Stop doing everything and simplify your life
I’m an ambitious person. I want to do more and get more done immediately. This also means I’m an impatient person. I realized letting go of things is more important than trying to do everything.
I got into the topic of productivity more than 10 years ago because I wanted to get more done. At the beginning of my studies, I had unhealthy habits:
- sleeping less
- eating unhealthy and fast
- taking no breaks
to have more time for “being productive”. But the thing is, I wasn’t productive and I got sick right after the submission was done.
I had so much to do and I wanted it to be done fast. I spent years trying to do everything. And I wasn’t productive.
The hardest lesson I learned was to let go of my own high standards, delegate, and only focus on the important things.
Letting go of things and people that are not helping you improve your life, or bring you down is a big step in becoming more productive.
The song “Let It Go” from Frozen is actually the perfect song to recap what I’m about to write:
Prioritize and Let Go
A lot of people say “I don’t have time”. This is a wrong statement because everyone has the same amount of time each day.
The difference is your prioritization. Do you think Beyoncé is going shopping or spending her time thinking about what she wants to wear? No, because she prioritizes her work, and delegates the rest.
You can delegate unimportant things too!
Figure out the important parts of your project, dream, or life, and then delegate (or even delete) the rest.
If you know the 80/20 principle, then you know that only 20% are important for 80% of the success, and you can delete or delegate the majority.
At the moment, I’m prioritizing university, and I’m delegating tasks in my student organization to other members because I don’t have to do them personally.
Instead of telling your friends “I don’t have time” you say: “at the moment, [fill in your priority] is my priority and we can meet another time”.
Be honest with yourself and others!
You have time! You just don’t prioritize properly!
“You always have time for the things you put first.”
— Unknown
Visualize Your Dream Life and Let Go
Your mindset and your subconscious have a huge influence on your daily tasks, thoughts, and mood.
By visualizing and writing down your dream life, you will focus your brain on that and it will show you opportunities to get there.
I know this sounds a bit like magic, but it is true.
Of course, you cannot change life, other people, or external problems. But what you can change is your perception of it. And this is where your brain and your mindset join the game:
Everything you see, hear, smell, or taste gets interpreted by your brain. This means you can change how you perceive life. You never see “real” life because your brain first interprets what you see based on your prior experiences.
You can use this to trick your brain into believing that you are already in your dream life. By visualizing vividly (including different senses), you trick your brain into thinking it’s happening.
This will change your perception of the world and your mindset. You will see opportunities to achieve your dream life, and you will become the person in your visualization.
You let go of your negative mindset and the people and things that don’t serve your future self.
“Visualization is the human being’s vehicle to the future — good, bad, or indifferent. It’s strictly in our control.”
— Earl Nightingale
Change Your Input and Let Go
Your daily life consists of thousands of input senses every day. You perceive everything you see, hear, and smell.
Our lives are busy:
- We watch TV and the news.
- We scroll through social media.
- We see ads everywhere we go.
- We listen to friends, colleagues, and bosses.
- We smell the food we are eating.
- We hear the noises of electronic devices.
- We hear cars and emergency sirens.
Of course, people are stressed.
There is too much input. Our brains cannot interpret and think properly at the same time. That’s why I’m writing this in the morning when everything is quiet.
What I wrote before about prioritization is also important here. You have to decrease your input by prioritizing the ones that help you in life and removing the negative ones.
Becoming successful means having less input than output.
What you are doing and working on is more important than how much news you are watching.
Life and the world go on even if you don’t watch the news.
Don’t waste time getting negativity into your brain!
Conclusion
Letting go sounds like a breakup. But it can actually be a relief. Life is noisy, and by minimizing it, you can make it more clear, clean, and simple.
Some of your friends are negative, and do you spend a lot of time listening to their complaints? Let go! Life will be more simple and less stressful.
Always doing more, buying more, and getting more is not the solution. It’s actually making you sick. Instead, simplifying your life will set you free.
- You will have more time.
- You will have more space.
- You will experience less stress.
- You will live based on your dream life.
- You will choose how to spend your time.
- You will not be influenced by the media and marketing anymore.
Freedom comes from simplicity and having the ability to choose how to spend your time.
Start being productive now!
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