Determine What is Important to You. What makes you tick? What is of greatest worth to you? If a large bank account and lots of toys are your highest priorities, then you may actually try working more hours rather than less. But if values like peace, security, and family are of greater worth, then the workaholic approach may not be getting you where you want to go. Dr. Stephen Covey once related a story about a man who was racing to get up a ladder, only to find it was leaning on the wrong wall. Determining your values is making sure your ladder is leaning against the right wall.
Evaluate Your Activities. Once you know what wall you want to climb, look at your activities in the harsh light of your values and see if your ladder is getting you there. It can be a real eye-opening experience to go through your day planner or your PDA for the last month and see how many activities actually got you closer to your goals and fit your values.
Declutter. There are few things more discouraging than having more stuff than we have places to put it. Cynthia Townley Ewer, a home organization expert, recommends the "Four Box Method." She suggest that when you decide to declutter an area, you take four boxes with you. The boxes represent actions to take with each item you find. Label one box "Put Away." In this box goes everything you feel a need to keep. The second box is labeled "Give Away/Sell." In this box goes things that you no longer need or want but might be of use to someone else. The third box is called "Storage," and represents things that you feel you may need, but not soon. The final box is labeled "Trash" and is filled with things that will end up at your local landfill or recycling center. Then take 15 minutes at the end of each declutter session to appropriately dispose of the items in each box.
Turn Off the Television. Do you ever feel like you are in a tractor beam sitting in front of the television? That box seems to command ever more of our time and attention. Eliminating unnecessary distractions is an important part of simplifying. One family I know sits down each Sunday when the television schedule for the week comes out in the local paper and plans their TV watching for the week. It is put on the calendar, and then if it is not on the calendar, the TV is off. They have significantly reduced the amount of TV time in their family and how have more time for more important things.
Group Your Errands. We tease in our family sometimes about the number of hours we spend in a car each week running to one thing or another. We have found that trying to group our errands cuts significantly into that travel time.
Let Go. Several years ago, I was serving in a lay leadership position at church and had a demanding full-time job besides. I was burning out and finally went to see a counselor that I respected for some help. One of the things he suggested was that after I had dealt with a problem, I should just let it go and not stew about it any more. It was good advice. Considering letting go more.
Practice Gratitude. Recognize that there are people all around us who serve us and make our lives easier. Try expressing a little gratitude to others. Say thanks to your partner at home for something simple like having clean socks in your drawer. Think about the local government workers in your community who quietly and efficiently maintain your parks, keep your streets clean and deliver clean water to your home and maybe send them a note of thanks. Practicing gratitude and being aware of what others do for us is a good way to keep life simple.
Doing Two Things at Once. This was a simplifying tool I learned a long time ago. Here is how it works: Let's say I need to run to the hardware store for something I need for a project. I always grab one of my children to take with me and then we will often stop for a soda or a snack along the way. It gives me time to talk and connect with them and takes virtually no more time that I would have spent anyway. It's amazing how you can do more with less time when you try to do two things at once.
Simplifying our lives should be a simple process. Connect with your values, make sure you activities align with them, and then leverage your time to accomplish more. You will find climbing the ladder of life much easier when the ladder is leaning against the right wall.
