In a world that pushes us to do more, doing less can feel counterculture — even lazy. But what if the secret to progress is what we choose not to do?
Many people struggle with embracing a strategy of what not to do. They fixate on what to do instead. They believe progress and improvement can only happen by doing things. While that is true for some things, it is not true for all things.
Removal isn’t always the full answer, plenty of goals require you to act. But often, the biggest step toward improvement is removing what blocks — or would block — your progress.
Let’s consider some areas where not doing can lead to surprising gains.
- You won’t form bonds by avoiding interactions, but you can earn respect by not blaming.
- You won’t build muscle by avoiding exercise, but you can lose weight by not overeating.
- You won’t create wealth by avoiding hard work, but you can protect assets by not overspending.
- You won’t fulfill purpose by avoiding challenges, but you can lower stress by not overcommitting.
- You won’t achieve mastery by avoiding discomfort, but you can reduce distraction by not multitasking.
You can do a million things to lose weight, lower stress, and earn respect. But notice how much you can gain just by what you don’t do. “No” is a complete answer and a bigger part of the solution, more often than you think.
What issue could you solve, or what goal could you achieve, by what you don’t do?
Event + Response = Outcome. Do the work.
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