Culling things to make sure there is enough space and time for you to do anything can be considered as important, not only as a minimalist, but also to ensure that your sanity remains solid.
If there’s too many things in front of you, finding the most important stuff can really be a challenge. This is what I experienced when I dove head-first into GTD. I got a long list and just the number of all the things that needed to be done stood in front of me–all begging me as if to say–“Do me first! your job/family/self depends on this. Do me now!” Instead of inspiring me, it exhausted me. Too many choices make anyone dumb. And yes, it’s been scientifically proven.
Culling it down to the top 3 things that need to be done is ideal but the other stuff will move without you. And all the while while you’re working on your MITs (Most Important Things), the other stuff you’ve decided to ignore is waiting to bite you in the ass in a few minutes.
How do you do it then? Which do you need to do first? Prioritization can be such a fluke that those you’re basically prioritizing now were the stuff you ignored a couple of days ago. It’ll be more of fire-fighting rather than fire-prevention. You prioritize work to make sure the kids get fed well. But in the meantime, the kids are feeling full but ignored. Is it either-or? Is there no Win-win resolution in this case?
Sometimes it’s best to let things happen when they do happen.
It may seem like a daredevil/irresponsible move, but I believe that things will fall where they will even if you have a thousand versions of yourself to do all the work that needs to be done. Que sera, sera. Take it day by day, moment by moment. Why bother through all the long planning if it’s all going to be ruined anyway? I plan when I want to plan, not because I NEED to.