Leverage a principle from Peter Drucker: identify categorical decisions that eliminate entire classes of future choices. Instead of managing countless small decisions, make one sweeping rule (e.g., no new books, no public speaking for a year). This single choice removes thousands of subsequent decisions, creating massive mental space and clarity.

To maintain performance over the long term, Canva's CEO deliberately creates strict boundaries between work and life. By removing email from her phone, she can be "all in" when working at her laptop and "all out" when she's not, allowing for true mental separation and recovery.

To overcome the paralysis of perfectionism, create systems that force action. Use techniques like 'time boxing' with hard deadlines, creating public accountability by pre-announcing launches, and generating financial stakes by pre-selling offers. These functions make backing out more difficult and uncomfortable than moving forward.

The true cost of social media isn't just the time spent posting; it's the constant mental energy dedicated to it—planning content, checking engagement, and comparing yourself to others. Stepping away frees up significant cognitive "white space," allowing for deeper, more strategic thinking.

Frame daily activities as either contributing to 'aliveness' (connection, movement, focus) or 'numbness' (doomscrolling, binge-watching). This simple heuristic helps you consciously choose actions that energize you and build a more fulfilling life, rather than those that numb and distract you.

At scale, the biggest threat isn't a lack of opportunity but mental overload. The key is to treat your focus as a finite resource and actively protect it. This means becoming comfortable saying "I'm done for today" and disappointing people, realizing that protecting your mind is more strategic than satisfying every request.

Contrary to popular belief, accepting reality doesn't lead to inaction. Questioning fearful and limiting thoughts removes the mental clutter that causes procrastination, freeing you to act more decisively and effectively.

Feeling helpless from constant exposure to global crises you can't influence is a major source of modern anxiety. The solution is not to disengage entirely but to redirect your time and energy toward making a tangible impact on your family, neighborhood, and local community.

Counteract the natural tendency to add complexity by deliberately practicing 'relentless subtraction.' Make it a weekly habit to remove one non-essential item—a feature, a recurring meeting, or an old assumption. This maintains focus and prevents organizational bloat.