Choose what not to do | Quick decision | Plus minus next journaling
Every week we curate 3 ultra-focused ideas to reduce life complexity. On Saturday we share them with you via email.
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Don’t Choose What To Do, Choose What Not To Do
“The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say ‘no’ to almost everything.”
Warren Buffett
Having backup plans gives you an advantage, but only on one condition. You need to focus your best effort in one single strategy.
Take the example of an entrepreneur who launches multiple products. Sure he keeps his options open. But he won't be able to focus on anything. And every new launch brings him more competitors.
Instead, if you focus only on one he will:
make a better product,
reduce the number of competitors,
have better chance to develop alliances with other producers.
By saying "no" to almost everything you get more productivity and less competition. This is how you improve in business and life.
How to make hard decisions quickly
Looking for the perfect decision is useless. Every choice exposes you to unpredictable downsides. Always.
Fast decisions are crucial in life. Your brain has a limited amount of energy. In non-life changing situation, a quick less-than-optimal decision gives you a better result, than dragging out the process till a mental burn-out.
To choose faster, limit your time for analysis. Either you delegate the whole problem to somebody more competent than you. Or you give yourself a time constraint (5 seconds, 2 minutes, whatever works for you).
Plus Minus Next journaling
The mental benefits of journaling are nothing new. However, most people struggle to make it a habit.
The main problem is in the question "how to journal?" If you choose a complex method it becomes a chore. If you use a super-light approach (like "one line a day"), the impact is minimal.
The Plus Minus Next method strikes the right balance.
I'm using this system. Once a week, I write my journal. I organize every page around three titles:
what worked (+),
what didn’t go so well (-),
what you plan to do next (→).
I review the events and tasks of the week and place each one in the appropriate segment.
It's a lightweight approach to journaling. It takes only 10 minutes each week, but it still allows for some insightful reflection.
Most of all, unlike many other approaches, it's future-focused. Every time I journal, I also plan for the next week.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Now, I’m curious about you.
What decisions are challenging you at the moment? What are the mental strategies that you find more helpful?
Write me back!
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Until next week,
Samuele
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