I recently re-read The Art of Less Doing. This time around, I decided to start putting things from the book into practice. Here’s a summary of the after-chapter actions, for every chapter. Hopefully the author doesn’t mind — and hopefully you can find them useful. By the way, I highly recommend the book.
- Optimizing
- 1.1 Collect data by tracking your time, energy, and resources to identify patterns.
- 1.2 Focus on one thing at a time. Eliminate multitasking and other unproductive behaviors.
- 1.3 Implement the Pareto Principle (the 80/20 Rule). Focus on the things in your life that give you the highest return on investment.
- 2.1 Off-load ideas and konwledge for safe storage and to free up brain space.
- 2.2 Get rid of your to-do list.
- 2.3 Implement the Pomodoro Technique to maximize work efficiency. Work in sprints, not marathons.
- 3.1 Identify your hour of peak productivity with the Less Doing Peak Time app.
- 3.2 Respect and optimize your hour of power.
- 3.3 Utilize “downtime” by churning through low-focus tasks.
- Automate
- 4.1 Impose limitations to find lost time, space, money and joy.
- 4.2 Create deadlines and meet them. Set microgoals.
- 4.3 Think of the end first and work backward.
- 5.1 Implement the three Ds: delete, deal (including delegating) or defer to all tasks.
- 5.2 Strive for ABD: always be done.
- 5.3 Put your ego aside and recognize that sometimes the hurdle is you.
- 6.1 Identify and create a plan to off-load 70 percent of the tasks you perform daily.
- 6.2 Set up systems through IFTT.com to manage automated tasks.
- 6.3 Relinquish control and experience freedom.
- Outsource
- 7.1 Maximize your unique genius by repurposing ideas or activities into useful content.
- 7.2 Establish productive habits and eliminate time-consuming or useless habits.
- 7.3 Get in the zone by batching similar tasks together.
- 8.1 Hire a virtual assistant (or ten).
- 8.2 Undersatnd the difference between necessary and nonessential.
- 8.3 Always look for ways to remove yourself from the process and exercise the delegation muscle.
- 9.1 Remove yourself from the equation entirely.
- 9.2 Seek expert outsourcing guidance.
- 9.3 Optimize, automate, and outsource. Discover what it means to be human. Take it a step further to avoid outsourcing by automating completely