Sometimes life becomes a little complex, and you need a workaround, some way to get past your usual obstacles and to trick yourself into keeping things simple. I use these tricks myself, and I’ve found them to be effective in many cases.

Also, don’t try to implement all of them — that would be far from simple. Not all of them will apply to your life anyway. Pick one or two and try them out.

Simple tricks to simplify your life:

1. Create a no-distractions zone. This is great for when you want to do some focused work — which is just about every day for most of us. Create a zone with no distractions — no phones, no email, no co-workers or kids or spouses, nothing on the walls, no IM or Twitter, no web surfing. Just the tools you need to do your work and nothing else. You could also create a time within your schedule for this distraction-free zone — say 8-10 a.m., for example. No distractions within that block of time. You can do email and phone calls before and after, but not during. I like this trick for when I need to do some writing but have a hard time concentrating.

2. Create a short-list. This is for the big-picture simplifying. If you’re having a hard time getting your life to something truly simple, create a short list of things you love doing most. This should be 4-5 things. For me, that’s writing, reading, listening music and spending time with my loved ones :)
Your short list will be different. Then, try to eliminate everything in your life that’s not on the short list, to make room for the things you love.

3. Only one Task in this moment. This is good for those who tend to be all over the place. Don’t allow yourself to switch between tasks. When you’re working on a report or writing an article, don’t do anything else. When you’re processing email, get to empty and do nothing else. One task at a time … finish the task … move on to the next. Try this for one day, focusing on it completely for that day. If it works for you, try it again the next day.

4. Limit yourself to 3 tasks for a day. If your to-do list is long and overwhelming, pick three tasks you want to do today — important tasks that aren’t just urgent but actually have a long-lasting impact on your life. Focus on getting these three tasks done before anything else. If you finish early, you can either call it a day or get some bonus tasks done.

5. Start your day with peace. This one is so easy to implement and yet it can have such a powerful effect on your day. When you first rise, do something that is calming and peaceful. That might be having a cup of coffee, watching the sunrise with your lover, meditating or yoga, walking on grass naked feet … whatever works well for you. It can be 10 minutes or an hour, but find some peace in the morning and use it to calm you throughout your entire day.

“Reduce the complexity of life by eliminating the needless wants of life, and the labors of life reduce themselves.” - Edwin Way Teale

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