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Less Doing, More Living

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Less Doing, More Living

Make Everything in Life Easier

Jeremy P. Tarcher,

15 min read
10 take-aways
Audio & text

What's inside?

Here’s how to spend less time on chores and more time on your life.

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Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable

Recommendation

Most people feel as if they don’t have enough hours in the day to get everything done. Productivity expert Ari Meisel offers practical suggestions about how to better use the time you do have, work more effectively and live more efficiently. He earned his knowledge the hard way, developing his system through “a process of data collection, self-tracking and analysis” on the road to beating Crohn’s disease and becoming a triathlete. Now, he offers tested advice as he guides you to worthwhile online tools – some free – for saving time and being more productive. Meisel unfortunately shares impractical ideas along with the gems. His suggestion to spend 80% of your energies on “rest and self-improvement” doesn’t exactly help a tired parent who’s working two jobs. And his assertion that as a young man he worked “on construction sites 18 to 20 hours a day” rings untrue to anyone who has worked in construction and knows that even half that time is about the physical limit, even for a strong person. Despite a few gaffs like these, many of Meisel’s methods are sound and easy to apply, and his attitude is in the right place. getAbstract recommends his approach to anyone who is pressed for time.

Summary

The “Less Doing” Philosophy

To eliminate stress, preserve your time so you can spend it more efficiently on the people and activities that matter most to you. Begin by “optimizing, automating and outsourcing” your professional and personal tasks. Using this approach, you can save tiny dollops of time in every area of your life. A little time saved here, a little saved there and soon you accrue more available time than you might have thought possible. Apply this incremental approach to tasks revolving around your health, productivity, goals and problems.

The “Less Doing, More Living” philosophy suggests taking three steps to conquer every challenging task. First, reduce each job to its most minimal, essential form. Once you break each job down into small, manageable tasks, farm them out as much as you can. Second, use “software and processes” to automate everything possible. You want to “set it and forget it” by eliminating the human element as much as possible. Third, outsource anything else you can to the appropriate generalist or specialist. Complete steps one and two before you try step three so you don’t outsource “inefficient tasks.”

The Less Doing, More...

About the Author

Ari Meisel is an author, speaker, consultant and coach.

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