When thinking about our lives, many of us first think about what is missing in it. Career coach Marty Nemko suggests doing otherwise: first, remove everything that is superfluous and only then start making changes.
When pruning a rose bush, the gardener removes the frail shoots so that all the vital juices go to the stronger stems. This is the only way he manages to grow luxurious flowers.
When we strive to improve something in our life, most often we are visited by thoughts about what is missing in it. But sometimes the less the better: the wise cut the weak branches. Or to use another metaphor, when a chef sautés mushrooms, the water evaporates, giving the dish a great flavor. What areas of your life should be cleaned up?
Work
Could you work more efficiently and with more pleasure if you spent less time on some tasks or stopped doing them altogether? What if they are delegated? Swap responsibilities with a colleague so that everyone does what they like. Or just give up unloved activities and free up time for what really fascinates.
Relations
Think about who should be excluded from the inner circle – at work and in personal life. Let’s say that not all relationships can be broken completely, but you can significantly reduce communication with unpleasant people, and life will become easier.
Cooking
Are groceries and the daily chores of the kitchen worth your time and effort? If you exclude only certain dishes from your menu – for example, replace complex ones with simple ones, or order ready-made food for delivery from time to time, there will be time for more important things.
Apparel
Would you feel differently about yourself if you threw away part of your wardrobe? We think we need a decent supply of clothes, but the reality is that we wear a few of our favorite outfits every day. In addition, if you give tired or worn clothes to charity, it will become more spacious in closets and chests of drawers. All worthwhile things will be in sight, and the problem of “what to wear” will disappear by itself.
Charity
Volunteers and non-profit foundations feel embarrassed to say no, so many of us donate a little bit of everything. And since everyone gets crumbs, we don’t feel like we’ve helped anyone. But if we choose one or two organizations that are most trustworthy and help only them, the benefits of donations will be more tangible, and if we refuse the rest, our conscience will remain clear.
A mess
Actually, he gave birth to the philosophy of simplicity. Some accumulate “good” from an unconscious desire to satisfy an emotional need. But most of the time, it’s just junk, and before we can figure it out, we’ve got a bunch of junk that’s very hard to sort through.
The most effective way to deal with clutter is to move in small steps. Start with one square meter in one room and mercilessly throw everything away, leaving only the necessary and valuable. Beware of thoughts like “in a whole year I have never needed this, but you never know.” Trust me, the benefits of order outweigh the regrets of not leaving “that old teddy bear.”
Many of us are too preoccupied with the difficulties of life. But if you remove all unnecessary, life becomes easier, and, more importantly, it has a taste. After all, if you do not peel the nut from the shell, you will never know what it is inside.
About the author: Marty Nemko is a personal and career coach.