Intro: Not Everything Has To Be So Hard

on its own, great effort alone cannot bring great results

trying to find an easier path instead of just working harder can be effective

essential vs. easy

Essentially, the path matters just as much as the action/effort itself.

Part 1: Effortless State

The brain is constantly distributing its cognitive resources, and emotions grab more resources.

The effortless state is one in which you feel lighter, first, you are carrying less baggage, and second, the paths you can take are clear.

Think physically rested, emotionally unburdened, and mentally energized.

Invert:

Inverting the problem is the primary part of finding an easier way.

This action finds the root of a problem or task and then looks for the least effort path that delivers on quality (where quality is needed).

Too often we divide tasks into those that are essential and hard and those that are easy and trivial. This idea even penetrates into our language and its phrases.

Puritanism does not just value hard work, but casts doubt on the value of easy work.

To invert, remember to change your point of view

Enjoy:

Consistency is easy depending on whether or not it is enjoyable, so try to modify tasks that aren't enjoyable!

Reduce the lag indicator of tasks that reward after/long after doing them, by rewarding during/right after the task.

Try to bring together work and play if possible

Rituals invite meaning and emotions into habits

Invite joy into daily routine

Release:

Ideas take up mental space, so actively seek out and release ones that don't serve you anymore

Complaining is easy but trivial: it doesn't get much done

Try to focus on what you are thankful for to shift from the idea of lacking to having

Positive emotions create openness and hope

Negative emotions narrow mindset and lose hope

Pair a complaint with something to be grateful for

Grudges perform poorly because they lock you into one unchanging belief, so let them go

Rest:

Learn to relax: it is your responsibility as much as putting effort in is

Making sleep consistent and long enough is an investment in yourself

Don't feel bad about taking a nap, as long as it serves you

Rest increases creativity, mental and physical capabilities

Notice:

By itself, noticing isn't hard, but cutting out noise and only noticing what matters is hard

Bids for connection can be responded to by 1) Turning towards (assent) 2) Turning against (dissent) 3) Turning away (dismission)

Felt presence creates impact in the other, creating memories

Sometimes, put aside your opinions, advice, and judgement to clear your head and make better decisions

Part 2: Effortless Action

Law of diminishing returns: more effort produces less results than earlier efforts did

There is a sweet spot of effort and direction that produces the most output

Define:

Always have a clear idea of what the goals are when doing noncreative work

Avoid redefining "done" as the work is being done, rather take breaks and reevaluate

Make a "done for the day" list full of meaningful and/or urgent progress

- This list should be only "wills," not "coulds"

- fill with other tasks that will haunt you when you try to sleep

- get these ones done as soon as possible to improve the rest of the day

Start:

Take the minimum viable action when starting a project to avoid traveling miles down the wrong path

Naming the first obvious step is the best way to avoid spending energy worrying about the 4th, 5th, etc.

The "now" we experience is only 2.5 seconds, so small changes can work in an environment with less distractions

Simplify:

Remove steps of a process to make the process easier

Essentially, 0 is always less than a whole number

Do not drop necessary steps off! Important to define goal before paring down process

Completion >> work

Maximize the amount of work not done

Progress:

Embrace ugliness to design and repair fast

- Speed up learning process my a great amount

Make mistakes, but the power of mistakes comes in recognizing the mistake, owning up, and correcting yourself

- Mistakes teach better than many other forms of reading

- Have the courage to be rubbish at something! It is a necessary step on the way to good, then great

Make failure as cheap as possible: lower the stakes

Zero-Draft approach: do anything > do perfect from the start

Pace:

Steady, consistent, and sustainable pace trumps moving forward only when conditions are "good"

- In addition, consistency allows people to build trust in themselves to get things done

Avoid sprinting out of the gate and burning out

Restraint to not go over and commitment to always do something establishes pace

Global environment is Volatile, Uncertain, Complex, and Ambiguous

Part 3: Effortless Results

Linear results can never exceed the amount of effort exerted for time

Residual results allow effort to count more than once, compounding

Use "levers" to turn powerless effort into effortless power

Learn:

Seek principles, not methods, as principles have lasing value through wide application and use

Make sure new ideas have a place to hand on your existing knowledge

If meaning is slim, create it through connecting ideas

Leverage the knowledge (or combination thereof) that is unique to you

Build your reputation

Lift:

People carry much of their life story with them when they die

Leverage through others to make impact beyond your personal capability

- Ex. word of mouth, teaching to others, letting others teach

Automate:

Alfred Whitehead: "Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations we can perform without thinking about them"

Automate essential tasks as much as possible!

Extreme complexity increases cognitive load, increasing the possibility of errors

Use checklists, as they bake the thinking into the process

Minimize human assistance and effort in tasks

Trust:

Trust in each other is the oil that makes the engine of any team run smoothly

Select trustworthy people to be around or inspire those around you to be trustworthy

Warren Buffet: Integrity, Intelligence, and Initiative

Demonstrating trust frees up the team to do the same between each other

Each relationship has a structure along with the two people involved

- High trust structure has clear expectations and roles, as well as shared goals, standards, rules, and priorities that are incentivized and rewarded

When working with others on a project, prioritize your individual work but also all the parts that lead to the overall goal which you are involved in

Prevent:

Look at seemingly momentary problems from a long-term perspective: often the quick fix is more costly than a one-time solution

Measure twice, cut once

Conclusion: Now

Take the lighter path, not the heavier path

Essentially, if there is an easy way that doesn't burn you out, go for it instead because most things we want, we want for a while, so make them sustainable.