Giving up

The Daily Drip

One of the productivity traps we fall into is the trap of turning gears faster in the gearbox.

Sure, part of productivity is using time smartly to get more done. It's an important part.

There are two other factors that must remain equally as important, though.

The first is making sure we are turning the right gears in the first place.

I've spent countless hours on projects that didn't go anywhere or that I abandoned because they didn't make sense to finish.

The second is giving up on goals and tasks that don't matter--that is, that don't serve you in any way.

If staring at the guitar in the corner of your room gives you anxiety because you keep saying to yourself "I really should learn how to play that thing," but you haven't made it a priority in 10 years, well, maybe it's time to let go.

Somehow, somewhere, the word "quitting" became a bad thing.

Quitting is a healthy tool used to prune your work so you can focus on putting resources towards the ones that serve you the most.

Consider this minimalism or essentialism, but I also consider this just good project management.

Take a glance at your projects today and ask yourself which of them creates the most anxiety or serves you the least.