The power of less 读书笔记

这本书英文难度很适中，我这种菜鸟读来都没有太大困难。然后道理很浅显，不过适用度还是蛮高的。不过老美写书是都套用一个模子吗，怎么好几本书到结尾处都是一个论调呢。
Anyway， 大道理上还是借鉴度很高的。
   
以下读书笔记
There has never before been an age in which we could get so much done so quickly. There also has never before been an age in which we were so overwhelmed with information and tasks, so overloaded with e-mails and things to read and watch, so stressed by the incredible demands of our lives. Stressful and wasteful!
Why the less? Finding calm in the chaos, come down to making choices.
Six principles:
<1> set limitations:
Benefits: simplify things; focus you; focus on what’s important; help you achieve; show others that your time important; make you more effective;
Ways: analyze your current usage levels and pick a lower limit based on what you think would be ideal——> test it out for a week, and then analyze whether that’s working for you——> if it doesn’t work , adjust to a new level you think might work better, and test that out for about a week ——>continue to adjust until you find the right level and until you make it a habit

<2> choose the essential
Questions: what are your values?
          What are your goals?
          What do you love?
          What is important to you?
          What has the biggest impact?
          What has the most long-term impact?
          Need vs. wants
          Eliminate the nonessential
          Continual editing process
Apply the questions:
The list of questions above is a good way of determine which things are essential to you if you’re having difficulties, no matter what area of your life you’re examining.
Life commitments
Yearly goals
Work projects and tasks
E-mails
Finances
Clutter
Regular review

<3> simplify----eliminating the nonessential

<4> simple focus
Focus on less to become more effective.
    Focus on a goal
    Focus on now
    Focus on the task at hand
    Focus on the positive
    
    Single-task:
    First thing in the morning, work on your most important task;
    When you are working on a task in a time block, turn off all other distractions.
    If you feel the urge to check your e-mail or switch to another task, stop yourself.
    If other things come in while you’re working, put them in your in-box, get back to the task at hand
    Take deep breaths, stretch, and take breaks now and then.
    
    How to focus on the present
    When you eat, just eat
    Be aware
    Be gentle
    Exercise
    Daily routines
    Put up remainders
    There is no failure
    Keep practicing

<5> create new habits, and the power of less challenge
    ⅰ select one habit for the challenge
    ⅱ write down your plan
    ⅲ post your goal publicly
    ⅳreport on your progress daily
    ⅴcelebrate your new habit
    Rules:
    Do only one habit at a time
    Choose an easy goal
    Choose something measurable
Be consistent
Report daily
Keep a positive attitude

<6> start new habits in small increments to ensure success
    Why: it narrows your focus
         It keeps your energy and enthusiasm going for longer
         It’s easier to handle
         You ensure success
         Gradual change is longer –lasting
    How: exercise
         Waking early
         Productivity
E-mail effectiveness
Healthy eating
A major project
Decluttering
Practice

<7> Simple goals and projects
One goal system:
Choose a goal break it down to a sub-goal weekly goal daily action
Focus on completion:
Have an outcome in mind
More from projects to tasks
Each day, choose a task to move you to completion
Reassess your progress

<8> simple tasks
Most important tasks (MITS)
The keys to making MITs work for you:
 Set them first thing in the morning
 Limit yourself to three
 Ensure that one MIT is goal-related, or related to one of your top three projects
 Focus on accomplishing these tasks above all others
 Do your MITs early in the day, before you do anything else
 When you do one of your MITs, be sure to single-task focus on that task only
Small tasks:
Small tasks are always better than large ones

<9> simple time management
An open approach
1. Choose a task you’re passionate about
2. Choose a task that’s challenging
3. Eliminate distractions
4. Immerse yourself in the task
Know your priorities
Reduce your tasks
Batch processing
Simple time management tools
Calendar; paper notebook or text file;

<10> simple E-mail
     Limit your in-boxes
     Limit your time in E-mail
     Reduce your incoming stream
     Process to empty
     Write less

<11> simple internet
     Awareness: track your usage
     Consciousness: make a plan
   Focus: learning to work while disconnected
   Discipline: how to stay away from distractions

<12> simple filing
     Creating a simple filing system:
1. Reduce before organizing
2. Simple filing
3. File immediately
4. Have materials on hand
5. Reduce your needs over time
Store reference information online
Reduce incoming paper
Stop printing stuff
Analyze other incoming docs
     Home paperwork tips
1. Create one “mail center” in your home for dealing with your mail and incoming paper
2. Home in-box
3. Pay bills immediately
4. Enter stuff into your to-do list or calendar
5. File immediately

<13> simple commitments
     The demands of commitments
     Take inventory of your commitments
     Make a short list
     Begin eliminating the nonessential
1. Start with something small
2. Call or e-mail to send your regrets
3. Eliminate the commitment from your appointment
4. Repeat this process
Learn to say “no”
First, be aware
Consider your short list
Be honest
Be firm
I wish I could
Don’t be sorry
     Making the time for what we love
1. First, make a list of things you truly want to do
2. Eliminate as much of the rest of the stuff as possible from your private life
3. Schedule your free time so that you’re doing the things on your short list
Tips for simplifying your personal life
 What’s important
 Examine your commitment
 So less during your days
 Leaving space between tasks or appointments
 Now, slow down and enjoy every task
 Single-task
 Eliminate stress
 Create time for solitude
 Do noting
 Sprinkle simple pleasures throughout your day
 Practice being present
 Free up time

<14> simple daily routine
     The power of a morning routine
 You can prepare for your day and set your goals
 You can get in exercise, reading, writing, or other things you normally don’t have time for
 You can do something enjoyable, calming, and relaxing
How to establish routines
1. Focus on them
2. Make them rewarding
3. Log your progress

<15> declutter your work place
     Benefit:
1. It allows you to focus
2. It gives you a Zen-like sense of calm
How to get started
1. Set aside a little time
2. Take all the paperwork off the top of your desk and put it in a big pile
3. Clear everything off your desk except your computer
4. Start with the pile of paper
5. Work for as long as you can, then schedule another block of time when you can do another chunk of papers or other items
Getting down to the essentials
 If you’ve got folders or stacks of paper on or around your desk, process them and pu them away as in the previous section listing them on your projects or actions lists, and filing them out of sight
 Get rid of distracting knickknacks, posters, pictures, etc
 Take everything out of a shelf or drawer at once
 Sort through your pile, one item at a time, and make quick decisions
 Papers? Be ruthless, unless it’s important
 If you are on the fence with a lot of things, create a “maybe” box
A system to keep things decluttered
1. Keep an in-box for incoming papers
2. Once a day, process the in-box to empty
3. Have a place for each item and type of paper
A simple home
1. Less stressful
2. More appealing
3. Easier to clean
How to keep your home simple
 Designate a home for everything, and be fanatic
 Schedule regular decluttering sessions
 Reduce your desires for more
 Thirty-day list
 Change your habits

<16> slow down
     Slow attention
 Pick a simple task to start with
 Practice this method throughout your day, no matter what you’re doing
 If you’d like to try a very restful morning practice, try a simple meditation technique
Slow working
1. Choose a work you love
2. Choose an important task
3. Make sure it’s challenging, but not too hard
4. Find your quiet, peak time
5. Clear away distractions, and focus
6. Enjoy yourself
7. Keep practicing
8. Reap the rewards
Slow eating
1. Lose weight
2. Enjoy your food
3. Better digestion
4. Less stress
5. Rebel against fast food and fast life
Slow driving
1. Save gas
2. Save lives
3. Save time
4. Save your sanity
5. Simplify your life
Play relaxing music
Ignore other drivers
Leave early
Brainstorm????
Keep to the right
Enjoy the drive

<17> simple health and fitness
1. Forming the exercise habit
Start lightschedule your workout timedon’t allow yourself to miss a daydon’t give upget a partner if you canbe accountable to othersenjoy yourself
2. Making gradual heath diet changes
Eating when you’re lightly hungry eat light food eat slowly eat slowly eat until you’re lightly full
3. Continuation, short-term goals and accountability
Continue to gradually increase exercise, adding variety
Continue to eat healthier, also adding variety and flavor
Set short-term goals
Hold yourself accountable
Reward yourself
30 exercise motivations
1. How you fell after a workout
2. Time for you
3. Calories burned
4. Having fun
5. How you’re going to look
6. Magazines
7. Cover models
8. Blogs
9. Success stories
10. Forums
11. Fitting into new clothes
12. Being attractive
13. Adrenaline rush
14. Stress relief
15. Time for contemplations
16. A workout partner
17. An exercise class
18. A coach or trainer
19. An exercise log/graph
20. Your before picture
21. A 5K race or triathlon
22. The dread of feeling “yuck” form not exercising
23. Living long enough to see your grandkids
24. The scale
25. Reaching a goal
26. Posting it on your blog
27. Motivational quotes
28. Books
29. Others commenting on how good you look
30. An upcoming day at the beach, or reunion

<18> motivation
     8 ways to motivate yourself from the beginning
1. Start small
2. One goal
3. Examine your motivation
4. Really, really want it
5. Commit publicly
6. Get excited
7. Build anticipation
8. Print it out , post it up
20 ways to sustain motivation when you’re struggling
1. Hold yourself back
2. Just start
3. Stay accountable
4. Squash negative thoughts and replace them with positive ones
5. Think about the benefits
6. Get excited again
7. Read about it
8. Find like-minded friends
9. Read inspiring stories
10. Build on your success
11. Just get through the lw points
12. Get help
13. Chart your progress
14. Reward yourself often
15. Go for mini-goal
16. Get a coach or take a class
17. Never skip two days in a row
18. Use visualization
19. Be aware of your urges to quit, and overcome them
20. Find pleasure again