Hint: It’s all about simplifying your life

Life is not slowing down. At all. Busy parents, students, workers, even kids. It seems like every age is balancing and juggling a lot. Many of us are looking around our living spaces and thinking – “I don’t have time for everything I need to do, let alone what I want to do!” It may be time to simplify your life.
But how?

Time Management

Does such a thing really exist? With all of the things on our plates, the only way to get everything done is to manage the little free time we can find in our days.
There are so many cool products, services, and experts available to help us with the elusive “time management” demon. But if they involve time to make them work, will you really use them? How many Day-Timers, wall calendars, or to-do lists do you have in your house? Probably more than you remember.
Now if you’re the type of person who gets excited about a new time-saving device, congratulations! We want to be like you when we grow up!
But if you’re like most people, you may love (or hate) to-do lists and planners, but you probably use them in the beginning. And then – they start collecting dust. And become yet another thing adding to clutter.

Tips

Scheduling really does work. You just have to find the method that works for you. And the one that you’ll stick to.
Start simple and keep it simple. (You can always “graduate” to that planner at some point).
Schedule meetings, appointments, phone calls and anything else that has a set time. It may be a bit obvious but if it doesn’t get scheduled, it may not happen.
Use your phone as a mobile office or organizer. Most phones today have a multitude of features – calendar, notes app, email, camera, even office docs and spreadsheets. You can perform an almost unlimited number of tasks with a smart phone.
If you’re not as comfortable with technology and need to use a planner or to-do lists, just take a picture (with your phone!) of your schedule and you won’t miss an appointment.

  • Also simple but effective:
    If you don’t want to make umpteen entries on your calendar but you have that many tasks, schedule an “all-day” calendar entry. Use the title or notes areas to list each task:
    9am – Call Dr. D, schedule plumber, kids’ last day of school (etc.). If you don’t finish everything in one shot, just change the time or reminder so you can come back to it.
  • Schedule an appointment every day at the same time. Choose a time that you can commit to (as much as possible) and reserve it for something specific – to work on your business, exercise, study, answer emails, make calls, or for personal time. For example, a standing 9am appointment with yourself with an alert beforehand.
  • Sometimes we have so much to do, we’re overwhelmed and don’t know what to do or where to start. Use the notes section on the calendar (did you know it was there?) for suggestions of ongoing tasks that you can do on a regular basis.
  • Hire an expert for things that are too time consuming. For example, if you have a lot of clutter in common areas that are often used, consider a hiring a junk removal company to come clear it out and haul it away for you!

Just say no

We all wonder where the time has gone. It seems like life is happening without us. That may be a symptom of doing too much. And/or of not doing the right things.
Ever hear the expression, “If you want something done, ask a busy person”? Attributed to Elbert Hubbard, Lucille Ball, and numerous others, it sounds counterintuitive at first. Everybody thinks they’re busy; sometimes too busy. But people who are genuinely busy but are still productive follow these basic principles.
They also prioritize. Reality shows? Regular binge watching TV? On occasion but not regularly. We all need down time. But it’s a question of what’s the most important.
Maybe you’re trying to make more money, enjoy a hobby, spend time with loved ones, improve your skills. You can do it. You just need to “outsource” tasks that don’t add value but still need to be done.

Simplify

So, what do a Roomba, Instacart, and a thermostat have in common? They’re just more examples of simplifying our lives. There are so many affordable timesaving devices available nowadays, it’s worth the small investment.
Why vacuum when you can set a machine to do it when you’re not home or busy with something more worthwhile? Use a food or grocery delivery service so you can eliminate grocery shopping or meal prep a few times a week.

Use smart technology to simplify your life, and contact your local junk hauler to ecologically dispose of stuff that isn’t adding value in your life.

Take a deep, cleansing breath.

And get busy.