Simplify Your Life – 7 Really Quick Ways To Make Your Life So Much Simpler
Life happens at such a fast pace nowadays. We often have so much going on that we don’t take the time to make our lives simpler.
The problem is that we often don’t know where to start making our lives less complicated. The more we do, the more stressed we become, which in turn can complicate our lives even more.
It takes courage to change, but it will be worth it. Here are 7 quick and easy ways to help you live a more simple and enjoyable life.
1) How many hats do you wear? Take an inventory of everything you do, and the activities you are involved in. Is it in your interest to continue with all of these activities? If it is, can you reduce the time you devote to these? Are there any that could be dropped, in preference for new, more beneficial activities?
2) You must learn to use the word “no”. We often take on more than we can cope with. Sometimes we feel that it is easier to accept an assignment or task rather than saying no. Try to work out why you keep taking on more. Perhaps you want recognition, or you would feel guilty or inadequate if you declined to do something.
3) Get rid of stuff. Rather than spending time organizing and re-arranging all of your stuff, it would be far more productive to get rid of what you don’t need or want! This is a really freeing exercise, and not only will you gain more space, but you will probably rake in a bit of cash too.
4) Create a monthly dinner menu. If you can plan your dinners for the next month, then this will alleviate a lot of stress and make food shopping so much easier too. Once you’ve come up with a monthly plan, this can simply be repeated throughout the year, so simplifying your life even more.
5) Whittle down your wardrobe. Often, we can’t decide what to wear because we simply have too much to choose from! Go through your wardrobe and get rid of items you haven’t worn in the last year (or have no intention of wearing). We all have items in our closets that seemed a good idea at the time, but which have never been worn.
6) Streamline the clutter on your computer. How much of the information on your hard drive have you used? It is so easy to request a free report here and there, or download a free piece of software and save it to your computer “until later”. Spend an afternoon going through files that you have downloaded and decide which should be kept.
7) Go on a TV diet. Television uses up a lot of our precious time, which we could be using much more productively. If you can’t give up watching TV altogether, then reduce your viewing time by at least half. Be selective in what you watch, and don’t spend valuable time surfing channels. If there is nothing to watch, then switch off the TV.
This is only a tiny sample of ways to simplify your life. I challenge you to take some time out for yourself, and decide how you could make your life so much easier and reduce your stress levels.
I guarantee that your life will become so much more enjoyable!
Set Realistic Time Scales to Ensure Success
When setting a goal, it is very important to estimate how long it will take to achieve your target. Once you have an idea of a time frame, you will then be in a position to stipulate a specific date. By identifying a completion date, this will ensure a much greater chance of being successful. Put the date on your calendar, and imprint this date into your mind!
This seems simple enough. Unfortunately however, many people set totally unrealistic time frames, which will set them up to fail.
Some goals will take a number of hours each week to achieve. For instance, if you are studying for a particular qualification, you will need to be able to dedicate a certain number of hours each and every week. If an exam date has been set, then this is the time frame that you will need to work to. If the course requires 20 hours of study per week, you are unlikely to succeed if you dedicate only 5 hours.
Ensuring that you make best use of your weekly allowance of time is crucial. We all have the same amount of time in a week - 168 hours to be precise.
How do you spend your time, and how much time can you dedicate to achieving your goals?
I suggest the following to help to ensure that you make the best use of your available time.
1) Decide how much time you will need to devote each week to achieve your goal.
2) Keep a diary over a period of a week and record all of your activities. Be as accurate as you can to discover how long you spend on each. Remember that eating, sleeping, washing and so on do take time, so always include these every day activities!
3) Be honest with yourself. If you spend 3 hours a day watching TV, write that down.
4) Now review what you do during the week, and how much time you spend on each. Just like budgeting money, where can you make time savings?
5) Identify times in the week that could be used in the pursuit of your goals. If you spend a high percentage of your week watching television, I bet that much of this could be used to achieve your dreams instead!
6) Once you have identified time periods to devote to goals, get hold of a weekly planner and color in the periods that you will schedule as your "goal achievement time".
7) Follow your schedule and you will find that it will soon become a part of your routine.
Not only will you start achieving some really worthwhile goals, but you will also gain a wonderful sense of achievement, which will spur you on to achieve more and more!
7 Easy and Free Ways to Develop a More Positive Attitude
Having a positive attitude brings so many benefits into our lives.
Besides fostering much stronger relationships with others, optimists benefit from improved health - mentally, physically and emotionally. We are all on this journey to learn and to experience the things that life has to offer. Why not take the opportunity to look forward to what lies ahead and to savor it when it arrives?
How can we develop a more positive attitude? Although there are many suggestions and pieces of advice, here are the 7 which I personally find the easiest and most beneficial.
1) SMILE! This is actually quite a simple thing to do, and it costs absolutely nothing. The benefits can be immense. Not only does smiling make us feel better, but we may even cause those around us to smile!
2) SAY THANK YOU. This is another small action that costs nothing, yet it can prove to be extremely valuable. Saying thank you is even more valuable when we can give a smile at the same time!
3) BE PLEASANT TO OTHERS. Again, there is no need to put your hand in your pocket for this one. Just a couple of kind words spoken to another person can really make their day!
4) CHOOSE TO BE POSITIVE. Everything we do in life depends on choices that we make. It is entirely up to us how we choose to respond to events. Decide every morning to have a positive day!
5) LOOK AT THE BEAUTY AROUND YOU. Do we take the time to really look at what is around us? Whether we look at elements of nature, or things that man has made, look and find beauty in everything.
6) APPRECIATE WHAT YOU HAVE. Rather than thinking of what you wish you could have, why not first take some time to reflect on what you have right now? Express gratitude for everything you have in your life. Once you can acknowledge and be thankful for what you have, then you can move on to ask for more.
7) DO SOMETHING FOR SOMEBODY. Offer to help someone in some way. It takes less than a minute to hold a door open for someone, but this may make a real difference to that person. By spending a short time helping, it may make an impression long after the act is done.
All of these suggestions cost nothing, and take very little time to implement. Making other people feel good makes us feel good.
Be positive throughout the day, and it is guaranteed to spread to others!
Positive Thinking – Appreciate What You Have in Your Life
People often focus on what they want, and not on what they already have. Do you find yourself wishing for this and that, and take what you have for granted?
Rather than thinking of what you wish you could have, why not first take some time to reflect on what you have right now? Express gratitude for everything you have in your life. Once you can acknowledge and be thankful for what you have, then you can move on to ask for more.
Sit down and make a long list of what you have.
Firstly, list the members of your immediate family and close friends. Next to each name, write down 3 positive words to describe them. This is a wonderful way to really think of what these people mean to you.
Now make a list of your strengths and your talents. What are you good at? What do you enjoy doing? Every one of us was given gifts - our own special gifts. And this is what makes each of us so unique!
Write down the ways in which your talents and strengths have allowed you to achieve particular goals in your life. Acknowledge your talents and make sure that you use them regularly to benefit yourself and others!
Once you have listed the people in your life, and the talents that make you so special, you may then list your material possessions that are important to you. Next to each of these, write down the ways in which these benefit you, your family, and those around you.
From this exercise, you will appreciate that there is far more in life than fancy houses and cars. Your family, your friends, and your gifts and talents are the things that really matter in life.
These are the things that help you to live your life to the full. Be grateful for everything that you have!
Develop a More Positive Attitude by Looking at the Beauty Around You
Everyone seems to be in such a rush going here and there. Slow down. This world is an amazing place! Look around you. Whether you are looking at trees, flowers, people or buildings, all of these have been created.
Take in the sights, listen to all of the wonderful sounds, and feel the warm sun or wind on your face.
Instead of taking everything you see for granted, take some time to really look, think and become more curious about everything around you!
Be amazed at all of the vibrant colors you see. Why are there so many colors? What if everything was just black and white?
Be amazed at the sheer height of buildings, and wonder how people managed to construct them. When were they built, and how long did it take?
Be amazed at the shapes of the flowers you see in the park. Look closely at the petals and leaves. Notice how perfectly formed they are. Why is this particular flower pink, yet the one over there is yellow?
Look up at the sky. Beyond the clouds, you can see the sun. At night, we see the moon and the stars. These objects are so far away, yet you can see them!
Look up at the stars, and try to appreciate how distant these tiny dots of light actually are.
Watch a river flowing by, or watch waves crashing against the shore. Appreciate the power in the water and realize how water and wind has helped shape the landscape.
Walk along a crowded street and notice how unique every person is. There are millions and millions of people on the Earth, yet everyone is an individual.
When you get home, take a long look in the mirror and see how unique you are. Be thankful for who you are, and what you are able to do.
Everything on the Earth is truly amazing!
7 Benefits of Having a Positive Attitude
The benefits of having a positive attitude are immense. Not only are you much more likely to be successful in life, but there are numerous other advantages to looking "on the bright side".
Here are 7 of the best!
1) Perhaps the most important benefit is better health. By thinking positively, you will tend to look after yourself more, with the result that you will be healthier. Being happy and having the ability to laugh certainly makes you feel better!
2) Positive thinkers have less stress in their lives and have much more control over how they react to events. If something bad happens, optimists will review the situation. They will then assess what the actual problem is and try to resolve it. It is much better to take control and sort out the problem. These are major contributions to reducing stress in your life.
3) It is probably fair to say that those with a positive attitude will have more friends and a better social life. People with a negative attitude are best avoided whenever possible!
4) Positive people will be more confident. They look forward to meeting others and accepting daily challenges.
5) They will also have a greater belief in their own abilities. Challenges and opportunities will be regarded as possible rather than impossible.
6) Positive thinkers enjoy life more. Getting up in the morning with a positive attitude will ensure that you are able to face the day ahead with energy and enthusiasm.
7) Optimists look forward to the future. As positive people enjoy life more, they look forward to meeting the opportunities and experiences that life presents.
They appreciate that every day will help them to increase their knowledge and experience. Positive thinkers plan ahead to help themselves get nearer to reaching their full potential!
Do your utmost to be a positive person and to surround yourself with positive people and experiences. Enjoy the benefits of having a positive attitude!
7 Quick & Easy Ways to Avoid Procrastination
Procrastination is an extremely common problem, and every one of us will have experienced it! You know that you have to get something done, but you will do anything to avoid actually having to do it. I'm not one for doing housework, but when I had to study for exams, I was more than happy to clean the oven or defrost the fridge.
Here are 7 tips that I personally use to avoid the pitfalls of procrastination.
1) Early in the day, write down a maximum of 5 things that you absolutely must do today. By writing them down, you will see exactly what you need to do. Having various tasks swirling around in your head won't help you get anything done!
2) Restrict your list to 5 tasks. Anymore than that and you just won't know where to start.
3) Look at the list and decide on 3 tasks that you will be able to complete quickly and without too much effort. Normally, you would be advised to do the hardest tasks first. But think about it. If you procrastinate with the hardest tasks, then you won't complete anything on your list!
4) When you complete a task, take great pleasure in striking it off your list. Take a couple of minutes "out" to congratulate yourself on completing it. Feel really positive about your accomplishment, no matter how small or trivial the task was.
5) For the "harder" tasks on your list, you must look at these in a positive way. If it is something you really don't like doing, imagine that the task has been completed, and reflect on how great you will feel once it has been done. See yourself striking the task off your list, and congratulating yourself for completing it.
6) Having a sense of accomplishment will make all the difference when tackling your next task. The problem with procrastination is that if you don't complete anything on your list, then you miss out on this wonderful feeling. Get your first task done and your feelings of accomplishment will snowball as you continue to tackle more items on the list.
7) Sometimes tasks just have to be done, whether you like to do them or not. This is where you really just have to get on and do it. Besides the wonderful feeling of accomplishment (which will be greater the more you hate the task!), you will be rewarded by the benefits that completing that task will bring. Before starting the task, decide on an additional reward that you will give yourself when it is completed.
Procrastination prevents us from achieving the things in life that will help us grow and to reach our full potential. Enjoy the challenge of completing your daily tasks and congratulate yourself on achieving so much that day.
As you continue to achieve more and more, procrastination will soon become a thing of the past!
