Solo-Dad Recommends: The Power of Less

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Less is more in many ways.

It’s certainly the case when speaking of the effects I experienced after reading Leo Babauta’s book, The Power of Less: the fine art of limiting yourself to the essential…in business and in life.

If you’re not familiar with Leo Babauta, he’s the author behind ZenHabits.net, a blog that is a must read if you’re interested in living simply, efficiently, and productively.

Leo is also the author of Zen To Done, an eBook that teaches Leo’s simple yet effective system of managing time, projects, and everything else on your plate. (You can check out my review of ZTD here.)

Practical Lessons from The Power of Less (TPoL)

Remember when you were a kid and life seemed so simple? You were free to play whenever you wanted and free to choose who you wanted to spend time with.

Taking a moment to reflect on the simplicity of those years, don’t you wish your life was that simple and carefree today?

TPoL is about making your life simple again. It may not ever be as carefree as it once was, but life can be a lot less stressful and complicated by returning to its inherent simplicity.

Leo’s approach to returning to the simplicity you once enjoyed in life focuses on making conscious choices. And there are only two.

Choice #1: Identify the Essential

There is so much clutter in our lives today. We are continually bombarded by choices of all kinds. Just walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery store and you’re confronted with a myriad of possibilities…and that’s only breakfast!

But our lives become cluttered at light speed. Before long we’ve collected a lot of physical stuff as well as way too much mental clutter.

So how do you get back to that simple existence of your childhood? Identifying only what it essential is the place to begin.

Choice #2: Eliminate the Rest

After you’ve chosen only what’s essential, you’re free to jettison the rest.

Take my briefcase. One day not too long ago I realized that I was carrying all kinds of needless items to and from the office. I decided to take Leo’s advice and pare down my daily load to only the essentials.

When I eliminated what wasn’t essential, not only was my briefcase lighter (which meant my neck didn’t hurt any longer from carrying around all that crap), but the energy around it was more positive.

You know that feeling when you walk into your teenager’s room and you can’t see the floor? Or open a ‘junk drawer’ and close it immediately because the thought of sifting through all the junk is intimidating? That’s what it felt like each time I opened my briefcase. Yuk.

TPoL TOC

Here’s how Leo has organized the book:

Part One – The Principles In this section Leo lays out the principles behind TPoL approach to life. Each chapter needs to be read carefully because though Leo write in a simple, straightforward manner, each sentence is packed with meaning.

Why Less is Powerful
The Art of Setting Limits
Choosing the Essential, and Simplifying
Simple Focus
Create New Habits, and TPoL Challenge

Part Two – In Practice Here’s where the rubber meets the road. Putting TPoL principles into practice is at once liberating and relaxing. I say relaxing because I’ve found that when I reduce to what’s essential and lest the rest go, my energy is more positive and my attitude is more relaxed.

Simple Goals and Projects
Simple Tasks
Simple Time Management
Simple Email
Simple Internet
Simple Filing
Simple Commitments
Simple Daily Routine
Declutter Your Workspace
Slow Down
Simple Health and Fitness
On Motivation

TPoL is a great read, especially during summer when most of us have a lot of projects that need to be completed before fall. It’s a slim volume, only 170 pages and packaged in a simple, yet elegant, hardback cover. It’s even available on the Kindle for just $9.99.

I urge you to read TPol and put into practice it’s simple, direct teachings. I’m glad I did!