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BITESIZE | The One Important Question You Should Ask Every Day | Greg McKeown #258

Apr 14, 2022 12m 36s 13 insights
We’ve been conditioned to think that if we aren’t perpetually exhausted, we’re not doing enough. So how can we avoid overwhelm, protect our time, and focus on the things that really matter? Feel Better Live More Bitesize is my weekly podcast for your mind, body, and heart. Each week I’ll be featuring inspirational stories and practical tips from some of my former guests. Today’s clip is from episode 183 of the podcast with writer, speaker and podcast host Greg McKeown. In this clip, Greg describes what we can all do to avoid burnout, and the one simple question we should ask ourselves every day so that we focus on the things that are truly important. Thanks to our sponsor http://www.athleticgreens.com/livemore Order Dr Chatterjee's new book Happy Mind, Happy Life: UK version: https://amzn.to/304opgJ US & Canada version: https://amzn.to/3DRxjgp Support the podcast and enjoy Ad-Free episodes. Try FREE for 7 days on Apple Podcasts https://apple.co/3oAKmxi. For other podcast platforms go to https://fblm.supercast.com. Show notes and the full podcast are available at drchatterjee.com/183 Follow me on instagram.com/drchatterjee  Follow me on facebook.com/DrChatterjee  Follow me on twitter.com/drchatterjeeuk
Actionable Insights

1. Discover Life’s Essential Diamonds

View life as a ‘diamond mine’ where your primary job is to explore and find what is truly essential, then invest in and protect those few valuable things, disregarding the rest.

2. Daily Essential Question

Every day, ask yourself the simple question: ‘What is the most important thing I need to do today?’ to clarify your priorities and guide your actions.

3. Embrace Evolving Priorities

As you consistently ask ‘What is the most important thing I need to do today?’, allow your answers and priorities to evolve over time, from business tasks to self-care or critical personal moments, trusting your intuition.

4. Reject Burnout as Success

Individually decide to stop viewing burnout as a measure of success or self-worth, recognizing it as a harmful state rather than a badge of honor.

5. Protect Your Personal Asset

Actively protect yourself from thoughtlessly falling into endless ‘Zoom, eat, sleep, repeat’ cycles that blur days and obliterate boundaries between work and personal life.

6. Implement a ‘Done List’

At the beginning of each day, create a ‘done for the day’ list of truly important tasks, and once completed, stop working for the day instead of continuing with an endless to-do list or inbox.

7. Prioritize Daily Recuperation

After completing your essential daily tasks, intentionally create space to relax and recuperate, fostering a good rhythm of life to feel energized for the next day.

8. Identify Essential Over Trivial

Shift your perspective to recognize that only a few things in life are truly essential, while the majority are trivial noise, guiding you to focus on what genuinely matters.

9. Consult Your Sacred Self

Cultivate self-awareness to discern whether you are being led by your ‘scared self’ (driven by FOMO, comparison, and competition) or your ‘sacred self’ (which guides you differently and towards what truly matters).

10. Ask Better Questions

Actively practice asking better questions in your life, as this process will help reveal better and more insightful answers, leading to clearer understanding and action.

11. Adopt Long-Term Perspective

Regularly adopt a long-term perspective, imagining yourself at the end of your life, to recognize that only a few things truly matter, helping you prioritize away from trivial tasks like excessive email or social media.

12. Embrace Life’s Simplicity

Internalize the mantra ‘It’s all so simple’ as a guiding ‘soundtrack for our lives,’ reminding you to cut through complexity and focus on the fundamental truths and priorities.

13. Daily Health Drink Protocol

Consider incorporating AG1, a daily health drink, into your routine to support digestion and enrich your gut microbiome with beneficial bacteria, as it contains five strains tested in clinical trials.