Five Life-Changing Truths I Learned While Growing Up in Hawaii (Part 5: Efficiency)

I used to call myself lazy. I'm Hawaii born and raised, after all. If it isn't easy, is it really worth doing? The answer, of course, is yes. But in Hawaii I learned to ask a key question: "How can I design a life where it is easy to do what's required?" 

Psychologists calls this "the law of least effort." Energy is a precious commodity. And Hawaii people naturally gravitate toward the option that requires the least amount of work. We seek the most value for the least effort. 

Of course, we are as capable as anyone of choosing very hard things. The most highly decorated outfit in the U.S. army in WWII was, after all, the 442 infantry regiment -- comprised almost entirely of second-generation Japanese Americans from Hawaii. At the same time, the less friction you face, the easier it is for your strengths to emerge. I've applied this strategy with some success in losing weight, learning how to climb mountains, and marathoning. 

So ... want to achieve more? 

Do it with less effort. 

Make your daily habits (your diet and exercise, for example) simple and easy. 

Find a gym that's right on your way to work rather than one that requires you to go out of your way to get there. 

Set realistic goals for your publication deadlines. 

Practice "addition by subtraction" by eliminating things that sap your time and energy. 

For Hawaiians, this comes quite naturally.