Save 20 Hours a Week By Removing These 4 Useless Things In Your Life

“Get more done by doing this!” “Do this and be more productive!” These are common headlines in the productivity space.

As a contrarian, I usually feel like I need to do the opposite when I see everyone doing something. Now, that’s not always a smart thing to do.

But when it comes to career, business, and productivity, it usually pays off if you do what’s counterintuitive.

So while everybody’s focused on doing more — what about doing the opposite?

Do less. Remove things. That’s because time is limited.

The Stoic and Roman Emperor, Marcus Aurelius said it best:

“Your energy and time are both limited, so don’t waste them on what those inconsequential to your life are doing, thinking, and saying.”

So let’s remove all those inconsequential things to make space for things that actually matter. Here are 4 things you can remove from your life to gain 20 extra hours each week.

1. Your to-do list

A cluttered to-do list leads to decision fatigue, which gets you stressed. “Analysis paralysis” is a thing. When you’re faced with too many choices or a list of things to do, you’re more likely to feel overwhelmed.

So ditch your to-do list.

Every time I say this, people freak out. “How can I live without my to-do list??!!”

There are days when we really have a lot of things to do. Maybe you have a tight deadline coming. Or you’re way behind on your house chores that you have to do everything in a single day.

In these cases, just go with your to-do list. The point is that you don’t want to become a robot who just can’t function without lists. How often do you have tasks on your list that shouldn’t even be there in the first place?

You want to be intentional about everything you do if you want to save time.

So always ask yourself: “What are the top 3–4 most important things that make the most significant impact on my life and career?”