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Simple Living Simplified: 10 Things You Can Do Today to Simplify Your Life

zenhabits.net — Simplifying can sometimes be overwhelming. The amount of stuff you have in your life and the amount of things you have to do can be too big a mountain to tackle.

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  • Fragility, on 10/10/2007, -4/+7I can't get enough of these productivity tips.
    • objectcode, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1same way with a lot of bums. funny how that works out
    • rockefeller2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I finally got rid of that pack of condoms I bought last year.
      ***** it, I'm never gonna get laid.
    • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I hate clean freaks
    • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I hate clean freaks
  • dxgg, on 02/05/2008, -6/+3More than mere "productivity tips," these help bring you happiness in life. Ohm Shanti.
  • FreakyD, on 10/10/2007, -5/+18"Drop one commitment"

    YES, my divorce excuse
  • nouns, on 10/10/2007, -2/+3611) Pee in the Shower
    • krets, on 10/10/2007, -1/+5Just be careful when your girlfriend is in there with you.
      • justinjacobs, on 10/10/2007, -1/+7You must be new here. What you mentioned won't be a problem.
  • rimco, on 10/10/2007, -1/+2912) Don't tell anyone that you do #11
    • EaterOfSnow, on 10/10/2007, -3/+1Are you ashamed? I myself pee proudly while showering!
  • whatsgoodike, on 10/10/2007, -2/+5can someone reply to my comment with the list? it's proxied at work...
    :-(
    • bonked, on 11/06/2007, -2/+9Simplifying can sometimes be overwhelming. The amount of stuff you have in your life and the amount of things you have to do can be too big a mountain to tackle.

      But you don’t have to simplify it all at once. Do one thing at a time, and take small steps. You’ll get there, and have fun doing it.

      In fact, you can do little but important things today to start living the simple life.
      I was criticized a few weeks ago when I published the Simple Living Manifesto: 72 Ideas to Simplify Your Life, because many people felt the list was too long. I heard this point, and this post is my response: just the 10 most important things.

      And these are not 10 difficult things, but 10 simple things that you can do today. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. Today. Choose one and do it today. Tomorrow, choose another.

      If you do these 10 things, you’ll have made great strides with little effort.

      1. Make a short list. Take out a sheet of paper and fold it into a small square, perhaps 3×5 inches. Or take out an index card. Now make a short list of the 4-5 most important things in your life. What’s most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.

      2. Drop 1 commitment. Think about all the things in your life that you’re committed to doing, and try to find one that you dread doing. Something that takes up time but doesn’t give you much value. Perhaps you’re on a team, or coaching something, or on a board or committee, or whatever. Something that you do each day or week or month that you don’t really want to do. Now take action today to drop that commitment. Call someone, send an email, telling the appropriate person or people that you just don’t have the time. You will feel relief. I’d recommend dropping all commitments that don’t contribute to your short list (from Item #1), but for today, just drop 1 commitment.

      3. Purge a drawer. Or a shelf, or a countertop, or a corner of a room. Not an entire room or even an entire closet. Just one small area. You can use that small area as your base of simplicity, and then expand from there. Here’s how to purge: 1) empty everything from the drawer or shelf or corner into a pile. 2) From this pile, pick out only the most important things, the stuff you use and love. 3) Get rid of the rest. Right now. Trash it, or put it in your car to give away or donate. 4) Put the stuff you love and use back, in a neat and orderly manner.

      4. Set limits. Read Haiku Productivity for more. Basically, you set limits for things you do regularly: email, RSS posts, tasks, feeds, items in your life, etc. And try to stick with the limits. Today, all you have to do is set limits for a few things in your life. Tomorrow, try to stick with them.

      5. Simplify your to-do list. Take a look at your to-do list. If it’s more than 10 items long, you can probably simplify it a bit. Try to find at least a few items that can be eliminated, delegated, automated, outsourced, or ignored. Shorten the list. This is a good habit to do once a week.

      6. Free up time. Simplifying your life in general is a way to free up time to do the stuff you want to do. Unfortunately, it can be hard to find time to even think about how to simplify your life. If that’s the case, free up at least 30 minutes a day for thinking about simplifying. Or alternatively, free up a weekend and think about it then. How can you free up 30 minutes a day? Just a few ideas: wake earlier, watch less TV, eat lunch at your desk, take a walk for lunch, disconnect from the Internet, do email only once today, shut off your phones, do 1 less thing each day.

      7. Clear your desk. I can personally attest to the amazing feeling that a clean desk can give you. It’s such a simple thing to do, and yet it does so much for you. If your desk is covered with papers and notes and gadgets and office supplies, you might not be able to get this done today. But here are the basic steps: 1) Clear everything off your desk and put it in a pile (either in your inbox or on the floor). 2) Process the pile from top to bottom, one item at a time. Do not defer decisions on any item — deal with them immediately and quickly. 3) For each item, either file it immediately, route it to someone else, trash it, or note it on your to-do list (and put it in an “action” folder). If it’s a gadget or office supply, find a place for it in your desk drawers (or get rid of it). 4) Repeat until your pile is empty and your desk is clear. Be sure to get rid of any knick knacks. Your desk should have your computer, your inbox, perhaps a notepad, and maybe a family photo (but not many). Ahh, a clear desk! 5) From now on, put everything in your inbox, and at least once a day, process it in the same way as above.

      8. Clear out your email inbox. This has the same psychological effect as a clear desk. Is your email inbox always full of read and unread messages? That’s because you’re delaying decisions on your emails. If you have 50, let’s say, or fewer emails in your inbox, you can process them all today. If you have hundreds, you should put them in a temporary folder and get to them one chunk at a time (do 20 per day or something). Here’s how you process your inbox to empty — including emails already in your inbox, and all future incoming emails: 1) process them top to bottom, one at a time, deciding and disposing of each one immediately. 2) Your choices are to delete, archive, respond immediately (and archive or delete), forward (and archive or delete), or mark it with a star (or something like that) and note it on your to-do list to respond to later (and archive). 3) Process each email like that until the inbox is empty. 4) Each time you check your email, process to empty. Ahh, an empty inbox!

      9. Move slower. We rush through the day, from one task to another, from one appointment to another, until we collapse on the couch, exhausted, at the end of the day. Instead, simplify your life by doing less (see Items 1, 4 and 5) and doing them more slowly. Eat slower, drive slower, walk slower, shower slower, work slower. Be more deliberate. Be present. This isn’t something you’re going to master today, but you can start practicing today.

      10. Single-task. Instead of multi-tasking, do one thing at a time. Remove all distractions, resist any urge to check email or do some other habitual task like that while you’re doing the task at hand. Stick to that one task, until you’re done. It’ll make a huge difference in both your stress level and your productivity.
    • krets, on 10/10/2007, -9/+6I proxied yer mom.
    • Manuelmty, on 10/10/2007, -0/+38. Clear out your email inbox. DELETE all unread messages, if it was that really important they'll email/call again ...
  • euphemizeme, on 10/10/2007, -6/+19Here's how I simplified my days: I quit my job, bought bulk ramen noodles, and spend the majority of my day in bed masturbating or watching TV. Tell me this isn't Heaven on Earth.
    • EaterOfSnow, on 10/10/2007, -2/+1I'd tell you, but your probably better off masturbating.
    • trankdart, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3Get out a 3x5 card or a small square of paper. Write a short list on it consisting of "Ramen, TV, dick, bed".
      Now choose the one you don't need and get rid of it. You can't get rid of all of them today, but you can start today by getting rid of one.
    • dannygutters, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3My roommate does this it's called 'alcoholism'
  • TheNico, on 10/10/2007, -2/+12#1 Stop reading/digging "10 things..." or "Top 10..." lists all day...
  • Evolutuon, on 10/10/2007, -3/+4Live in the now and not in the future, that helps make the day simpler and alleviates stress. Meditation helps too!
  • lj535i, on 10/10/2007, -0/+10#0) Own less stuff: if you don't own, don't buy it. If you own, sell it or give it away on craigslist
    • natedouglas, on 10/10/2007, -1/+6Nicely done, lj535i. Your possessions own you too.
    • kwojniak, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3I think this is really important, and not many people understand it. Everyday we're bombarded with ads telling us to buy buy buy. It's hard not to give in, especially us geeks with the latest technology ;) Selling is good if you need the cash, but it feels so much better to donate what you don't need anymore. Find someone who is less fortunate than you, and help them out.
    • mccrew, on 10/10/2007, -1/+1One of my favorite sayings is, "The more you own, the more you are owned."
  • natedouglas, on 10/10/2007, -0/+6Am I the only person who got really stressed-out reading this article?

    (small, unfunny joke)
  • listrophy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Easily the #1 thing I need to stop doing: watching my roommates play console games.

    If they're in their room playing on the computer, that's one thing. But if they're in the living room on the giant TV playing PS3 or Wii, I just can't escape it.
  • MightyTonto, on 10/10/2007, -8/+311). Don't be a condescending dick
    12). Stop telling other people how they should live their life just because you haven't got one.
    13). Having lots of cool stuff isn't much like a mountain at all...it makes your life kinda interesting
    14). Doing things and achieving things is not a bad thing you lazy hippie
    15). I have hundreds of emails in my inbox and I'm perfectly fine thanks.
  • traviswood, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3These type of blogs/advice countdowns are the worst... yet for some reason I always click them. Yes... clearing a drawer will simplify my life... thanks for the hot tip Quincy.
  • rathofbuns, on 10/10/2007, -1/+3Loved the tips! For anyone who's interested, I run LivSimpl.com, a site with additional ideas on how to simplify life and enjoy the little things we often overlook.
  • elants, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0Another "advice I'll read yet never follow cause I'm too lazy list."
  • codehkr, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2#11: Stop thinking about ways to simplify your life.
  • chmolu, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0We should all get back to living in caves, sit by the fire and worship each sunrise. That's the ultimate simplification.
  • MrsButtersworth, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2The end was funny.
    "If you liked this article, please bookmark it on del.icio.us or vote for it on Digg. I’d appreciate it. :)"
    What a whore.
  • rockefeller2, on 10/10/2007, -0/+11. Make a short list.

    eat
    sleep
    *****
    • picsectionpleez, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1oh yeah- like you have a girlfriend
  • ONELOVE23, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Quit wasting time commenting on Digg
  • Inquisition, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0This all looks really good on paper, but isn't practical.
    "Purge a Space" yes
    "Empty email inbox" no --- There are more reasons than simple indecision to keep items in your inbox.
    "Clean Desk" Good in principal, but "knick-knacks" and other personal items serve to make your workspace comfortable and familiar. I for one don't want an industrial looking desk with no personality.
    I could go on, but I'm sure most people have already stopped reading this! :)
  • kuujjuaqguy, on 10/10/2007, -0/+2#-1 Dont bother reading this list, complete waste of time, there i just saved you 5 min of your life, that'll be $250.00 just send it via paypal to yourasucker@digg.com
  • Daiken, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1I can't agree that doing those things will make you happier. Yes I've done some of them.
  • sweetaddiction, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Clearing my email inbox is personal therapy...
  • ecidnac, on 10/10/2007, -0/+3I don't understand the need for all these "simplifying" tips. Simplifying is simple. Personally, I just avoid complexifying things in the first place, and I'm set.
  • NjoysMacs, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0I think these are great jumping off points...of course it wouldn't work for EVERYONE but it's some great ideas to make life just a little more bearable I think. For those of us who thrive on being busy and chaos (me not being one of them), this obviously isn't for you. For the rest of us, not too bad.
  • tanto, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Give yourself asexual dare. Example: I’d always wanted to try that tie-me-up-with-a-silk-scarf thing but was embarrassed—I felt like such a cliche asking for it. But when our sex life was edging into a major rut. You decide to see if it would help. Let’s just say, yeah, it did.
    http://orangtuamurid.info/blog/make-your-life-more ...
  • wassim2k, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1So many lists that my life is now more complicated because I spent too much time reading them all rather than working on my life. Drop dead top 10 lists!!!
  • V1ncent, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1Simplify your life... only pay attention to 5 step lists...
  • Tetraca, on 10/10/2007, -0/+1#0 - Sell all of your possessions and go sit in the corner of your bedroom.
  • dilasso, on 10/10/2007, -0/+0useful, easy and really a step towards the other 62 steps :-)
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