I just read a post over at Productivity Hacks on how to weed out your business to be more productive. The author explained that in tough economic times, people and businesses often ask themselves, “What can we do without?”
Of course, there are some core things, like customers and products, that no businesses can do without. But other things seep in or creep in over time. Â They may have once seemed to be important or vital, but really aren’t so now, once we start to ask the question.
I don’t know about you, but I’ve observed that it’s more often in the tough times when we ask, “What can we do without?” I think it’s because we have to, or are forced to, due to certain conditions we face.
But it’s not just about finances and money.
Our relationships, our health, our career, and other life areas can also be affected by things that have crept in overtime that we can, or perhaps should, do without.
Some things might be bad, and we know we need to eliminate them from our lives. Â Other things might not be bad, but aren’t terribly beneficial or necessary, given our goals and values.
I think we could all benefit from weeding stuff out our lives from time to time, in order to find greater balance and fulfillment in life.
So I’ve decided to take some time to look over each life area and ask myself, “What can I do without?”
And I’m thinking it would be good if IÂ planned a regular time – maybe annually, quarterly, or monthly – to ask myself, “What can I do without?”
When’s the last time you asked yourself, “What can I do without?” Â Could it help you enjoy greater work-life balance to your life?
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I just read The Art of Non-Conformity, which talks about forming a “to-not-do” list … the antithesis of the “to-do” list. The to-not-do list forces you to identify the biggest time wasters in your life, and cut them.
Paula, thanks for sharing your comment. I think it’s a great idea to keep asking ourselves what we should stop doing.