Simplifying Your Morning: The Essentialist Approach

Welcome to MindfulMornings!

In today's newsletter, we're exploring Essentialism - a powerful method of simplifying your life around what truly matters. Inspired by Greg McKeown’s bestselling book Essentialism*, we'll look at how focusing on what truly matters can transform your mornings and your life.

Today you'll learn about:

• Creating a "Decision Filter" to simplify your choices

• Scheduling "Blank Space Sessions" for creativity and deep reflection
  

Here are 2 quotes, 2 tips, and 1 question to help you build healthy habits this week…

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2 Quotes

1. "It's only by saying 'No' that you can concentrate on the things that are really important." - Steve Jobs

    

2. “The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.” - Hans Hofmann
   
   

2 Tips

1) Create Your Personal "Decision Filter"

Why:

We make hundreds of decisions every day. Without a clear filter, we say yes to too many things, spreading ourselves thin and diluting our effectiveness. A decision filter helps you quickly assess if an opportunity aligns with what truly matters to you.

This simple tool prevents decision fatigue, keeps you focused on your priorities, and helps you gracefully decline what doesn't serve your core values. When your mornings aren't cluttered with non-essential commitments, you can invest your best energy in what brings genuine fulfillment.

Set aside 30 minutes this week to create your personal decision filter. Here's how:

1. Define Your Essentials: Ask yourself what truly matters most in your life right now. List your top 3-5 priorities (e.g., health, family, creative work, personal growth).

    

2. Create Your Questions: Develop 2-4 simple questions to ask yourself when evaluating any opportunity. For example:

   • "Does this align with my top priorities?"

   • "Will this bring me energy or drain me?

   • "Will I still value having done this a year from now?"

   • "Would I do this if no one else knew about it?"

    

3. Make It Visible: Write your filter questions on a small card you can keep in your wallet or as a note on your phone for easy reference.

    

4. Practice Daily: The next time someone asks for your time or you face a choice, pause and run it through your filter. If it doesn't clearly align, practice declining gracefully: "I appreciate you thinking of me, but I have other priorities at the moment."

    

5. Review Regularly: Every month, assess how well your filter is working. Are you still saying yes to too many things? Adjust your questions to be more selective if needed.

Resources to support you:
Book: Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less* by Greg McKeown offers excellent guidance on making better choices.

Remember, each "no" to something non-essential is a "yes" to what truly matters in your life.

2) Schedule "Blank Space Sessions"

Why:

In our busy lives, our calendars easily overflow with appointments, tasks, and obligations. We mistake busy-ness for true productivity, rarely leaving room for creativity or deep reflection.

When your mind feels constantly crowded, clarity and creativity vanish. Essentialism encourages deliberately inserting time for stillness, reflection, and renewal - leading to clearer decisions, inspiring insights, and restored energy.

How to practice "Blank Space Sessions" effectively:

1. Schedule sessions deliberately. Start small: Put aside 30 minutes once every week for completely unscheduled time. Block it on your calendar and protect it fiercely and respectfully, just as you would any important appointment.

    

2. Create your environment. Quiet spaces, free of clutter and distractions, foster deeper, uninterrupted thinking. Switch off devices or put them in another room, informing others that these are times when you're unavailable.

    

3. Allow unstructured thinking. Initially, it may feel foreign or awkward. That’s okay! Don’t force productive outcomes. Instead, give yourself permission to think freely or simply rest. Allow your thoughts to wander somewhere surprising - often, the most profound insights arise spontaneously.

    

4. Keep a session journal nearby. Capture interesting ideas that emerge without overwhelming the free-flowing nature of the time. Immediately afterward, take time to reflect independently on any ideas that excite or intrigue you most.

Resources: Deep Work by Cal Newport (offers strategies for deliberately creating spaces for reflection).

1 Question

If you could live one remarkable year focused entirely on what truly matters, what noise, distractions, or relationships would you feel most liberated to let go of?

As you simplify your choices and bring clarity into your daily decisions, you'll create greater calm, improved effectiveness, and deeper joy in your life.

Thank you for being part of the MindfulMornings community! May your week be filled with what’s truly important.

With gratitude,

MindfulMornings

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