Most of our lives are really complicated. At least we tend to think they are. There are tons of articles and books preaching “simplify your life”. There are so many that at times we tend to dismiss the advice as trite or simply not applicable to us.
But wait a minute. There might be something to this idea of simplification. We are way too harried and rushed. We pile our lives with too many responsibilities and obligations, sometimes so much that it’s no longer enjoyable.
When you think about what makes a good life- your thoughts probably revolve around the gold standard.
Meaningful Work. Family /Someone to Love. A Worthwhile cause to support. Enjoyable activities.
Tweet ThisHow many of us can truly say our lives contain all four of these? Too few of us actually have a life that regularly involves all.
We probably have a ton of other activities and obligations, many of which we may not even enjoy.
The goal of simplifying your life is to pare down your core “things” that make up your existence. Carve it out such that you are doing the necessary things for YOU.
Remove unnecessary filler.
Regain that time so you can actually spend your days in pursuit of things that bring you joy.
Ok ok. So you need to simplify your life. But what are the core areas where people tend to overextend themselves and make things too complicated? Here are a few.
Our 24 hr days are broken up into 3 key portions. For the sake of averages, let’s say 3 eight hour blocks. 8- work, 8- sleep, 8- family, leisure, household, commute and other obligations. So where do the complications usually arise?
8 Hour Block 1- Simplify your life at work
As women, most of us are on the 2 shift life. The majority of us work outside the home so this is a standard block. Nowadays, work is not just showing up, doing the job and heading home.
There are so many aspects to managing a career, that this portion of our lives can easily become overwhelming.
The good news is, this is probably one of the easier areas to simplify using simple productivity and time management tips. For most of us, work ends and we are able to head home. Some of us are even “lucky” enough to not have to bring work home.
If you find yourself overwhelmed with your work life or having your work life bleed over too much into your personal life, take steps to change that. Look into efficient approaches to your job and career that can enable you to live a much simpler life on that front.
8 Hour Block 2- Simplify your life after work
This is the complicated block. This is where we try to stuff so many things. We can easily become burnt out and overwhelmed with kid activities, our obligations to others, our households and a host of other things.
This area is the pain point for most women, the second shift where there just don’t seem to be enough hours to get everything done and take care of our selves on top of it all.
If there is any area where we all need to simplify our lives, this is it. I could write on this area alone for years :-).
I am actively in this phase. I would love to have a bare minimum life, unencumbered by STUFF, physical, emotional, activities and items.
I’ll be sharing my experiences with this in greater detail.
8 Hour Block 3- Simplify your life at rest, SLEEP!
There is a multi million dollar industry dedicated to sleep. People are just not getting the rest they need in order to be functional and happy.
There are a few things that you can do to immediately improve your sleep life.
Remove that TV from your bedroom for starters. Keep a dark cool bedroom. Have a bedtime routine that promotes a quiet, stress free wind down from your day.
Some sleep issues are more complicated and need more intervention. If you have a stressful life, good sleep can be hard to come by. Getting good sleep is definitely worth pursuing.
I have never met a happy person who has poor sleeping habits. If you want to be perpetually grouchy, lack of sleep is a sure path to that misery.
Let’s make an attempt to simplify our lives. Live in stress free, uncluttered environments. Enjoy it more. Spend our short time here enriching our lives and that of others. Enjoy our families and friends. If your life is filled with crap you can’t do that. Start simplifying your life today!
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