe you’ll check social media more often. And so on. Humans aren’t machines that can perform tasks just by pushing a button. We are complex organisms, often driven by emotion, and to achieve more, we need to reach a mental state where our commitments feel easy, effortless-even fun.
One of the best techniques to eliminate stress around productivity is to clearly define what it means to complete a given task. In other words, we must clearly visualize what the final result will look like. Then we can break that outcome into smaller steps, creating a checklist. If you had to write a series of articles, for instance, you shouldn’t just say, “I’ll write today.” That’s too vague, and you’ll likely end up procrastinating or getting lost throughout the day.
Instead, try this: first, take a piece of paper and write everything down. Then say: today, I will write a 2,000-word article. Break it down: first line must grab the reader; introduction; main body; conclusion; list all sources; editing. Once you’ve hit your goals, stop. Don’t start the next article-rest. You’ve completed your task for the day. Now you deserve some downtime. Congratulate yourself for hitting your targets and relax.
Otherwise, if you keep going nonstop, you may feel productive at first. But over time, without clear beginnings and endings, you’ll feel overwhelmed and stressed. This anxiety about never doing “enough” will hurt your productivity and may even lead to procrastination, burnout, or missed deadlines. That’s because humans instinctively avoid what feels painful. But when you have a clear target, your conscious mind sends instructions to your unconscious mind, which will follow accordingly.
