Essentialism - A Saving Way? Less Is Better - Self-development

It seems that life itself is pushing us towards the model that Essentialism offers. An overabundance of information, a frantic pace, a million opportunities and at the same time a million reasons not to use them. How to find the main thing? How to organize your life so as to cover everything, but without unnecessary things? Is it even possible? Followers of Essentialism are convinced that it is this model of life that allows you to achieve the main thing, excluding everything that interferes with the achievement of goals.

Essentialism

Essentialism (from Lat. Essentia - essence) is a concept that offers a conscious choice towards lesser but better quality

The Essentialist is able to isolate the most important in numerous proposals and his own obligations. He knows how to quickly and cleanly get rid of information waste, extraneous requirements and external manipulations.

An Essentialist cannot be controlled in the usual ways - viral advertising and popular articles from the series "The High-profile Films of the Year" are unlikely to interest him. The main thing for a follower of essentialism is his own goals, and not the desires and interests of others.

Essentialist:

• Knows how to choose and refuse a lot. He knows that without rational losses it is impossible to find the essence. Without giving up the choice, the essentialist removes what is least important to him. Any of his actions - consciously.
• Realizes that only a little in life matters. The Essentialist needs time to choose and realize what is valuable. Impulses and spontaneous actions are unfamiliar to him. Think more in order to do less - rather, the motto is this.
• Knows how to explore and observe. It would seem that on the way to choosing less, the number of options is rather limited. But in reality the essentialist chooses from a large number of options and possibilities. The secret is that he does not rush to every first opportunity that comes his way. The essentialist always has enough time to think. First, explore as much as possible, and then find the only right path.
• The Essentialist refuses rather than agrees. His "yes" will be much slower than his "no." The logic is as follows: if he cannot say an exact "yes", it means that the situation requires an answer "no". You can learn from an essentialist to refuse. He is absolutely sure (and quite rightly) that by rejecting the request, he is not rejecting the person. And there is no place for any reflections here.
• The Essentialist clearly knows the risks. He does not float on the waves of hopes for uncertain victories, enjoying the feeling of euphoria and predicting possible emotions. He understands that they may not exist. Therefore, even the smallest successes are valuable to the essentialist. And small steps with visible clear results are much better than an ephemeral future.
• The Essentialist is disciplined. He is convinced that great things are done through the daily routine. Instead of beautiful dreams - a clear schedule and the absence of impromptu.

Is everything so wonderful?

Everything should be simplified as long as possible, but no more.

A. Einstein

Despite the obvious benefits of judgment and perspective, essentialism is on the list of cognitive biases. There are groups of problems that explain the emergence of cognitive traps. Such as an overabundance of information and non-obviousness of meaning may well lead to a cognitive failure under the guise of essentialism.

• The choice is too large. This leads to a situation where we are unable to highlight what is really important. Unfortunately, in today's world, the number of possibilities and options has dramatically exceeded human resources. It is unbearably difficult for us to choose, the brain is hardly able to conduct even a superficial analysis of the endless change of pictures and isolate the more important. Everything can be important, or, conversely, nothing is valuable. We constantly need to make decisions and choose - and the quality of these decisions is inexorably deteriorating.
• In addition to the overabundance of information around, we are too loaded with private stories, which we have to deal with without even wanting to. Social media, all online tools put real pressure on our decisions.

Golden mean

If you feel that essentialism is something that may well become a worthy tool for personal growth and development, then the first thing to do in the chosen style is to draw up an action plan.

• The word "choice" in general has a key meaning in essentialism. There is always a choice, choice is a driving force, choice is a blessing. You cannot refuse the right to choose: this way resources and energy are lost, and others will make your choice.
• Give in. Give in when choosing. To choose and do everything from the proposed is an illusion. It is better to give in and give up one less important (remember the vague "yes") and ideally do another.
• Objectives. There should not be anything vague or approximate. Clearly set goals will automatically cut out the unnecessary. Learn to articulate clearly - and take the time to do it.
• Always take time for yourself, for research and reflection. No need to think about tasks on the run. Forget that “sitting and thinking” is a waste of time. And constant fatigue is not at all an indicator of high productivity.

In studying and following the ideas of essentialism, one does not need to go into a radical position. Here, as in many things, there is no black and white. Essentialism aims to make life richer, not more insipid. And with the right assessment of what is especially significant, you will never regret missed opportunities.