What is the law of least effort?

The law of least effort states a truth that almost all of us know, out of pure common sense. He says that when something can be done in different ways, always the best option is the one that involves the least energy expenditure. Because? Because it is more efficient, which leads us to obtain the same result using less effort.

Effort is an attribute that gives greater value objective and subjective, to the projects. A gemstone has more value because it is rarer and therefore more effort must be made to find it. An achieved goal is valued more when it involves overcoming major obstacles. So, in principle, we can say that we agree that effort is a positive and laudable value.

However, greater effort does not always generate better results.. You can keep an accounting by hand. Add, subtract and do all operations through manual calculation. The same is achieved with software in much less time and with greater guarantee of absence of errors. In that case, the amount of effort invested is not proportional to the results obtained. In reality, in the first case, there was a waste of energy.

The law of least effort does not attempt to eliminate difficulty or encourage us to choose only tasks that are easy. Focus It focuses rather on finding a way to reduce the effort required to achieve a goal. Let’s look at this in greater detail.

“The secret of my happiness is not to strive for pleasure, but to find pleasure in effort”.

-André Gide-

1. Obstacles and the law of least effort

The law of least effort is closely related to giving up control and letting everything flow. Some may think that this is an approach that overemphasizes a relaxed or carefree attitude, but this is not the case. It is one thing to look for the simplest path and quite another to be negligent or irresponsible.

What it is about in the end is adopting a new position facing obstacles. The difficulties are there. We find them in most everyday tasks. Sometimes we make enormous efforts and, despite this, things do not go as we expect. We feel overwhelmed by everything we have to do and it is increasingly difficult for us to exert our will to achieve it.

The obsessive attitude towards work easily leads us to stress and then to blockage. It is then when we struggle between the total resistance to continue working and the obligation to do so. There is so much emotional energy that we use in this debate that we end up completely fatigued, while our results are not the best.

From there to constant frustration there is only one step. What we do is not proportional to what we achieve. We struggle a lot to focus on those work commitments and end up getting fed up. Still, we have to do our duty. It is then that one of the principles of the law of least effort becomes valid: Productivity does not depend on the amount of energy we invest, but on clarity and inspiration that guides actions.

2. Inspiration and productivity

The law of minimum effort states that what is easy in principle should be valued as good. It also suggests that less is more and that “good” is enough.. In other words, the simplest paths, which involve less effort, are the best. Likewise, he emphasizes that there are times when a less perfectionist attitude can potentially lead to better results.

There are many ways to do things, but we are not always aware of this. Sometimes we are not even clear about the method we use. Perhaps we carry out activities as we have seen others do, or as someone has told us we should do them. But we have not stopped to think if the path we take is really the best to reach the goal.

The law of least effort says that if you feel overwhelmed, blocked or fed up with an activity, do not continue with it. Your body and mind are screaming at you to stop. You got to that point by performing tasks in a mechanical way and you are paying the price. By staying still, doing nothing, or taking a short pause, you induce a change of schema.

It’s time to do something that recharges your energy. Something rewarding that allows you to put yourself in a different perspective. Then, what follows is to reflect on how you face your commitments. Is there an easier way to fulfill them? Are there unnecessary steps that you could eliminate? Think of five different ways to do the same thing. Evaluate. Question. Let creativity flow. Allow inspiration to appear and you will see how you come up with better and, above all, easier methods.

3. The mind must find the way to flow

We agree that a fluid mind is more effective and saves a lot of effort. What we often don’t know is the way to get that mind to flow. According to the principles of the law of least effort, five conditions must be met for this to happen. They are the following:

Work on yourself to complain less and stop blaming others.Do not try to change a situation just because, rather accept it, trying to understand it. Try to observe your problem as if you were a spectator and not the protagonist of it. Open your mind and be open to new options and new paths.Work to find new answers and solutionsuntil something appears that really motivates you to act.

Stubborn resistance to accepting situations only contributes to blocking you. Complaining, blaming others, and denying reality are forms of resistance. When this refusal to change the scheme is overcome, the decisive step is taken so that the mind begins to flow. This makes it easier for inspiration to emerge, with all its creative force.

4. The most important thing: enjoy

When we enjoy what we do, we usually get better results.. It’s obvious. We put more effort into what captures our attention and our interest. It is a pleasure to dedicate ourselves to it. Time flies and we have no problem making an extra effort to make everything look better. We flow.

Is there really a way for us to enjoy obligations? There is always a way to connect any activity with play. Suppose what we need to do is something boring and mechanical, like entering 500 tedious records into a database. What if we try to propose competitions with ourselves? Measure time and repeatedly surpass our own mark.

Science has said that One way to help us do those tasks that are completely tedious is to work on them for 20 minute periods.. After that time, take a break, take a break. And then the cycle repeats. Have you tried doing it? Try it and you will see how the number of mistakes you make decreases.

In conclusion: be flexible

Putting into practice the law of least effort so that your income is beneficial requires intelligence. A good part of our activities are carried out in a dynamic where inertia prevails.. We rarely question whether routine procedures that offer good results could have a more effective alternative.

Thus, some of our “expensive” routines become a kind of straitjacket. They not only condition our actions but also, and more importantly, our thinking. Without realizing at what time, we end up living from rigid schemes, in which we feel trapped. That is where the law of least effort can help us choose more constructive and effective paths.

What is valuable about this perspective is that it focuses on creativity and enjoyment. We can also introduce habits that encourage us to be more imaginative and think more about our own well-being. Choosing the easier path makes us better and allows us to achieve more notable results.

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