My Rule of Thirds
In photography, the rule of thirds is a composition technique. You basically draw a tic tac toe board over an image or frame, and the rule states that an interesting composition will have the focus of the the image on one of the lines or at one of the intersections.
My rule of thirds is about not getting in over your head. It’s about knowing where to put your focus, but in a different way. In it’s most simple form, it goes like this:
2/3 of the time, keep 1/3.
Basically what this means is that most of the time, we can give, risk, take, or keep less. For example, when you’re shopping to make a big purchase like a camera, car, or laptop, it’s probably best to only spend 2/3 of your budget. That way you won’t be completely broke after you make your purchase and you’ll have money in savings for unexpected expenses. Another example would be work: if you only give yourself 2/3 of the time your work normally takes, you’ll prioritize and you’ll be less likely to get distracted. Short of time sensitive jobs like waiting for paint to dry, I can promise you’ll still get all of your work done. You’ll reclaim (or keep) 1/3 of your work day to do whatever you want.
On the contrary, there are absolutely times when we need to give, take, keep or risk everything. Take relationships, for example; sometimes you need to jump head first. The problem is that we tend to over think, and the things that seem like we need to invest everything in usually aren’t that important. It may not be a romantic relationship, but a business contact that we need to invest in.
As usual, this can be tweaked to everyone’s specific needs. Some people are into the 80/20 rule, and others may need to start slow and simply go 50/50 to cut down on stress. However you go about it, this concept is something to keep in the back of your mind. It will help prioritize your decisions, reduce your choices, and keep yourself in fighting shape when it comes to living a nice and simple life.
