Eliminate the Unnecessary
September 7th, 2007 | Michael Pink
Rainforests have a job. In a very pragmatic sense, they are the lungs of the planet. They breathe in the excess carbon and exhale much needed oxygen and they are very, very good at their job. In fact, the rainforest is perhaps the most efficient system on the planet, making the most out of a little and wasting almost nothing.
Want to be more efficient? I am going to share the first in a series of four rainforest strategies that speak to personal productivity issues. Most people I know struggle to get a full day of productivity from the time they’ve allotted for that productivity. Parkinson’s Law kicks in and work expands to fill the time allotted. But you can change that.
Begin with Law 1: Eliminate the Unnecessary. That’s right; eliminate all activity that does not contribute to your primary assignment. In the rainforest, plants have to get sunlight in order to fulfill their role as the planet’s lungs. They spend every waking hour, posturing and positioning themselves to be in the light. They are focused. By virtue of that focus, they are automatically eliminating wasted activities that don’t contribute to the goal.
So here’s the first lesson in personal productivity… Eliminate all activity that is wasteful or distracting. Eliminate the meaningless, the unnecessary, the waste. Eliminate meetings where possible. Eliminate every form of time waster you can identify. Get clear on the goal and the core activities that must be completed to achieve the goal and do those. By default time wasters fall off and productivity soars. When something that was once productive ceases to be productive, shed that activity like a tree dropping a leaf. Let it go and develop new leaves (habits, methods, activities) that are in sync with the overall vision and contribute to the goal.
Until next time, be fruitful, then multiply!
Digg This Share ThisP.S. The first episode of the ChristianBusinessDaily.com Friday Wrapup Podcast released this morning. Warning: this is totally different from anything else we’re doing. Check it out here!
September 7th, 2007 at 12:04 pm
I agree with this message, we are more productitive when we eliminate waste, this perhaps is the formula for efficiency. It is said that focus is the ability to maximize what matters and minimize what does not. That ability is born when we, from a decision of what is worth our time, begin to eliminate or subjegate activities that are unimportant. Thanks Mike!
September 7th, 2007 at 12:51 pm
How interesting is the way the Lord communicates to His children in waves f subjects all in synch! Yesterday as I was revewing science with my son in 3rd grade, and his test was going t be on how the plants use 4 things to produce their food: the energy form the sun, the carbon dioxide from he air, the water, and chlorophyll…all these ingredients mixed in just the right amounts, bring about the product of photosyntesis, and the food the plant needs to live…The worship of the Mighty God of hosts, the release of sin that is waste, the living Word of God, and a soul surrendered to the will of God. I’m amazed of how brilliant our Maker has created al his ‘things’ in perfect harmony, with perfect purposes, from tiny plants, to people…and indeed, as they shed leaves, so we shall shed all that is ‘dry’, and not needed by the Lord! In whatever season we enter, let the times transform the fragile plants into robust trees! Shedding leaves for new ones,
Cristina.