I’m always interested in reading books on personal productivity, and I was thrilled when I read Leo Babauta’s new book The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life. It’s gotten a lot of air time in the blogs I follow, and the idea of “less” is one that appeals a great deal to me. It didn’t take long to read, and I immediately found myself concentrating on a few key components for my own life. And when a book can get me to make changes that quickly, it’s a good thing.
The Power of Less: The Fine Art of Limiting Yourself to the Essential…in Business and in Life
Contents:
- Introduction
- Part 1 – The Principles: Why Less Is Powerful; The Art of Setting Limits; Choosing the Essential, and Simplifying; Simple Focus; Create New Habits, and the Power of Less Challenge; Start Small
- Part 2 – In Practice: Simple Goals and Projects; Simple Tasks; Simple Time Management; Simple E-mail; Simple Internet; Simple Filing; Simple Commitments; Simple Daily Routine; Declutter Your Work Space; Slow Down; Simple Health and Fitness; On Motivation
- Acknowledgements
The Power of Less Review
Babauta starts the book by laying the foundation… why should we care about “less”? The answer makes a lot of sense when you think about it. You can run around frantically, trying to do everything and be all things to all people. But in the process, you’ll only be able to skim the surface when it comes to making a difference. You may be able to measure “volume” in your output, but will any of it really matter or be effective? By setting limits and focusing on fewer, more essential things, you can complete tasks to the end and concentrate on those items that will make a difference in your life and the lives of others. The example of the haiku was very appropriate… Instead of writing many words and lines to convey a thought, you only have 17 syllables that have to be laid out in a particular format. As such, you’re forced to cut out extraneous words and make sure the ones you keep really matter. Same with the things in your life that you commit to… cut out the noise, and keep the activities that matter.
Here is a nice review video from another reader:
The second part takes the principles of less and starts to apply them to areas in your life where noise and clutter tend to abound. Everyone is buried by email, it seems. Babauta offers some effective ways that you can get on top of the wave. Only read and answer emails at a particular time each day, limiting the number of email inboxes you maintain, and taking advantage of filtering features all help to make sure you only have to deal with “critical” items. Granted, some of the ideas may not work for you, such as limiting your replies to five sentences. But overall, even implementing just one or two of the ideas can have a dramatic impact on your overall time and effectiveness. Same with internet connectivity… you might find yourself distracted by all the different trails that your web browser presents to yo… HEY, LOOK AT THIS COOL VIDEO! Tracking your actual usage and physically disconnecting from the net while you’re working can make all the difference in the world. I could definitely apply this rule when it comes to having Twitter running while working…
Conclusion
If you’re familiar with the Getting Things Done methodology, you’ll see some similar thoughts and patterns emerge in The Power of Less. It’s not a rehash of GTD by any means, though. If you’re heavily into GTD, you’ll pick up some effective habits in Less that can make you even more effective with your time and energy. If you’re not into GTD or somehow intimidated by getting started, Less can be a bit more approachable and help you develop habits that will most definitely improve your life. Either way, you can count on coming away with a number of tips and techniques that will work wonders. For me, it’s the process of being present in whatever you do, instead of trying to do one thing and think about another. I would highly recommend this book to anyone looking to cut the clutter from their life.
Reviewed by T. Duff
Also: Zen Habits – Zen Habits was created by Leo Babauta born April 30 1973 a Babauta’s first post was on February 1 2007 In February 2009 Time.…
