It can’t all matter. There’s got to be a way to rank everything that’s important in your life and identify the things that really aren’t. This week I’m going to share some insights from five different authors about how to do less.     Learn more about Kristen Manieri and coaching: Kristen@kristenmanieri.com KristenManieri.com   Host Bio Kristen Manieri is a coach who works with teams to increase both productivity and wellbeing. She also helps individuals navigate transition with clarity and confidence. Her areas of focus are: stress reduction, energy management, mindset, resilience, habit formation, rest rituals, and self-care. As the host of the weekly 60 Mindful Minutes podcast, an Apple top 100 social science podcast, Kristen has interviewed over 200 authors about what it means to live a more conscious, connected, intentional and joyful life. Learn more at kristenmanieri.com/work-with-me.    Coaching If you’ve ever considered coaching, or if you’re feelings stuck or you’re about to make a big transition, reach out to me and we can talk about how I can help you navigate what’s ahead with more confidence and clarity. You can reach me at Kristen@kristenmanieri.com.   Full Transcript   Welcome back to 60 Mindful minutes. This is Kristen Manieri and you’re listing to my four-part series on ending overwhelm. Last week, for part one, I shared my thoughts on understanding true capacity. Today, for part two, I’ll be speaking about DOING LESS.   It can’t all matter. There’s got to be a way to rank everything that’s important in your life and identify the things that really aren’t. It’s going to take some time—meaning you’ll want to dedicate an hour or two—to get really real with yourself about what truly are the things that make your life a good life and which things are just a distraction.   This is the path of an essentialist, which Greg McKeown describes as someone who takes on the relentless pursuit of less but better. “Only once you give yourself permission to stop trying to do it all, to stop saying yes to everyone, can you make your highest contribution towards the things that really matter,” he writes in his book, Essentialism.   But what does really matter? It’s not always easy to whittle our list down. At first glance you might say, “it all matters! I can’t cut anything!” Essentialism is a skill we develop; it isn’t something most of us know how to do intuitively. So, I’m going to share some thoughts from five different books I’ve read about distilling your life down to only the most important things.   The first book is called The Lazy Genius Way: Embrace What Matters, Ditch What Doesn’t, and Get Stuff Done by Kendra Adachi. The book lays out 13 Lazy Genius Principles but I’m going to focus on #10: essentialize.   For Kendra, embracing what matters must start with knowing what matters. She writes: “True fulfillment comes from subtraction, from removing everything that distracts you from what matters and leaving only the essential.”    Let’s say I have a jam-packed weekend ahead. In the Lazy Genius Way, the first step is to name what really matters to me. As I consider this, I land on three things that matter this weekend: rest, connection to Marc and the girls, and restoring order to our house.   The second step is removing what’s in the way. Doing my laundry feels essential because that restores order to my wardrobe. Going for a hike with Aly feels essential because it creates connection. Staying in my pajamas Sunday morning and reading a book in front of the fire feels essential because it creates rest.   Something that could get in the way is weekend errands. It’s amazing how much precious weekend time gets used up driving from A to B to C picking up and dropping off stuff if I’m not paying attention to being deliberate about how I spend my weekend.   While some errands feel necessary (I really do need to pick up one of those round batteries before my key fob completely dies) I can essentialize my errand list so it on