Do Less

"Do less" may seem like strange advice to give these days.

Society expects you to contribute more.

Work encourages you to "do more with less", which really means "do much more".

And when others rely on you for their health, wealth, or happiness, doing less sometimes isn't an option.

But where you can, do less.

Most companies don't fail because they didn't do enough.

They fail either because they spent time, energy, and resources doing the wrong things, or because they tried to do too much and, as a result, failed to do anything well.

Investing guru Warren Buffett said, "The difference between successful people and really successful people is that really successful people say no to almost everything."

That often means saying no to yourself too. When Buffett's pilot came to him for career advice, Buffett instructed the pilot to write down 25 things he wanted to accomplish in his career, then circle the top five items on the list; after the pilot had completed this exercise, Buffett said, "Everything you didn’t circle just became your ‘avoid at all cost list’. No matter what, these things get no attention from you until you’ve succeeded with your top 5.”

In other words, "do less."

And if you can't do less, strive not to do more than you can effectively manage, or take on additional tasks and duties unless they serve your overall goals.

Your future self will thank you for your focus today.