30 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life

30 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life

 “Any intelligent fool can make things bigger, more complex, and more difficult.  It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move swiftly in the opposite direction.”  –E.F. Schumacher

A simple life has a different meaning and a different value for every person.  For me, it means getting rid of some of life’s complexities¹ so you can spend more time with people you love and do more of the things you love.  It means getting rid of the clutter², and eliminating all but the essential, so you are left with only that which gives you value.

The Short List

For the cynics who might say that the list of 30 ideas below is too long to be ‘simple,’ there are really only two steps to simplifying:

Identify what’s most important to you.

Eliminate everything else.

Of course, that advice is not terribly useful unless you can see some examples of how to apply this concept to different areas of your life; so I present to you…

The Long List

There can be no step-by-step guide to simplifying your life, but I’ve compiled an incomplete list of ideas that should help you move in the right direction.  And of course, not every tip will fit your lifestyle, so just choose a few that do and apply them accordingly.

Resign from a commitment you’re not passionate³ about.

Stop trying to be perfect.

Implement⁴ a basic cleaning schedule.

Automate⁵ your finances by signing up for automatic bill pay and automatic savings⁶ deposits through your bank.  (Read I Will Teach You To Be Rich.)

Clean out your media collection and keep only the items you love.

Clean out your purse or wallet.

Put a paper shredder next to your mail spot.

Winnow⁷ your wardrobe down to pieces that work together.

Delete any social networking accounts you don’t actually use.

Add your number to the do-not-call list.

Create a car maintenance schedule and post it somewhere you’ll see it.

Enjoy life’s simple pleasures.

Start your day with a healthy meal.

Turn your phone off when you need quiet time.

Single-task as much as possible.

Design a filing system that you can stick to.  Read David Allen’s book Getting Things Done for some practical organizational guidance.

Set one good goal, and go achieve it.

Record your good “shower” ideas and then implement them. (Don’t we all get our best inspirations in the shower?)

Write to a friend with (gasp!) pen and paper.

Set limits on your bad habits, and reward yourself when you stick with them.

Always be honest with yourself and others.

Don’t worry too much about what other people think about you.

Stop trying to be a saint and indulge yourself in something fun every once in a while.

Pay off your credit card debt.

Avoid watching commercials and reading advertisements.

Rediscover the pleasure of reading purely⁸ for enjoyment⁹.

Plan two weeks of delicious meals ahead of time and skip the nightly grocery run.

Go to your doctor for a preventative checkup.

Learn to ask for help.

Make mistakes, learn from them, laugh about them, and move along.

Want more simple ideas you can implement to simplify your life?  I highly recommend reading The Joy of Less.  And of course, check out my blog for advice on simplifying your financial and professional life.

1 complexities   

复杂性(complexity的名词复数)； 复杂的事物

参考例句：

• The complexities of life bothered him. 生活的复杂使他困惑。
• The complexities of life bothered me. 生活的杂乱事儿使我心烦。

2 clutter   

n.零乱，杂乱；vt.弄乱，把…弄得杂乱

参考例句：

• The garage is in such a clutter that we can't find anything.车库如此凌乱，我们什么也找不到。
• We'll have to clear up all this clutter.我们得把这一切凌乱的东西整理清楚。

3 passionate   

adj.热情的，热烈的，激昂的，易动情的，易怒的，性情暴躁的

参考例句：

• He is said to be the most passionate man.据说他是最有激情的人。
• He is very passionate about the project.他对那个项目非常热心。

4 implement   

n.(pl.)工具，器具；vt.实行，实施，执行

参考例句：

• Don't undertake a project unless you can implement it.不要承担一项计划，除非你能完成这项计划。
• The best implement for digging a garden is a spade.在花园里挖土的最好工具是铁锹。

5 automate   

v.自动化；使自动化

参考例句：

• Many banks have begun to automate.许多银行已开始采用自动化技术。
• To automate the control process of the lathes has become very easy today.使机床的控制过程自动化现已变得很容易了。

6 savings   

n.存款，储蓄

参考例句：

• I can't afford the vacation,for it would eat up my savings.我度不起假，那样会把我的积蓄用光的。
• By this time he had used up all his savings.到这时，他的存款已全部用完。

7 winnow   

v．把（谷物）的杂质吹掉，扬去

参考例句：

• You should winnow out the inaccuracies of this paper this afternoon.你今天下午把这篇文章中不精确的内容删掉。
• We should winnow out the errors in logic.我们应该排除逻辑中的错误。

8 purely   

adv.纯粹地，完全地

参考例句：

• I helped him purely and simply out of friendship.我帮他纯粹是出于友情。
• This disproves the theory that children are purely imitative.这证明认为儿童只会单纯地模仿的理论是站不住脚的。

9 enjoyment   

n.乐趣；享有；享用

参考例句：

• Your company adds to the enjoyment of our visit. 有您的陪同，我们这次访问更加愉快了。
• After each joke the old man cackled his enjoyment.每逢讲完一个笑话，这老人就呵呵笑着表示他的高兴。