Law of least effort: 5 keys to understanding it

Is it possible to do more with less?

How strong is your work ethic? The law of least effort refers to the ability of human beings to use as few resources as possible to obtain a benefit.. It is also one of the 7 spiritual laws of successful people described by the Hindu writer and lecturer Deepak Chopra.

Like any spiritual law, in Chopra's words, the law of minimum effort is an immutable law. immutable. This means that, if applied in the right way, it tends to always be fulfilled.

What exactly does the law of least effort consist of?

When you are in a situation where you have several paths available to you but you can only go down one, the path you will choose will be the one that you can follow, the path you will choose will be the one that involves the least energy expenditure (in terms of time, physical effort or investment, for example).

The law of minimum effort is not a bad thing, because it it optimizes our efforts towards the goals we have set for ourselves. Therefore, it does not predispose us to inaction, but leads us to act in a much more intelligent and efficient way.

A sort of 'Ockham's razor' applied to our day-to-day life.

Surely you have noticed that, as you have more experience and maturity, you find easier ways to meet your daily needs and to solve some problems that previously meant a much greater expenditure of time and energy.

The Ockham's razor is a philosophical principle that explains that, when two theories, all things being equal, have the same consequences, the simpler theory 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 other postures, let's reflect on these five essential points, let's reflect on these five essential points.

1. Escape from problems

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 incapable of overcoming 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 sense 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 pushing too hard.. One of the major factors of anxiety is precisely this permanent state of exhaustion caused by not understanding the law of least effort.

Golden ruleThe golden rule: just because you work harder than others, you will not get more benefits than those who do not work as hard as you do. Why? You must take into account the concept of productivity. The more inspired and the more efficient your ideas on how to accomplish something are, the higher your productivity will be and the less effort you will need, the higher your productivity will be and the less effort you will need to put in to achieve the same goals..

2. Let inspiration find you working... or not...

Be patient when you want to achieve results. If you start acting hastily to achieve your goals as soon as possible, you will usually fail to connect with the task and become stressed. Any action that comes motivated by a good dose of inspiration will be more effective, because it will allow you to flow. and free yourself from some of the vices that come with mechanical thinking.

If you feel you are in a bad mental state (exhausted, frustrated or lacking ideas), simply do not act. Change your environment, disconnect and you will begin to regain positive energy. Once you're recharged, you'll notice how much easier it is 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 are talking about a sentimental relationship or a work goal, you should rest and recover through distractions, you should rest and recuperate through distractions that have nothing to do with your main purpose.. The key to regain productivity is not to go crazy working at full speed, but to know how to dose 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 the simplest but most effective moves. I bet you've ever felt overwhelmed with some important matter, and decided to unwind by going for a walk in the city. Just at that moment, Eureka!a solution comes to mind. It is also very positive to let your brain rest so that it can reorganize the information you have been receiving during the day. A restful sleep can give you, almost automatically, a clear view of things.

All in all, to be creative, just follow these tips and reconnect with the good vibes..

3. Think outside the box

If you are stubbornly trying to get results with a method that fails over and over again, you have two options: stay the same and prove a thousand times that your method doesn't work, or accept that you are wrong and change your approach to the situation..

Once you have accepted the mistake, you are able to reframe 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 you can.

C) Put yourself in a position that allows you to see the problem in the third person.

D) Keep yourself open to other possibilities and options that you did not contemplate.

E) Give inspiration and creativity a chance.

4. When you enjoy what you do, you find better solutions.

A concept that has come up several times throughout this post is that of the state of Flow.

"State of Flow: the state of mind of maximum motivation".

When you enjoy and are focused on the present moment and not on the possible future benefits, is when you you flow. In this state, your work will drink from a much more developed inspiration.In addition, 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 motivationyou must find a way for your work to become a kind of play; it should never be a tedious and boring chore. This does not mean that you should be carefree and irresponsible, but that you should 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 fun and be able to find creative options in your day-to-day work.

5. Practice meditation or Mindfulness

The meditation and Mindfulness are philosophies that allow you to have a better control over your emotions, and therefore a more lucid mind and prepared to face the day to day with positivity.

Here are two links so you can delve deeper into these two disciplines from which you can learn a lot: also to rationalize efforts and find ways to be more productive with less effort.

"Benefits of meditation backed by science". "Mindfulness: 8 benefits of mindfulness".

Some conclusions

The final trick is to do things from play and not from obligation and that doesn't mean irresponsibility, it means flexibility to allow for mistakes, failures, criticisms and above all breaks.. You are not here to make things perfect, you are here to learn by experimenting, enjoying and applying new creative options.

Learning to apply the law of minimum 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.