In one of my previous posts I wrote about the importance of living according to our values and how to build a Vision that guides our lives. But what happens when we still feel overwhelmed? What’s the impact of feeling like we’re going in all directions but getting nowhere?
Sometimes the issue isn’t that we don’t care or that we’re unclear about our values. In my experience, one of the biggest challenges my clients face is trying to do too much in too little time, even when they’re low on energy, capacity, and motivation. In short, they’re not focusing on what truly matters.
If you don’t prioritize your life, someone else will.— Greg McKeown
When we talk about simplifying life, it’s not about doing less just for the sake of it. That’s a trap many in younger generations are unfortunately falling into, but that’s a topic I’ll save for a future newsletter. What I’m talking about here is doing more of what truly matters. And that begins with identifying the one thing, the single action that adds the most value to your life or to a particular area, and that reinforces what is genuinely important to you. At the end of the day, it’s what brings you the greatest return in reaching your aspirations.
The One Thing
There are many things we could do in life. But what if we asked ourselves: “What’s the one thing I can do that, by doing it, everything else becomes easier or even unnecessary?” It may sound like a clever question, but its purpose is to bring clarity and help us prioritize what we do each day.
For example, if one of your values is friendship, then in theory, you should dedicate a meaningful amount of time each week or month to being fully present with your friends. If you value growth, maybe it means committing to daily moments of reflection or learning. Perhaps it’s pursuing a master’s degree or a course that helps you keep growing. When we align our actions with our values, we begin to live with more focus, purpose, and energy.
It’s not about cramming more into your schedule. It’s about filtering out the trivial to make space for what’s truly meaningful.
The 80/20 Rule
I’m sure many of you are already familiar with the Pareto Principle, or the 80/20 Rule, so I’ll just recap it briefly. Its importance lies in the idea that 80% of our most valuable results, both personally and professionally, come from just 20% of our activities. That means not all tasks carry the same weight. Not everything we do is equally important, and we need to learn to prioritize.
Let’s say you’re preparing for a final exam. Throughout the semester, you covered ten topics, but somehow—don’t ask me how—you’ve realized that most of the exam questions are going to be based on just two or three of those topics. Where do you think you should invest most of your time and energy while studying? Bingo. On what matters most.
The same applies to every area of life. If we know that only a few actions or activities bring us the most joy, growth, or progress, then we need to identify them and give them the priority they deserve. Focus brings clarity. And clarity brings peace.
A Simple and Significant Life
Let’s be honest, life isn’t always easy. There are bills to pay, responsibilities of all kinds, and expectations from all directions. But in the middle of all that, we can still choose to focus on what really counts. The goal isn’t to live a simple life in the simplistic sense. It’s to live an effective and meaningful life, one that reflects who we are and what truly matters to us.
Start Here
If you want to begin that process this week, I first recommend reading my previous newsletter. It’ll help a lot. Then, ask yourself the following questions:
- What’s one value that really matters to me right now?
- What’s one small action I could take today to strengthen that value?
- What distractions could I set aside, even for a moment, to make space for that?
You don’t need to have it all figured out from the start. Just begin with one thing. That’s enough.
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