One of the key principles of minimalism is "less is more".
Last year, I experimented with this by playing a minimalism game. I got rid of a lot of my material possessions, choosing to de-clutter my apartment but also to focus more on things I do instead of things I have. However this idea of "less is more" should also pertain to the things I do.
I used to have a big problem with over committing. I was a "yes person". In the past year I have gotten much better at saying no to things but it is something I still need to work on. Essentially, if I have less projects on my plate I can focus on one thing and really put all of my effort and passion into it. Instead of working on a huge list of books, I can focus on reading my current one and enjoy it much more. Instead of dreaming about all the different film projects I want to plan for, I can focus on my current one and make it the best it can be. Instead of looking forward to all the fun things I will do on the weekend, I can enjoy the present moment with the people I am with right now. Instead of checking email a hundred times a day, I can check it once in the morning and leave it alone until tomorrow.
Doing less changes our mindset on productivity as well. In today's society, we tend to put an emphasis on success by how much we achieve and get done. Workaholic and business are signs of highly effective people, but it is a trap. Constantly having things to do leads to more things. It never ends; a vicious cycle of "production". Instead, we can do less things and the few things we do can be far more effective by putting more passion into them.
Doing less changes our mindset on productivity as well. In today's society, we tend to put an emphasis on success by how much we achieve and get done. Workaholic and business are signs of highly effective people, but it is a trap. Constantly having things to do leads to more things. It never ends; a vicious cycle of "production". Instead, we can do less things and the few things we do can be far more effective by putting more passion into them.
What things are you doing that are distracting you from what you really want to do today? What future things are you looking forward to that are delaying your enjoyment of the present? How productive are you really being by committing to ten things today versus one thing?