Alva James-Johnson: Maybe we're too busy for success

Everybody has a theory about how to make life more rewarding, but I recently came across a concept that seems to make sense.

It's the idea that most of us would probably be more productive doing less but better.

I know that's a difficult concept to grasp living in our 24/7 society. The busier we seem, the more we're valued. But busyness for busyness' sake can leave our lives unbalanced, not to mention all the stress we endure along the way.

So, I thought it was interesting when I got an email yesterday titled "Five Secrets of Really Successful People." It was a marketing ploy, of course, but it really got my attention. I'm always a sucker for marketing ploys when it comes to self-improvement.

The email was written by Greg McKeown, author of a new book titled "Essentialism: The Disciplined Pursuit of Less." (I put that one on my reading list.) He also writes a blog for the Harvard Business Review.

McKeown pointed out five myths about really successful people. They are:

1. If I can fit it in, I should fit it in.

2. Successful people sleep four hours a night.

3. Successful people think play is a waste of time.

4. Successful people are the first ones to jump in with an answer.

5. Successful people focus on what the competition is doing.

McKeown says that's all hogwash. The most successful people say "no" to nonessential projects. They sleep for peak performance. They play to spark creativity. They're powerful listeners. And they focus on how they can be better, not on what everybody else is doing.

I also loved this little gem. From Warren Buffet, one of the world's wealthiest businessmen, "The difference between successful people and very successful people is that very successful people say no to almost everything."

That sounds like a sure way to get fired, but who could argue with Warren Buffet. He must be doing something right.

The bottom line is this. None of us is superhuman. We can't do everything.

If we want to be more productive, we have to prioritize and focus on things that really matter. That would make us better employees, parents, spouses and just overall citizens.

"Essentialism is not about how to get more things done; it's about how to get the right things done," McKeown writes in the first chapter of his book, which I received free as a new subscriber to his e-newsletter. "It doesn't mean just doing less for the sake of less either. It's about making the wisest possible investment of your time and energy in order to operate at our highest point of contribution by doing only what's essential."

And he adds, "It's about pausing constantly to ask, 'Am I investing in the right activities?'"

Good question.

Alva James-Johnson, ajjohnson @ledger-enquirer.com

This story was originally published October 2, 2014 at 10:21 PM with the headline "Alva James-Johnson: Maybe we're too busy for success."