Law Of Minimum Effort: 5 Keys To Understanding It
How strong is your work ethic? The law of least effort make reference to the ability of human beings to allocate the minimum possible resources to obtain a benefit It is also one of the 7 spiritual laws of successful people that the Hindu writer and lecturer Deepak Chopra described.
Like any spiritual law, following Chopra’s words, the law of least effort is a law immutable. This means that, if applied properly, it tends to always be fulfilled.
What exactly does the minimum effort law consist of?
When you are in a situation where you have several paths available but you can only travel one, The path you will choose will be the one that involves the least expenditure of energy (in terms of time, physical effort or investment, for example).
The law of least effort is not bad, because optimize our efforts towards the objectives we have set for ourselves. Therefore, it is not that it predisposes us to inaction, but rather that it leads us to act in a much more intelligent and efficient way.
A kind of ‘Ockham’s razor’ applied to our daily lives
Surely you have noticed that, as you have more experience and maturity, you find easier ways to satisfy your daily needs and solve some problems that previously required you to spend much more time and energy.
The Ockham’s razor It is a philosophical principle that explains to us that, When two theories, other things being equal, have the same consequences, the simpler theory is the one that is more likely to be correct
Well, the law of least effort is quite similar. In our daily lives, we prefer the easy to the complex, and we tend to try to do more with less.
To better understand the psychological mechanisms that lead us to prefer the law of least effort over another position, Let’s reflect on these five essential points
It is normal that life is not a bed of roses and that we encounter obstacles, problems and difficulties of all kinds every day. But When you are unable to overcome these obstacles, you are doing something wrong
If your life is a constant race of obstacles and disappointments, it is likely that you are investing a lot of effort and obtaining pyrrhic results. This will lead to a feeling of frustration, and will not allow you to connect with your Flow State.
When you are obsessed with something, it is normal to feel overwhelmed and stressed. These psychological signs warn you that you are forcing the situation too much One of the biggest factors of anxiety is precisely this permanent state of exhaustion caused by not understanding the law of least effort.
Golden Rule: Not by trying much harder than others will you obtain more benefits than those who don’t work as hard as you. Because? You must take into account the concept of productivity. The more inspired and efficient your ideas are about how to accomplish something, The greater your productivity will be and the less effort you will need to achieve the same objectives
2. May inspiration find you working… or not
Be patient when you want to get results. If you start acting hastily to meet your objectives as soon as possible, the most normal thing is that you will not be able to connect with the task and you will become stressed. Any action that is motivated by a good dose of inspiration will be more effective, because it will allow you to flow and free yourself from some vices that mechanical thinking entails.
If you find yourself in a bad state of mind (exhausted, frustrated or lacking ideas), simply don’t act. Change the environment, disconnect and you will begin to regain positive energy. Once you are recharged, you will notice how it is easier for your thoughts to flow and your productivity to increase.
There are times when the environment in which we move exhausts us physically and intellectually, and this leaves us in a bad position when it comes to making decisions and solving problems. If we talk about a romantic relationship or a work objective, you should rest and recover through distractions that have nothing to do with your main purpose The key to recovering productivity is not to go crazy working piecework, but to know how to manage yourself and feel good about yourself.
Another important thing to achieve your goals is to let your creative personality fly. Creativity is a great ally when it comes to making simple but most effective movements. I bet you have ever felt very overwhelmed with some important matter, and you have decided to disconnect by going for a walk around the city. Right now, eureka!, a solution comes to mind. It is also very positive that you let your brain rest so that it can reorganize the information you have been receiving during the day. A restful sleep can almost automatically give you a clear vision of things.
With everything, To be creative you just have to follow these tips and reconnect with the good vibes
3. Think differently
If you are stubbornly trying to get results with a method that fails again and again, you have two options: continue the same and check a thousand times that your method does not work, or accept that you are wrong and change the approach with which you approach the situation
Once you have accepted the mistake, you are able to rethink the situation and open windows that allow you to broaden your perspective.
The five steps to get your mind flowing are as follows:
A) Try to complain less and try not to blame others
B) Accept the situation as it is and try to understand it as best as possible
C) Place yourself in a position that allows you to see the problem in third person
D) Stay open to other possibilities and options that you did not consider
E) Give inspiration and creativity a chance
4. When you enjoy what you do, you find better solutions
A concept that has appeared several times throughout this post is that of Flow status.
“Flow State: the mental state of maximum motivation”
When you enjoy and are focused on the present moment and not on possible future benefits, that is when you flow In this state, your work will draw on a much more developed inspiration plus you will be almost immune to fatigue, because your brain will be absorbed in the fun and constructive aspect of the task at hand.
To achieve this level of intrinsic motivation, you must find a way in which your work becomes a kind of game; It should never be a tedious and boring obligation. This does not mean that you should be carefree and irresponsible, but that you have to be flexible to learn from mistakes and improve the way you carry out tasks. No one is born taught and we all have the right to make mistakes. The important thing is that you experiment, have a good time and be able to find options full of creativity in your daily life.
5. Practice meditation or Mindfulness
The meditation and the Mindfulness They are philosophies that allow you to have better control over your emotions, and therefore a more lucid mind and prepared to face everyday life with positivity.
Below I leave you two links so you can delve deeper into these two disciplines from which you can learn a lot: also to rationalize efforts and find a way to be more productive with less effort.
“Benefits of meditation backed by science”
“Mindfulness: 8 benefits of full attention”
Some conclusions
The final trick is to do things from the game and not from obligation and that does not mean irresponsibility, it means flexibility to allow for mistakes, failures, criticism and, above all, breaks You are not here to do things perfect, you are here to learn by experimenting, enjoying and applying new creative options.
Learning to apply the law of least effort is a matter of will. You must get rid of some limiting beliefs and let go of emotional ballast and negative mental states. On this path, you will notice that acting only on the essential things can be enough to have a happy life.
By applying this law you can achieve your goals with less effort. Because sometimes, less is more
