The majority of us believe that achieving something worthwhile requires an extraordinary amount of hard work. However, this is a fundamentally flawed concept. Hard work does not necessarily mean better results. Think about it, have you ever worked hard, to the point of burnout, and actually achieved results?

Greg McKeown's book "Effortless" summarises this concept perfectly. The book shares actionable advice and how you can adopt a new mentality to accomplish your tasks, with minimal effort.

"Do less, achieve more"

There is a simple three-step framework you can apply to start making your essential tasks more enjoyable

• Effortless state

• Effortless action

• Effortless results

These concepts will allow you to make a complex task simple and most importantly, help you enjoy working on something that might initially seem tedious. Here is how you can apply it

Effortless State

Your first step is to declutter what is on your mind and heart. I recommend putting together a mind-map and spilling everything on that page. Start separating tasks that are important to you from ones that aren't.

Ask yourself

• How can I make this task easier?

• How can I make it more enjoyable?

• How can I make it effortless?

Let's take the example of John, who wants to start going to the gym. To make this task easier, he could start by working out 5 minutes a day instead of diving into a grueling 2-hour workout. To make it effortless, he could work out while listening to his favorite songs.

The aim is to simplify the process as much as possible. Look for easier and more enjoyable methods of achieving the task. The more you enjoy the process, the more likely you are to getting it done.

Effortless Action

This is where the magic happens. This principle allows you to understand what you are working towards and remove any unnecessary steps.

• What does done look like?

• What is the first obvious step?

• What are the minimum steps to achieve it?

• How can I make it sustainable?

Now John's first step would be to simply show up to the gym. To minimize the steps, he could get a gym membership to a gym within a 5-minute walking distance, to diminishing any resistance. It can be made sustainable by training twice a week to start and then stepping up the frequency and intensity over time.

"When we apply effortless actions to high-leverage activities, the return on our effort compounds"

Effortless Results

Remember that effortless actions lead to effortless results. There are two key levers to achieving such results

• Knowledge

• Automation

Learn from others, harness their strengths, and combine that knowledge with what you already know. I love automating tasks with the use of applications, not only do they reduce friction for the task but also make doing it, more enjoyable.

Start focusing on the fundamentals, look for enjoyable ways of getting it done, and remember to keep asking yourself - How can I make this more effortless?

"Slow, steady progress always wins"