Simplifying life gives you the opportunity to reduce all the clutter and stress by focussing on that which actually provides happiness and fulfilment. Getting rid of the rest makes life easier and provides you with extra time to enjoy the things you consider most important things.
Leo Babauta’s new book ‘The Power of Less
Following through the logic, the first step is to identify the essential. This is making a note of 4-5 things that you consider to be the most important elements of your life. Mine are:
- Spending time with family and friends
- Reading and writing
- Photography
- Fitness
- Experience
To start on the road to simplification and spend more time on these, you need to start by decluttering! Why? It may not be a part of the process Leo suggests but, in my case, this makes sense. To start moving towards a simpler life, I need to get a lot of ‘stuff’ out of the house. All the cupboards are full of things. At some point, I needed these things but what about now? It seems clear to me that some of these items can go. I would bet that you have this kind of ‘stuff’ lying about. If you don’t, please let me know how! Remember though, ‘stuff’ is not just physical clutter, it is also files on your hard drive, your ‘to do’ list, emails etc. This all needs to be sorted out in order to ease into a more simple lifestyle!
The plan is…
- Clear out the junk and clutter. Whether this goes in the rubbish or on eBay, it doesn’t matter. This will enable you to tidy up and get organised much more easily.
- Sort out computer file systems. One of my resolutions was to get my photos and files organised. It will fit nicely with the above and streamline things a bit.
- Tidy up loose ends. Everyone has things that keep getting put off. This is another form of decluttering. In this case, it isn’t stuff, it’s tasks. Less things hanging over you will give you a feeling of freedom.
- Focus on those things you find the most important. After all this effort, there will be a lot less distraction and stress. Moving forward will be a much easier process.
There is actually a 5th point but is mine! Announce the secret plan. It has been mentioned before that I will probably be out of a job in a few months, if that happens, I want to kick off with the experience of a lifetime. This is currently secret whilst I sort out the details!
The above is all theoretical. As I have not done these things myself yet, I cannot say what the outcome will be. So that I can report properly, I am going to start with phase 1. I am going to start small, in one room, then see what happens… and report it here of course!