The Art of Eliminating

For a long time, I drowned in deadlines. I chased every possible opportunity to keep myself busy. I ran after every grant proposal, every manuscript submission, every project, and every student request. I hated receiving complaints, so I tried to resolve every tiny issue myself—at work and in social life.

I believed that if a task landed on my desk—no matter how small or painful—I had to finish it. Even if it sucked the life out of me.

Today, I took few steps back. I challenged that belief. I challenge the tradition that success requires constant activity and an ever-growing to-do list.

After years of working long hours as a PhD student, researcher, and professor, I audited my professional life. I looked at my projects, commitments, and relationships. I asked myself: Which of these actually produced results, and which simply consumed my time and gave me headaches?

Based on this self-audit, I have one simple rule for high productivity: Do Less.

The Strategy of Elimination

As your career grows, your data and responsibilities grow. To survive, you must focus on subtraction, not addition.

You need to ruthlessly identify and eliminate tasks that do not contribute to your biggest "wins" or your happiness. You must eliminate the things that give you the most headaches—whether that is difficult clients, draining projects, or high-maintenance relationships.

If dropping a task won't kill you or jeopardize your job, let it go.

You don't have to do it all at once. Slowly but surely, start cutting out the least productive parts of your day.

The Myth of the Long Workweeks and Hard Work

Every culture and every career coach will condition you to believe that you must work 40 or 60 hours a week to be productive. But in the long run, this mindset harms you, your family, and your employer.

Neurobiologists have confirmed that the human brain can only maintain deep focus for about five to six hours per week.

Think about that. The vast majority of the hours you spend in the office are just "busy work." You are keeping the air conditioning running and the coffee machine working, draining personal and organizational resources without producing any significant output.

A Lesson from My Son’s Bookshelf

When I was a student, I bought endless self-help books and enrolled in courses. After a few weeks, the books gathered dust and the courses were abandoned. I was collecting junk, not knowledge.

I made the same mistake with my son. I bought him hundreds of books, thinking, "This will be great for him." But I noticed that out of these books, he would only open two or three. Even if I buried his favorites at the bottom of the pile, he would dig them out and ignore the rest.

I realized I was wasting resources. So, I used subtraction. I donated 200 books that he didn't enjoy and kept only the ones he loved. Now, instead of clutter, we have focus. He actually reads. He learnt many new words and get some new knowledge from it.

Happiness is a Productivity Multiplier

Happiness is the ultimate goal for everyone, rich or poor. But it is also a tool.

I have noticed that my students rarely complete tasks they don't enjoy. If there is no joy, there is no output. Therefore, I now focus on tasks that bring genuine satisfaction. I treat those tasks as a big "win," even if they don't have a measurable financial return (ROI).

My Simple Formula: The "Semicircle" Audit

Here is the method I used to eliminate the unproductive stuff from my life.

Step 1: Take a piece of paper. Draw a large circle and divide it in half horizontally.

Step 2: The Lower Semicircle (The Inputs)

Write down every specific task that consumes your time, money, and attention (needs planning).

Examples: Grant proposals, answering routine emails, attending conferences, fixing formatting on a student's paper.

Step 3: The Upper Semicircle (The Outputs)

Write down your best results or happiest memories.

Examples: A paid speaking gig, a published manuscript, a loyal and calm client, or a family movie night.

Step 4: Connect the Dots

Draw lines connecting the tasks at the bottom to the outputs/wins at the top. Link the cause to the effect. Input to output.

Step 5: Eliminate

Look at the activities in the bottom half. If a task has no line connecting it to an output or a win in the top half, eliminate it.

If that "mandatory" meeting never leads to a result, stop going.

If that one specific project causes stress but no prestige or money, drop it.

If you absolutely cannot eliminate it (e.g., bureaucratic paperwork), delegate it.

Productivity is not about compiling a list of accomplishments or checking off boxes in a vicious cycle of ever-growing to-do lists. It is about the ruthless elimination of anything that doesn't lead to results or joy.

By subtracting the noise, I reclaimed my time and saved my energy for the few things that actually make life meaningful.

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