Do One Better

PRINCIPLE #3: DO LESS BUT DO IT BETTER

“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”

- Hans Hofmann

It is so easy in the world today to fill time with stuff; our houses with stuff, our bodies with stuff and our minds with stuff. Stuff to me is fluff; it takes up a lot of space but has little density. This stuff masquerades as importance, status, nourishment and quality content but it is often too much of nothing. Principle number three, Do Less but Do It Better, encompasses the idea that when you simplify and focus, slowing down your reactions, you create profound shifts and accelerated momentum in your life. As a person with a multitude of interests I can easily be pulled into doing more activities, offering more and working more than is necessary. It is when I incorporate stillness, limit the distractions and focus on quality over quantity that I am in the flow and busyness is replaced with effectiveness.

“Fear less, hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breath more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.”

-Swedish proverb

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY

All the stuff is leading to a crowding out of space, priorities and time and generally overwhelms your life. When you think of people you admire, whether they have achieved acclaim or not, you will generally find a singularity of focus. There is a clear understanding of your ultimate mission in life and a desire to be immersed and expertly crafting the immediate and present moment; a departure from the illusion of multi-tasking. When you are clear on your values and priorities you can then organize your life in such a way as to maximize what you are doing in the here and now. Are you accumulating and multiplying in your life because of social expectation or norms? Are you convinced that just one last thing will make all the difference? Do you have a belief that working faster or harder or doing more for others will lead to success? Well, I am challenging all of that! I have seen again and again that when an individual creates a compelling future; one where they are pulled forward by their vision, more of what matters or even more importantly, more of what they intended to create is attracted to them. Design the day so that if someone was observing you, they would know what is truly important to you, they would know what you are mastering and what drives you. Be gravitationally pulled and effortlessly attracted to the very life you have been envisioning.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

THE FLOW

Think about times in your life when the harder you “tried” the harder it got! Do Less but Do It Better means you eliminate the unnecessary distractions, projects and expectations that deter you from your values and mission. Doing less leads to more; more reserves in time, energy and money. It creates the space that is known as the flow. The flow is where you lose track of time and whatever you are doing seems effortless and magical. This is the place of intensely relaxed focus and it occurs when you are perfecting the present moment. If you hear yourself chronically saying, “I do not have time”, then I challenge you to re-evaluate all the stuff you are doing, all the people you are seeing and all the projects you are pursuing. As you do less and limit wasted effort, you are proficient and masterful at doing what is most important. How much of what you do in a day is fluff, is incomplete and subpar? How much time and energy is spent in mediocrity? Make a commitment to do less of what is unimportant and do what is important extremely well. Live your life better by doing less!

TWELVE WAYS TO APPLY THIS PRINCIPLE

1. Know your word for the year.
2. Know your mission.
3. Know your values.
4. Listen to the information contained within your life – it is a reflection of your beliefs.
5. Stop doing something, right now, today, which is a distraction. DO IT NOW!
6. Stop motivating yourself - create a brightly colored vision that pulls you forward.
7. Slow down and enjoy stillness. Meditate.
8. Work smarter, not harder.
9. Quality over quantity.
10.Recall times when you have been in the flow. Do more activities that encourage the flow.
11. Become an expert in whatever you value and are doing right now.
12. Learn to say NO and use it often.

I would love to hear an example of a time when doing less allowed you to live better. Please share your experiences in the comment section! If you would like help creating a future that pulls you forward, please contact me at, onpurposelifecoaching@hotmail.com