Tag: Simplifying

We have too many choices to make each day. We are bombarded with media and noise and visual stimulation. We have never ending to-do lists. Unless we live off the grid in a self-sustaining commune (sometimes that sounds really nice), life is complicated.

When I have too much going on, too much to do, too many things around me, I’m frustrated and unproductive. Over the last few years I’ve made a conscious effort to simplify my life in order to live a better life. Taking these actions might help you, too:

1. Stop buying stuff that you don’t need, love or use. Every time you bring something into your home that doesn’t earn its keep by being necessary, you’re complicating your life with one more thing to clean, maintain and store.

2. Get rid of the crap you already have. Take the stuff that’s cluttering up your rooms and closets to the Goodwill or sell it on Craigslist. Visual clutter leads to mental clutter. Empty spaces are full of possibilities.

3. Unsubscribe from email lists. Wading through piles of emails wastes time and forces you to make choices about what to read and delete. Save the discernment for choices that really matter. Use RSS feed readers instead, or subscribe to a feed aggregator like feedly.com.

4. Stop aimlessly clicking around online. Limit your time on social network sites to fifteen minutes a day (unless this is what brings you enjoyment, then by all means). The minutes spent linking from one website to another is zombie time that eats your brain.

5. Find a way to get calm. Meditate. Create a mantra that you can repeat to yourself. Take deep breaths and focus on the sensation of your feet on the floor. Pick a strategy and then return to it every time you feel off balance.

6. Get clear about how you spend your time and money. Then keep making adjustments until those things align with your values.

When I do these things, I feel great and life seems to flow more smoothly. When I get off track, for example by buying a shirt I don’t need or love, other parts of my life seem to get out of balance as well. So when I notice that things are going in a direction I don’t like, I try to pull it back as soon as possible.

I’d already written this post when I saw The Minimalists give a talk at a local bookstore. Great timing! They’re two guys who walked away from jobs and lifestyles that didn’t fit them anymore, and discovered that their happiness increased as their possessions decreased.

I can relate to that. I hope you can, too.