If you do move from one shiny object to another, you’ll slowly discover a fundamental truth.
Chaos. Disunity. Lack of direction.
We live in an age of distraction. Never-ending notifications, instantaneous communication, and easy access to endless information. Fear of missing out moves us motivates us to try to do everything that our minds and hearts desire. Keep your phone on the table so that you can instantly check the super-important messages that come in every 7 minutes. Walk to work so fast you overtake peaceful joggers. Tell your mama you’ll definitely visit next week. Oh, and, God forbid you don’t have 18 certificates on your Linkedin page and five urgent projects to attend to. The list goes on and on.
Having a lot of irons in the fire may sound like a smart plan, but given the distractions of technology and communications, it is easier than ever to fall victim to the temptations of trying to do too many things – and accomplishing none of them.
In comes Steve Jobs 30% Rule:
“We examined the future product roadmap. Not the products we’re shipping today, the future product line. And what we found was that 30% of them were incredibly good, and about 70% of them were either ‘pretty good’ or things that we didn’t really need to be doing. Businesses we didn’t really need to be in.”
Focus on the 30% of ‘incredibly good’ stuff in your life.
Just ask yourself:
- If you had to end 70% of your relationships, which would they be?
- If you had to quit 70% of your projects, which ones would you choose?
- If you had to cut your time off by 70%, what would you leave?
Just by honestly answering these questions you can identify more clearly which parts of your life deliver the most value.
Minimalism begins with elimination — once you get rid of the stuff that slows you down, you can start replacing it with stuff that helps you grow. The hard part is being able to let go of things that are ‘pretty good’ in your life — perhaps even things you’ve grown to love.
Plan Act Win 