Most Things Don’t Matter
So work out what does, and do that.
“Nothing matters very much and most things don’t matter at all.” ― Arthur Balfour
Balfour was making a bold statement there. To most of us, a few things do matter, very much, but only a few. If you have a hundred things on your to-do list, I can guarantee almost all of them don’t matter very much, and most don’t matter at all.
I’ve finally decided that, for me, living a meaningful life means doing less but better, but at the heart of that concept there’s a difficult decision. Deciding what matters. More specifically, deciding what matters to you, right now, at this stage in your life. Maybe it’s school, or work, or family, or health. Maybe it’s two or three things (but it can’t be ten or twenty, and it certainly can’t be a hundred).
Working out what matters (to you) is essential, because you can’t do everything. There isn’t enough time. When I was a child, my grandmother would say “A woman’s work is never done,” and it baffled me. I didn’t understand the concept. “Why doesn’t that woman just do her work?” I thought, “Then it will be done.” Then I became a woman. A proper, grown-ass woman with responsibilities, and children, and work deadlines, and I was like, “Ahhh… now I see.”
A woman’s work is never done. Neither is a man’s. Everyone dies with things still on their to-do list. I don’t want those things to be “write the book” or “travel the world” or “be a great parent”. I’d rather they were, “clean the skirting board” or “clear out your inbox”.
So let’s decide. What doesn’t matter much, and what doesn’t matter at all? Let’s not waste any more time on those things. More importantly, what matters most? Let’s do more of that, and do it better.
3 Action Steps To Take Today
Decide what matters. Really drill it down to just a few things. Three to five is great.
Do more of those few things, and do them better.
Do less of everything else.
