It’s time to SIMPLIFY!

I mentioned in last week’s Snack that this week would be full of easy ways to simplify your daily life. Are you ready? I know I am!

I was inspired to dive into this topic by one of my busy, busy, single mom & entrepreneur clients who chose the word SIMPLIFY as her focus word for the next few months. She realized that she was making life way too complicated and busy and it was taking a toll on both her personal health, her business, and her relationship with her kiddos (when mamma is stressed…everyone is stressed!)

Purity and simplicity are the two wings with which man soars above the earth and all temporary nature” - Thomas a Kempis 
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Here are my Top 10 Ways to SIMPLIFY your daily life:

• Look at your Time Commitments VERY carefully - most of us have filled our days full from beginning to end with time commitments: work, home, kid’s activities, community events, religious endeavors, hobbies… the list goes on. When possible, release yourself from the time commitments that are not in line with your greatest values. Before you say “Yes” to something, take time to pause and sit with it. If it’s not aligned, it’s 100% ok to say “NO”.
• Scale back on the “Stuff” – Too many material possessions complicate our lives to a greater degree than we ever give them credit. They drain our bank account, our energy, and our attention. How much “stuff” do you really need to be happy? Truly, not much.
• Take action on DEBT – If debt is holding you captive, reduce it. Start today. Do what you’ve got to do to get out from under its weight. Find the help that you need and learn how to get out of debt. Sacrifice luxury today to enjoy freedom tomorrow. You will not regret it!
• Scale back on your Goals – Reduce the number of goals you are striving for in your life to one or two. By reducing the number of goals that you are striving to accomplish, you will improve your focus and your success rate. Make a list of the things that you want to accomplish in your life and choose the two most important. When you finish one, add another from your list.
• Cut back on the Chatter– Use fewer words. Keep your speech plain and honest. Mean what you say. Avoid gossip. Save yourself some breath and save others from your long winded rants…
• Learn to tame your Negative Thoughts – Most negative emotions are completely useless. Resentment, bitterness, hate, and jealousy have never improved the quality of life for a single human being. Take responsibility for your mind. Forgive past hurts and replace negative thoughts with positive ones.
• Avoid Multi-Tasking – Research indicates that multi-tasking increases stress and lowers productivity. While single-tasking is becoming a lost art, learn it. Handle one task at a time. Do it well. And when it is complete, move to the next.
• Take a look at your Artificial Ingredients – Avoid trans fats, refined grain (white bread), high-fructose corn syrup, and too much sodium. Minimizing these ingredients will improve your energy level in the short-term and your health in the long-term. Up your daily intake of leafy greens, whole grains, nuts & healthy fats and see how great you start to feel.
• Monitor your Screen Time – Focusing your attention on television, movies, video games, and technology addiction affects your life more than you think. Media rearranges your values. It begins to dominate your life. And it has a profound impact on your attitude and outlook. Unfortunately, when you live in that world on a consistent basis, you don’t even notice how it is impacting you. The only way to fully appreciate its influence in your life is to take a brea
• Reassess your Connections to the World – Relationships with others are good, but constant streams of distraction are bad. Learn when to power off the phone, log off social media, or not read a text. Focus on the important, not the urgent. A steady flow of distractions from other people may make us feel important, needed, or wanted, but feeling important and accomplishing importance are completely different things.

Ok, now I suggest you pick one category that feels like your most out of balance area and focus just on that for the next few days or week. Once that’s feeling more SIMPLIFIED, then pick another. Take positive steps each week to declutter your life and I guarantee you’ll be feeling much lighter real soon!