“Is This Necessary?”

In Marcus Aurelius’s Meditations, Book 4, Section 24, there is a passage loosely translated that goes something like this……..“Most of what we say and do is not essential. If you can eliminate it, you’ll have more time and more tranquility. Ask yourself at every moment, ‘Is this necessary?’ But we need to eliminate unnecessary assumptions as well. To eliminate the unnecessary actions that follow.”

Most of what fills our days and often exhausts us- our conversations, our tasks, our meetings, our mental noise- is just… fluff.

If we trimmed it down to only what truly matters, we would not only have more time, but we’d also have more peace of mind.

It’s not just about cutting out unnecessary actions—it’s also about cutting out unnecessary assumptions that lead to those actions. That could mean questioning beliefs like “I have to attend every meeting” or “I need to reply instantly to every email.”

Bottomline:

Keep asking yourself, “Is this necessary?” every time you pick up some task.

If the answer is no, figure out a way to not get sucked into it.

Focus on only what matters. And that’s what creates clarity, focus, and impact.