| Healthy Reflections Newsletter
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As we soon move from spring into summer, many of us begin to think about clearing out the unnecessary "stuff" from our lives ---both the physical items around us as well as the emotional concerns that may be weighing us down. In today's newsletter, I've included a few tips to begin the process of simplifying your life if that's an area that needs attention.
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Tips For Simplifying Your Life
Many of us feel that we no longer control our time or the direction of our lives. There are more and more things to do and, seemingly, less time to do them in. We may have created a full and challenging life but have no time to enjoy it. However, there are some ways to slow things down and simplify our lives. Listed below are four suggestions:
1) In order to make more time for yourself, paradoxically, you have to take time to examine how you are using your time now. There's the saying "if you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always gotten." Begin to think about what can be changed or eliminated in order to simplify your life.
2) Vilfredo Pareto in 1897 stated the 80/20 Principle, which says that 20% of our effort produces 80% of the results. The challenge is to identify these few vital items that produce the greatest value for you. Focus on the activities that result in the greatest satisfaction and eliminate those activities that are unprofitable.
3) If you want to simplify your life, learn to say no. Individuals get into trouble when they agree to do things they really don't have time to do. This eventually leads to a constant state of being overwhelmed and frustrated.
4) Clear away the clutter around you. Get rid of things you don't use. One suggestion is to go through your house and get rid of everything you haven't used in the past year. When considering your next purchase, consider not only it's immediate cost in money but the cost of it's use over time. Particularly with the latest electronic "toy or gadget", factor in the cost of setting it up, learning how to use it or fixing problems with it down the road. There's the saying, "that which we own owns us."
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