Less is more.  That familiar concept has picked up momentum with a movement toward minimalism that has taken many forms. It has had an influence on what people are eating, how they are shopping, when they are using their electronics, and many other aspect of their routines -- all in an effort to sharpen their focus and lead more fulfilling lives.  
 
For some, minimizing can mean a change in approach when it comes to your to-do list. Instead of making it a mile long, then racing all day to try and cross off as many items as you can, cut it back to the few things that you truly need to address that day. Then, spend your precious time and narrow focus on those very things, allowing them to receive the attention they deserve.
 
For others, it can mean paring what you're wearing. Closets are becoming less cluttered as people are finding freedom by limiting their wardrobe choices, affording them fewer decisions and less stress during their routine of getting ready for each day. 
 
Doing more with less is big in a way I approach advisory relationships with clients; it's not new or trendy to me. When it comes to this concept, I long have espoused the value of trading less; minimizing taxes; turning down the noise from Wall Street; decluttering your financial life; and boiling down what truly matters to you, so you can create a clear life plan to-do list.
 
Reach out to me if you ever want to have a conversation about these or any other topics. I hope you enjoy these resources about minimizing for the sake of maximizing your life. 


Dream. Plan. Prosper.
 
KEEP YOUR TO-DO LIST SHORT
(AND WRITE IT USING PEN AND PAPER) 

There's a perception that being busy means you are really important. There's also a reality that being busy means you aren't at your best.
 
Tim Maurer , director of personal finance for the BAM ALLIANCE, says we tend to underperform when we're overloaded, and that many big thinkers are seeing the light. Maurer turned to 12 people who have inspired him and asks what they do to right themselves once they've stepped past their busy comfort line.
 
 
Maurer also says when you are writing down your selective to-do list, it's best to put down your electronic device and do it with old-fashioned pen and paper. He states that emails and digital reminders distract and interfere with our planning, and that the act of having to physically write or rewrite a task forces us to ask whether it's worth doing in the first place.  
 

DO LESS, LIVE MORE

You want it all, right? Kate Northrup says no, you actually don't. "The truth is, you don't want it all. You want what you want. You want to be inspired, in love, healthy, happy, and abundant," she writes.

Northrup is a financial blogger, author and podcast host and the creator of the Do Less Experiment, a prioritization exercise to make sure what matters most to you actually makes it into your day. 

While some of Northrup's followers have been invited to go all in and embark on a 14-day "do less" challenge, anyone can follow her three-step outline to help create space in life so you can fill it with what you love:
  1. Decide what matters.
  2. Identify what daily/weekly activities relate to what matters.
  3. Block out time for those things and then schedule everything around them. 
BREAK THE TWITCH

Several years ago, Anthony Ongaro realized he had built up a series of habits that were more like physical twitches and less like intentional actions. Throughout any given day, he was impulsively making purchases online, posting on social media and grabbing his smartphone. He realized these twitches were keeping him busy but weren't making him productive.

In response, Ongaro started Break the Twitch, a site that is dedicated to practical intentional living. Through his articles and videos, Ongaro offers insights on how to minimize distractions and build habits, with the end goal of "creating more space in your life to do more of what's important to you."