Insights on how to prioritise, simplify and get unstuck
Pareto Principle, Occam's Razor and Exploration vs Exploitation
Welcome to this week's newsletter!
In a world of complexity and overwhelming choices, we often find ourselves stuck and overthinking decisions.
We have a tendency to overcomplicate situations and get involved in too many things, making it hard to determine what truly matters.
In this newsletter, we'll explore ideas that will help you simplify, prioritise and break free from stagnation.
Personally, these concepts have tremendously helped me to declutter my mind, do more with less and make better decisions. As a consequence, I am more efficient, I feel more fulfilled, I am more satisfied with my choices and I have less stress.
If you are not already relying on them, I hope you will get the same benefits from them 🤗.
Cheers,
Auguste
Pareto Principle: prioritise and do more with less
Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed and stretched thin, trying to accomplish everything on your to-do list?
It seems like no matter how hard you work, there's never enough time or energy to get it all done.
What if I told you there's a powerful principle that can help you achieve more with less effort?
This short video introduces the Pareto Principle, also known as the 80/20 rule.
With the Pareto Principle, you can focus on the vital few tasks that truly matter and leave behind the trivial many. Imagine reclaiming your time, boosting your productivity, and experiencing remarkable results. Don't waste your efforts on insignificant tasks.
Occam’s razor: simplify and make your life easier
Do you find yourself tangled in a web of complexity when trying to make sense of things?
It's frustrating when simple problems turn into convoluted puzzles, leaving you overwhelmed and confused.
What if I told you there's a razor-sharp principle that cuts through the clutter and brings clarity to any situation?
How can you apply Occam's Razor everyday:
Prioritise simplicity: choose the simplest solution or explanation.
Avoid overcomplicating: don't introduce unnecessary assumptions.
Focus on practicality: seek practical and realistic approaches.
Question complexity: challenge complex explanations and seek clarity.
Rely on evidence: base your decisions on solid evidence, not speculation.
Exploration vs exploitation: do you know when to switch?
Brett McKay (the host of The Art of Manliness) recently interviewed Adam Alter, the author of the book “Anatomy of a Breakthrough: How to Get Unstuck When It Matters Most”.
In his book, Adam Alter explains why getting stuck is an inevitability in life, as well as mindset shifts and practices to escape from that uncomfortable state.
In this context, McKay and Alter discuss how consciously moving away from exploitation to exploration mode can help you see a better path forward. However, it is often a hard thing to do when you’ve spent years in exploitation mode and are now very comfortable.
If you feel like you’ve reached a point in middle-aged where you feel stuck, you probably had a period in your 30s, maybe through your 40s where you were exploiting, like you did all this exploration in your 20s, you went to college, tried different classes, tried different careers, you moved to new cities, made new friends. And then you slowly found, here, this is what’s working for me. I’m just gonna exploit this. And you probably stopped exploring. You might reach a point where you’re like, I’m feeling stuck, I’m feeling stagnant. And that’s where you have to sort of purposely and intentionally shift into exploration mode. And that can be hard because you’re probably comfortable, and there’s gonna be an inertia not to say yes to things or try new things, but that’s what you gotta do.
The original podcast episode:
Quote of the week
Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication.
Leonardo Da Vinci