Ways to Simplify Your Life

We walked to church a few minutes late this morning, per usual. During the announcement portion of the service, I flipped through the bulletin & printed on the last page... (15) Ways to Simplify Your Life. I appreciated the refresher.

1. Decide what's most important to you. What do you value most?
2. List your current commitments and evaluate them in light of these values. What do you want to be doing with your precious time?
3. Simplify work tasks. Focus on the essential tasks and eliminate the rest.
4. Do one thing at a time. Multi-tasking is more complicated, more stressful, and generally less productive.
5. Sort through your stuff. Pick a room or a closet or a work area and do a thorough purging. Separate into three piles: keep, give away, and trash.
6. Simply your wardrobe. Give away things you haven't worn in the past year.
7. Limit your purchases. Buy less stuff. Ask yourself if you really need this and if you really need to own this before purchasing it.
8. Have a place for everything.
9. Limit your communications. Decide when and how much time you will devote to email, IM, phone calls, etc.
10. Eat slowly. Slow down to low weight, improve digestion, and enjoy life more.
11. Exercise. It helps burn off stress and makes you feel better.
12. Spend time with the people you love.
13. Spend time alone. Learn to meditate.
14. Slow down. Live life more deliberately.
15. Always ask: Will this simplify my life? If the answer is no, reconsider.

{Source: Cowley, The Society of Saint John the Evangelist, Vol. 35, No. 2, Spring 2009}