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Everywhere I look, there is merchandise or an “inspirational quote” on the gram that talks about hustling. It’s no wonder that it is so easy to get overwhelmed by an excessively active life. If you’re like the busy people looking for ways to slow down and eliminate the ruthless struggle of a hurried life, it may be time to consider simplifying.
Streamlining your life means cutting excessive to-do list items, eliminating clutter from your home, realigning your priorities, or working to gain a new perspective on what truly matters to you.
Try these approaches to simplify your life if you’re desperately ready for change. And the Dare is to begin today!
1. Recognize what’s most important to you and get rid of everything else. When you know what matters most to you, you’ll find that the other things are simply wasting your time and energy, so get rid of them as quickly as you can.
2. Know the season of life in which you’re resting. Create a list of 4-5 priorities in your life that reflect your values. Post these values where you see them often, so you always recognize what matters most. Place a copy in your restroom, keep another at your bedside, tuck one in your planner or purse for good measure.
3. What’s on your plate? Evaluate your current commitments. Consider absolutely everything happening in your life right now. Which of these commitments deliver joy or value? Which ones align with your current top 5 values you listed in the previous step? Eliminate everything else.
4. Be a timesaver. Consider how you use your time. Assemble a list of everything you accomplish in a day and compare that to your list of priorities. What can you eliminate?
5. Make it easy on yourself. Simplify your work tasks. Rather than trying to check off every single chore on your to-do list, focus on the essential functions and then find ways to eliminate all the others. To do this, you can try delegating, outsourcing, moving them to other days, or merely declining them.
6. Think easy. Simplify your home tasks. Repeat the process above with your home tasks. Remove things you’re not reasonably going to accomplish in a day. Streamline your list of home tasks by automating, outsourcing, delegating, and removing anything that doesn’t fall in line with what’s most important.
7. It’s okay to say no. Learn how to say no. When you learn to reply with no, you’ll discover your limits and start to take on only as much as you can handle. In addition, this practice will free up time so your attention can be saved for the tasks that matter the most.
8. Limit your media consumption. The surplus of media available today can dominate nearly every second of our lives. Try to simplify your own life by restricting media and information consumption whenever possible.
9. Choose wisely. Be particular with your forms of communication. Designate special times for communication by solely e-mailing at specific points in the day, exclusively using the phone during specific hours, only using messaging in your off-hours, and so forth. Limit how you communicate throughout the day to prevent communication from overwhelming you or your day.
10. Purge unnecessary stuff. Dedicate one weekend every month to get rid of absolutely anything that you don’t want or need in your life. Removing unwanted items in your life can be therapeutic and cathartic. In addition, doing this to your home and your life monthly is valuable to your overall health and well-being.
These are only a few ideas to start living with the freedom to rest and simplify your life. Consider this a foundation that will guide you to find new and exciting ways to live a simplified lifestyle. With minor changes for intentional living, you can achieve simplicity in all aspects of your life.
What are your thoughts? I'd love to hear them!