"The greatest step toward a life of simplicity is to learn to let go" - Steve Maraboli
Life is constantly one big to-do list. Taking the kids to school, getting on time to work and somehow squeezing in a much needed gym session are only the tip of the iceberg. With so much to do nowadays productivity trumps everything. From apps to new gadgets that are meant to make multi-tasking even easier (or in some cases more complicated), the goal is to get more done in a small amount of time. We are conditioned to pile on our plates as much as we can fit with the intention to wake up the next morning and start all over again.
The scary part is when our bodies send us a red flag in the form of stress, anxiety or depression. That's usually when we finally feel like it's time to scale back. But what if we started off living life without the excess stress in the first place?
1. Get Rid of What You Don't Need
If our lives were one big closet it would probably be overstuffed until the point where we can't even close the door. Clothes hanging off hangers, dirty clothes piled in a small corner, shoes strewn from the ceiling and random miscellaneous items that don't even go in there cramming the walking space. Honestly some of our closets look like this right now.
The hardest but most essential thing that we can do for ourselves today is getting rid of anything extra in our lives that is causing unnecessary burden. The way to do this is by making a list of your biggest stressors or anything taking up most of your time. Start removing items on the list that you don't absolutely need. You may have to visit your list a couple times. Whatever you've crossed out is what you must work on getting rid of in your life.
2. Keep What You Need
Just as important as it is to focus on getting rid of excess, it's essential to hold on to what you absolutely need in your life. Let's revisit that list. Now that you've crossed out multiple things that you want to let go of, what do you have left?
Whatever is left on your list is usually what you hold dearest or what you absolutely need to keep in your life. For example, waking up an hour early before work to go to the gym may be an extra task in our lives but it's most likely something we need to maintain a healthy lifestyle. Early morning gym sessions stay on the list because it's a need. When you are simplifying your life you are extenuating only what's necessary. This gives you more time to devote energy to other areas of your life.
3. Do Not Multitask
Multitasking forces us to modify ourselves past our mental limits to get everything we possibly can complete under the pressures of time constraint. For many parents, business owners and students out there the idea of not multitasking seems like the end of the world. But in all actually it's possible. We just have to train our brains.
What happens if we are focusing on five million things at once? Well, we have an extremely difficult time giving all our energy to one task. Sitting for multiple hours to finish a paper, cooking dinner without burning it or drafting a major business deal takes our undivided attention. We can't do anything successfully if we are giving 10% here and 30% there. The solution: do one task at a time. Start off by tackling one specific task for the day distraction free. You'll be surprised at how much faster and effectively you complete the task. From there you can incorporate the practice more frequently.
4. Turn Off Technology
Technology is one of the most popular aspects of our society. We live in the age where new technology is developed at the blink of an eye. Apps for productivity and connectivity promise to make life simpler and more fun. While instant messaging a friend 10,000 miles away is as easy as talking into your phone, no typing required. But while technology today is cooler and more trendy than it has ever been, it is also distracting.
The best way to live simply is to live in the present moment. When we are plugged into our phones, laptops and smart watches our attention negates from our surroundings. Everything around us zones out while we tune into our device. We are not only missing some of the naunces that happen virtually every second around us but we aren't giving our minds a moment to rest. Do you run a business? Try automating your work. Do you spend too much time checking emails? Confine that time to an hour a day, or a couple hours a week if you're really feeling radical.
Our everyday lives seem like a bubble ready to pop at any second from all of the things we have to do. The best way to combat this is by proactively taking a stance against the overwhelm that life brings.
******
Charmaine runs minimalist blog HelloCharmaine at HelloCharmaine.com. She blogs about living life simply from a minimalist perspective.