I want to ask you a question – what is more important to you: things or life experiences?
I was never really driven by money or material goods, even until my own life took a dramatic turn.
I always prefer things that have meaning, connections, and memories that I can cherish.
We seem to live in a culture that promotes the idea that acquiring more will make us happier.
A culture that prioritizes activity above all other factors. How many people mention their hectic schedules? How much tension?
A recurring theme is how much each of us wants to do, and it almost looks like success that has overcome adversity and stress.
After all, it is then shared online for all to see and applaud.
Don’t you agree that the more we do, the more we feel like we have to do?
While most of us feel totally overwhelmed by our work load, we keep our relationships in balance, maintain physical health and keep in touch with family and friends.
Add to this external stressors such as climate change, social issues and politics and it is not hard to see how many people feel overwhelmed by life.
Most people’s response to feeling overwhelmed is to try to fit in more, do more, work harder, speed up etc.
We try to control everything on our plate, we juggle things and sacrifice our health, sleep and mental well-being to get through the to-do list.
But what if the real secret to tackling your endless list of tasks is actually to reevaluate how you measure success?
Taking some time to reassess your priorities and simplify areas of your life can help you redefine your goals and reflect on who you really are and your purpose here.
Make a conscious decision to take an honest look at your life and refocus on authentic sources of happiness, instead of just going through the motions.
Read on to find out my ultimate life hacks to simplify for success.
1. Identify what matters to you.
Get a notepad and a pen and brainstorm about the things in your life that really matter to you. Make a top five list.
Try to create a few words or a sentence that sums up who you are and what your essence is. What turns you on?
Create some words or phrases that reflect this back to you and stick it somewhere you can see it every day to remind you.
2. Identify what prevents you from truly living that essence.
In the same notepad, you will make some lists of the things in your life as it is right now that prevent you from getting what you really want.
Ask yourself where in life things are weighing you down?
Where can you eliminate the things that do not directly contribute to your goal?
Do you spend too much time on distractions that don’t actually help you towards your ideal vision?
3. Organize and Delegate
Life goes more smoothly when you are organized.
Instead of wasting nervous energy panicking about how much you have to do, develop a system that works for you.
Whether you’re planning your workload in 20-minute time slots (with a 5-minute break), getting dressed for work or the gym the night before or prepare the meal a week in advance.
This kind of advance planning can make your life 50% easier and free up essential time for more interesting things.
Equally important is delegation where necessary.
You don’t need to do everything yourself, share the load where appropriate with a colleague or family member and remember that boundaries are important.
4. Start the Day Spiritually
I talk about this a lot in my blogs, but having a morning ritual is one of the most loving things you can do for yourself and start your day off right.
Even if you’re not a morning person, you won’t regret taking that extra half hour or so to prepare for the day ahead.
This can be time spent in quiet reflection, meditation, yoga, journaling or however you wish to mentally prepare to start your day.
It’s also an awesome way to connect with yourself, prepare the day ahead in your mind and see where you can plan to move forward with your goals as the day goes on.
5. Cut Toxic Relationships
Ok, I know this is a challenge in reality, but I promise you it is so important for your mental and emotional health, not to mention success in life.
Having people in your life who bring negativity and drama is a big time drain on your precious energy.
Only you can identify who in your life fits this role.
Once you do this, it’s best to reduce the time you spend with them or draw some boundaries if you can’t disconnect completely.
This can be hard, uncomfortable and downright painful if we are talking about family members or relationships, but remember that your life is in your hands.
You have to take responsibility for your own happiness.
6. Have a Detox Technology
This is a popular hack at the moment, with everyone talking about how much time is wasted surfing the web or scrolling through social media.
There are even apps you can get to measure your time and stop logging in!
I just recommend being aware of what you do on your phone/pad/laptop and checking in with yourself every day, being realistic about how much ’empty’ time you spend scrolling.
Instead of feeling guilty about the time you spend on the internet, try switching it to something more productive.
Every time you absentmindedly reach for your phone, you can learn a new word in a foreign language, go out into nature or take three deep breaths in and out.
Teach your brain new ways to deal with that addiction that comes from scrolling through feeds and clicking on articles/videos/photos that don’t actually improve your experience or get you closer to your goals.
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These hacks are designed to help you get more intentional about who you are and what you want out of this short and special life experience we’re all living!
Make the decision to simplify your life a very conscious one and in no time you will begin to see how easy it is to actually achieve your dreams.
By removing all those unnecessary layers of mental chatter, negativity and emotional waste of time you will know what is actually important to you.
You can move through life with ease and freedom, connecting from a place of deep personal purpose and intention.
Do you think that a simple life can lead to success?
