The Practice of Elimination – 5 for 5

(revised – original post 07.09.2014)

After the first half of the year, I have had to revisit my goals, my visions, my direction, my focus and question why. The year has veered off track, and I need to figure out why it played out as it has and how I can course correct.

To be kind, it has been a great start to the year. However, I’m impatient and desire accomplishment. I think we all do. I am frustrated when I feel I’m moving away not towards my goals. In efforts to continually improve and grow I search for hidden answers.

Anthony Robbins came up with a mnemonic, which he called CANI that stands for Constant And Never-Ending Improvement. It is this, which he believes that our commitment to CANI is in direct proportion to the level of success we achieve. * (Awaken the Giant Within : How to Take Immediate Control of Your Mental, Emotional, Physical and Financial Destiny!)

The Japanese have a word for this – Kaizen. It simply means to “change for the better.” Regardless the size or nature of activity the idea is that we continually aim to take steps for improvement. I believe when you live your life by this principle you develop a broader sense of joy. It’s about growth – a fundamental human need.

At any one time, I have many goals. At the time or writing this post I wanted to increase my productivity, improve my work/life balance, become healthier, fitter and try to do more of those things I enjoy including time with my family. So I developed a practice of 5 for 5.

What is 5 for 5? It is merely a practice of eliminating five undesirable activities or behaviours and replacing them with five others. It’s about creating time for what’s essential and clearing the unnecessary.

You can do this over any period of time, whether it be a week, a month or 6 months. Reflect back and for all those things that haven’t assisted you to achieve your goals, discard. Focus instead on five things that are working well or implement a few new activities.

“We always have time enough, if we will but use it right”. Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe.

You’ve no doubt heard of the Pareto Principle famously known as the 80/20 rule. I came across this when I entered the corporate world. This rule can is excellent when used in the five for five practice.

An Italian founder and economist called Vilfredo Pareto first wrote about it, hence the name Pareto Principle. This rule states that roughly 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes. According to Wikipedia, it says that Pareto observed in 1906 than 20% of the population owned 80% of the land in Italy. He further found that 20% of the pea pods in his garden contained 80% of the peas.

The theory states that 80% of what we do at work or in life produces 20% of the results, whereas 20% of what we do contributes to 80% of the results. In regards to many aspects of life, our happiness, health, career, family and overall well-being the Pareto Principle can play a role.

In next weeks post I will share the exact things I eliminated and implemented at the time of writing this original article. To keep things short and on purpose, I will wrap up this article by giving you five steps to putting the 5 for 5 processes into practice.

1. Awareness and reflection.

The first step that assists us in most aspects of our life is awareness. Stop, reflect and pause and assess the current situation. What’s working, what’s not? How do you feel? In this reflection process, you will pretty quickly tune into your current track record. Be honest with yourself. Take some notes and then use these in the remaining steps.

2. Reidentify and confirm goals.

Connect back to what you wanted to achieve and what the actual situation is. Remember this process available for short-term or long-term goals/plans. I believe we should have daily, weekly, monthly and longer-term goals. Ask yourself, are my goals realistic? Are they what I truly want? It is not always a case that our behaviours or actions are responsible for poor results but rather the goals themselves.

If the goals are still real, then look at the steps to achieving. Perhaps it is necessary to go back to the SMART goals (check out this article for info on that). However, I think it’s always a good idea to work backwards to outline what needs to happen to get from point A to point B. You’re ready for the next step.

3. Identify problem behaviours/activities.

You’ve identified that your goals are correct and desirable. You’ve even reevaluated the plan to get there. Next, reflect back to areas that could potentially be points of weakness or limiting to your previous success. Honestly, most of what we do we can quickly identify the behaviours and activities that are just not doing us any favours.

If the answers are not so obvious to try this, write down all the things you’ve been doing and then for each of them evaluate them on their merit in helping you reach their goal. Using the Pareto Principle focus on the how you spend 80% of your time, this might be goal specific or other activities that fill your daily schedule. Do they serve a purpose? Do they assist you in reaching the goal? If yes, excellent! What is the measurable result? If no, then perhaps it’s time to discard it.

4. Identify positive actions/behaviours.

Like the above step, this is merely the reverse. A focus on the 20% of your activities that are producing the majority of the results. Again, you should have measurable data to back it up. You could aim to do more of these favourable activities. Alternatively, you may identify some additional activities that you’ve discovered in self-research that might be beneficial. Importantly, keep it simple and don’t overcomplicate things.

5. Plan, strategise and prepare.

Finally, come up with a game plan. How can you best ensure your success moving forward? What are the necessary measurable activities that you wish to implement and avoid?How will the new processes look and feel? How can you hold yourself accountable for sticking to the plan? What will you do when you slip up?

In summary, the 5 For 5 practice shouldn’t be complicated. Ideally, it’s a tool to get you back on track. I always believe it is necessary to remind yourself of why – Why is this goal important? What’s the purpose? With that in mind, focus on what works and eliminate what isn’t.

Further Reading and Resources 

TED Talks: Ideas worth spreading

Psychology Today: Psychology Today is devoted exclusively to everybody’s favourite subject – Ourselves

Life Hack: Tips for Life

Elite Daily: The Voice of Generation Y

Four Hour Work Week: How to escape the 9-5, live anywhere and join the new rich.

The Minimalists: How to pursue a minimalist lifestyle and be happier.

Mind Hacks: Tips and Tricks for Using Your Brain

Rich Roll: Plantpowered Wellness Advocate

The Art of Charm: Build confidence, feel comfortable and networking differently.

American Psychological Association: The largest scientific and professional organization of psychologists in the United State

The Art of Manliness: Encouraging men to be better husbands, fathers, brothers, citizens.

Tiny Buddha: Simple wisdom for complex lives.

Brain Pickings: An inventory of cross-disciplinary interestingness, spanning art, science, design, history, philosophy, and more.

Mind Body Green: Lifestyle media brand dedicated to inspiring you to live your best life.

Zen Habits: Find simplicity and mindfulness in life.

Creative NonFiction: “true stories well told.” 

Addicted 2 Success: Motivation & Inspiration Website full of quotes and inspiring articles for entrepreneurs.

Barking Up the Wrong Tree: science-based answers and expert insight on how to be awesome at life.

The Positivity Blog: Practical articles on happiness, self-esteem, productivity and social skills.