S02E06 The Simplify Episode

CHECK-IN QUESTION:

• If you could take a week-long vacation anywhere in the world by yourself, where would you go?

BIG IDEAS:

• Essentialism isn't minimalism
• Being intentional about how we spend our time
• How do we decide what we take on and what we don't?
• Useful time - how to determine what is useful or not?
• Useful doesn't always mean fun
• What's the difference between being useful and essential? 
• 3 minimal criteria for saying yes to things, and 3 ideal criteria to saying yes
• Essential intent aligned with purpose, big why, just cause
• If we are saying no the minimum, are we taking away time to do something ideal?
• Different activities can work in concert with one another toward your essential intent
• How often we say yes to be nice or to be liked? How respectful is that to ourselves or others? 
• The essential intent is the priority
• We get pulled into the idea that everything is a priority
• We take on other people's urgencies that aren't ours
• Taking on people's problems isn't helping, it's enabling
• Taking on other's work is also about control
• Consultants come in to solve a company's problem
• Training, Coaching, Consulting are not the same
• Separate the decision from the relationship
• Say no to the problem, not the person
• Don't say "NO", say "Yes, and...", "Yes, however...", or "Yes, no"
• What gets in the way of people saying "no"? Fear, People Pleasing
• The 5 drivers of behavior -- be strong, be perfect, be quick, please others, and try hard
• No limit to the relationship, but a limit to the request you can ask of me
• Choices being actions versus things
• Is free will a thing? Are we fully determined? 
• If there's no free will, there's no responsibility
• We don't make choices, we just act 
• Creating an ensemble of activities that align in one direction
• We don't have to make things as complicated as we do
• DESA - Design, Eliminate, Simplify, Automate
• Doing less and still providing the same value
• "Reverse Pilot" - take away something you are doing and see what happens

RESOURCES MENTIONED:

• Essentialism by Greg McKeown
• Simon Sinek and a Just Cause
• Eisenhower Matrix
• The One Minute Manager Meets the Monkey, by Ken Blanchard, discussed on Season 1, Episode 5
• The 5 Drivers of Behavior (Transactional Analysis)

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