This post reflects on the book Essentialism: Disciplined Pursuit of the Less. So far we have discussed the following:
- What is Essentialism?
- Finding the vital few by:
- Creating space for thinking.
- Embracing Trade-offs during prioritization.
Today, we will look at another tool to help us find the vital few: Essential Intent. It’s a decision-making tool that brings more clarity to our vision.
What is Essential Intent?
When we perform a task, we always have a reason behind it. Doing chores leads to a cleaner house, work brings money to pay bills, and you exercise for better health. There are benefits to gain, otherwise, why bother with them?
Any activity you do can be done in many ways. For example, is it better to run or lift when you exercise? How about playing tennis to socialize in parallel? You can even start a YouTube channel to become a fitness influencer.
When people are unclear about their reasons for doing something, they get tangled in non-essential work. Similar to spending hours making YouTube videos when you should be working out instead.
That’s where the essential intent comes in. For every project that matters to you, ask yourself: “What is the most important reason for this task?”.
Essential Intent is the most important reason for a task. As long as the essential intent is fulfilled, the task can be considered successful.
Once you find the essential intent of a project, it becomes easier to make decisions related to it. It’s like deciding to become a doctor instead of a lawyer.
One strategic choice eliminates a universe of other options and maps a course for the next five, ten, or even twenty years of your life.
Essential Intent for Everything
Essential Intent is hidden in everything we do. With practice, you should be able to find and utilize it for normal activities.
For example, what’s your essential intent when going on a vacation? Sightseeing or relaxing? If it’s relaxing, then get back to your hotel earlier to wind down rather than spending every single minute out until exhaustion. Or maybe it’s relaxing on day 1, but sightseeing on day 2.
There are no hard fast rules, but just don’t overdo it. Things are good only in moderation. Seek essential intent for things that matter. Don’t get stuck finding essential intent for taking a shower or sleeping.
Use it when your project has started creating more work for you. Find the essential intent of the project and use it to eliminate the non-essential work.
How I am Using It
I have thought about the following areas and found essential intent for:
- Blogging: Write more.
- Traveling: Rest via mindfulness.
- Morning Routine: Escape the bedroom.
Sorry if they sound a bit cryptic. I plan to write more about them, but not in this post. I will update this post when I am done writing details about them.