If you’ve been around for a while, you know I’m a huge fan of Greg McKeown’s bestseller, Essentialism. The subtitle of the book previews the main premise: “The Disciplined Pursuit of Less.” As McKeown further explains, we should pursue “less, but better.” This requires a thorough examination of what’s really important to you, and letting go of what no longer serves you. What distractions, or “non-essentials,” are currently in your life that block you from pursuing a life that really matters?

This pairs well with our PRD habit because this level of self-examination requires a good chunk of time! Your pursuit of “less, but better” will evolve over time. I find that a PRD is a perfect day to reflect on what non-essentials I can rid myself of, freeing me up for more of the activities, people, and goals that really do matter in the long run.

An entire section of the book is called “Explore: How can we discern the trivial many from the vital few?” McKeown says, “To discern what is truly essential we need space to think, time to look and listen, permission to play, wisdom to sleep, and the discipline to apply highly selective criteria to the choices we make” (p. 60). What better setting to conduct this exploration than during a PRD? Grab a copy of Essentialism. You won’t regret it!