10 Simple Ways to Find Balance and Get Your Life Back. Part III

 

41. Find Inner Simplicity

This could be time praying or communing with God, or time spent meditating or journaling or getting to know yourself, or time spent in nature. However you do it, working on your inner self is worth the time.

42. Decompress From Stress

Every life is filled with stress — no matter how much you simplify your life, you’ll still have stress. After you go through stress, find ways to decompress and relax.

43. Try Living Without a Car

OK, this isn’t something I’ve done, but many others have. It’s something I would do if I didn’t have kids. Walk, bike, or take public transportation. It reduces expenses and gives you time to think.

A car is also very complicating, needing not only car payments, but insurance, registration, safety inspections, maintenance, repairs, gas, and more.

44. Find a Creative Outlet for Self-Expression

Whether that’s writing, poetry, painting, drawing, creating movies, designing websites, dancing, or skateboarding, we have a need for self-expression, and finding a way to do that makes your life much more fulfilling. Allow this to replace much of the busy-work you’re eliminating from your life.

45. Simplify Your Goals

Instead of having half a dozen goals or more, simplify it to one goal. Not only will this make you less stressed, it will make you more successful. You’ll be able to focus on that One Goal, and give it all of your energy. That gives you much better chances for success.

46. Single-Task

Multi-tasking is more complicated, more stressful, and generally less productive. Instead, do one task at a time in order to simplify your life.

47. Simplify Your Filing System

Stacking a bunch of papers just doesn’t work. But a filing system doesn’t have to be complicated to be useful.

48. Develop Equanimity

If every little thing that happens to you sends you into anger or stress, your life might never be simple. Learn to detach yourself, and be more at peace.

49. Reduce Your Consumption of Advertising

Advertising makes us want things. That’s what it’s designed to do, and it works. Find ways to reduce your exposure to advertising. You’ll want much less.

50. Live Life More Deliberately

Do every task slowly, with ease, paying full attention to what you’re doing.

51. Make a Most Important Tasks (MITs) List Each Day

Set just 3 very important things you want to accomplish each day. Don’t start with a long list of things you probably won’t get done by the end of the day. Use a simple list of 3 things, ones that would make you feel like you accomplished something.

52. Create Morning and Evening Routines

A great way to simplify your life is to create routines at the start and end of your day.

53. Create a Morning Writing Ritual

If you enjoy writing, like I do, make it a peaceful, productive ritual.

54. Learn to Do Nothing

Doing nothing can be an art form, and it should be a part of every day if you want to simplify your life and eliminate negative thoughts.

55. Read Walden

This book by Henry David Thoreau is the quintessential text on simplifying and can motivate you toward the same.

56. Go for Quality, Not Quantity

Try not to have a ton of stuff in your life. Instead, have just a few possessions, but ones that you really love and that will last for a long time.

57. Read Simplify Your Life

This book by Elaine St. James is another great text on simplicity.

58. Fill Your Day With Simple Pleasures

Make a list of your favorite simple pleasures, and sprinkle them throughout your day.

59. Simplify Your RSS Feeds

If you’ve got dozens of feeds, or more than a hundred (as I once did), you probably have a lot of stress in trying to keep up with them all. Simplify your feed reading.

60. Create an Easy-to-Maintain Yard

Plant clover instead of grass, for example, to cut out the need to mow.

61. Carry Less Stuff

Are your pockets bulging? Consider carrying only the essentials.

62. Strive to Automate Your Income

This isn’t the easiest task, but it can (and has) been done. I’ve been working towards it myself.

63. Simplify Your Budget

Many people skip budgeting because it’s too hard or too complicated, but it can ultimately simplify your life by helping you know exactly how much you have to spend and when.

64. Simplify Your Financial Life

Get your debt under control, set up automatic bill paying, and cut it down to one credit card.

65. Learn to Pack Light

Who wants to lug a bunch of luggage around on a trip?

66. Leave Space Around Things in Your Day

Whether they’re appointments, or things you need to do, don’t stack them back-to-back. Leave a little space between things you need to do, so you will have room for contingencies, and you’ll go through your day much more relaxed.

67. Live Closer to Work

This might mean getting a job closer to your home, or moving to a home closer to your work. Either will do a great deal to simplify your life.

The Bottom Line

If you want to learn to simplify your life, just pick a few of the above to get started. Simple living can mean very different things for different people, so find what works for you. Ultimately, a simplified life will mean less stress, more time, and more fulfillment in the end.

Source: https://bit.ly/2Xp0KmC

The author Leo Babauta is a professional writer and blogs about goals, habits, productivity, GTD, simplifying and more