“Our life is frittered away by detail… simplify, simplify.” Henry David Thoreau.

Life can get chaotic and busy sometimes. As a result we can bite off more than we can chew and spread ourselves too thin. It’s important that we occasionally take the time out to reflect, evaluate and consider how we can simplify our life

It can be a real challenge to maintain a healthy balance between our personal and professional lives. A demanding work schedule and priorities can very easily eat into precious personal and family time. It can make keeping in touch with friends challenging and leave limited time for physical exercise, relaxation and fun.

Pursuing work goals may bring great material reward, recognition and satisfaction. However, having to make great personal sacrifices to achieve work goals combined with poor life balance can lead to feelings of unhappiness and a lack of personal fulfilment.

It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying yes to every request for help and assistance. This can mean we feel over-burdened, stressed and anxious. It can also leave us to wonder how we will complete all the tasks we have. Our brains can get foggy, unable to see clearly and focus on what is truly important to us.

When we simplify our life and aim to keep things simple, it helps us to feel more in control. To get to simplicity, we have to sharpen our focus. Excellent focus brings greater clarity and helps us to truly understand what is most important to us.

When we are focused on our most vital key priorities, we are clearer about our choices, make better decisions and become more efficient.

Here are a few thoughts on how to simplify your life:-

  • Review the amount of time you spend at work. Consider if you can streamline your tasks and procedures to increase efficiency and free up some valuable personal time.
  • Don’t put things off. If you can complete something in two minutes or less, seize the moment and do it immediately.
  • Simplify your mind by going for a daily walk. A walk in the evening helps to process the day’s events and draws out useful insights.
  • Review your relationships. Be honest about which relationships energise you and which drain you. Think about where you are spending your time and reduce the amount of time you spend with negative influences.
  • Regular meditation or mindfulness sessions help to calm the mind and keep it uncluttered. You will notice a difference even if you only spend ten minutes a day doing this. If you have time afterwards, write any insights you gain in a journal.

You may also wish to consider decluttering your work space and home environment. As part of this you might want to let go of items that you no longer need, want or love.

An approach many people use to determine whether to keep possessions is to hold something and ask “Does this bring me joy?” Alternatively ask yourself “Do I really need this?” If the answer is no, then they let it go.

Clutter can affect us on a physical level and have a negative impact on our energy levels. It can make us feel stressed and overwhelmed. We can waste valuable time searching for things e.g. looking for a document in a pile of papers.

It can weigh us down and make us put things off and stay stuck in the past. It can mean that “we can’t see the wood for the trees.” When our life is full of clutter there’s no room for anything new to come into our lives. Disposing of clutter is an important part of the change process and leads to positive fresh outcomes.

When decluttering, after filing or boxing up things that are to be kept and stored, you may find it useful to put the clutter into various piles or boxes. These can be categorized as follows:

  • Things to be thrown away or sent for recycling
  • Paperwork to be shredded
  • Items to give to others/charity
  • Possessions to be sold
  • Items/articles that need to be repaired

The process of clearing clutter isn’t just about letting go of the belongings but the feelings and fear that keep us holding onto an excess of stuff.

Life is constantly changing, so when something comes into your life, enjoy it, use it well and when it is time, let it go so that you can experience new things.

This week, why not take some time out to reflect and consider what steps you can take to simplify your life.

To arrange a free no obligation consultation, please contact Stephen Pauley via the contact form or by e mail: Stephen@befirstclass.co.uk