I am very blessed to have a friend that will tell me like it is. One of the things she has said to me before is, “None of us has the corner on the market of busy, we all have the same 24 hours in each day.” I try to remember this anytime I want to use the excuse “I’ve been so busy,” when I haven’t done something someone asked from me. The reality is, we have time for whatever we make our priority. I have found that instead of using the BUSY excuse, if I think to myself, ” it hasn’t been a priority, but should it be?”…that is a great way for me to quickly evaluate if maybe that thing should have been higher on my list. I certainly would hate for my kids to think they weren’t a priority. If saying “I’ve just been too busy” were the same as “you aren’t a priority” would we rethink what we do first during our day?
A lot of us feel over scheduled and over committed and really do not have enough time in our days to do EVERYTHING we have on our lists. The “Zen Guy” at Zen Habits has some great solutions for all of us. I thought that the beginning of a New Year would be a great time for all of us to try his12-step method to a more simplified life. An excerpt of his original post is republished here with permission. Enjoy!
A 12-step method, perhaps, simplified into just 6 steps.
1. Write down your top priorities. We all have a long list of things we want to do, to try, to learn, to accomplish. Just pick 4-5. You can do that right now — make a short list of the things that are most important to you. My list: spending time with my family, writing, reading and running. These are the things you’ll build your life around, for now. You can always change this list later, as your priorities change.
2. Reduce one commitment. What is something you do every day or week that’s not on your short list? Is there any way you can get out of it? Make a phone call or send an email right now that will get you out of that commitment. It might mean disappointing one or many people — but you are going to create the simple life you want, not the complicated life others demand of you. By reducing this one commitment, you are simplifying your life, creating more time and space for the important stuff. Make the choice to put your priorities first, to find the time for them, by reducing your commitments.
3. Simplify your to-do list. Same concept, but at a smaller level — what’s on your to-do list that doesn’t need to be there? Something you’ve been dreading that you don’t absolutely have to do? Can you tell someone you’re just too busy to work on this? Can you give it to someone else, or automate it? See if you can pare your to-do list to just the most important things. Alternatively, just pick 1-3 things to do each day, and don’t worry about the rest.
4. Set aside some disconnected time. If you’re connected all the time, this step is essential. Don’t skip it! Pick one hour to be disconnected — no Internet, no email, no IM, no phones. You can use your computer, but just for desktop computing, like writing in a word processor or text file, or working in Photoshop, or what have you. Use this time to really focus, to pour yourself into important tasks that you love to do. Or you can use this disconnected time to relax.
5. Create your perfect day. You’ve blocked aside some disconnected time, but let’s take that a step further: what would your ideal day look like? What would you do when you woke up, what would your work day look like (hint: it doesn’t have to be the work you’re doing now, but it could be), would you have time for exercise or sports or taking a walk or relaxing or reading or doing a hobby, would you have time for loved ones, time to clean or do errands, time for checking email, etc.? List the things you’d do, ideally, then simplify to the most important ones. Then lay them out in a schedule. You don’t have to stick to this schedule exactly, but knowing what’s ideal gives you something to work toward. In some cases, you can simply start living this day, tomorrow, but in others you’ll have to make gradual changes to allow this ideal day to happen. The key: taking control and responsibility for making the perfect day a reality.
6. Declutter. You want a nice, decluttered, serene space to surround you in your new simplified life. So you’re going to create it. Two ways to go here: if you don’t have much time, just do 10-15 minutes for now, and continue to do small increments until you get to where you’d like to be. Here’s how. Second method is if you have an entire day or weekend — set aside a big block of time and just overhaul your workspace or one or two rooms in your home. Here’s a good method.
Next Steps
Once you get to this stage, things should be a bit more simplified. But you’re probably interested in going beyond that. Here’s what you can do next — but please, please, don’t try to do these all at once. Pick one at a time, and do it slowly, over time. Simplifying isn’t a race — it’s a life.
- Declutter some more. Read.
- Letting go of wanting to buy more. Read.
- Reducing more commitments. Read.
- Transitioning to doing only work you love. Read.
- Creating time for solitude, quiet and relaxation. Read.
- Slowing down in everything you do. Read.
- Being present more often. Read.
- Single-tasking. Read.
And most importantly: enjoy the process! The important thing isn’t a destination — a perfect, simple life — but the journey along the way.
Manifest plainness,
Embrace simplicity,
Reduce selfishness,
Have few desires.
- Lao-tzu
P.S. Congratulations to iciclelady who was randomly drawn from yesterday’s comments to win a $10 GC to Michelle Underwood’s store for today’s GIFTaway!!
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Great thoughts on priorities. Thanks!
Thanks for the great post. There’s some great stuff to think about. I’m definately in a place where I need to be looking at my priorities.
Great advice! I already follow a lot of them, but it was nice to hear about a few more!
THanks for all the great resources.
Priorities. Funny that you write about this today. Just yesterday I’d decided that Priorities is going to be my One Little Word, my focus word for 2010.
I’m going to have to read this post again and again! Thank you so much!
Wonderful wisdom & an excellent post.
Awesome tips. I’ve been trying to simplify and these are some great pointers. Thanks!
Thanks! I needed this. In all the craziness of prepping for a new baby (#3), moving across the US, and getting my husband through his last semester of an MBA, I feel like I never have time for anything, even the good stuff I love to do. Thanks for reminding me to prioritize and that finding the time to sit down and finish some layouts and quilt (My other guilt pleasure) is not a bad use of time.
great advice and ideas
Wow! Thanks for the great tips. I had never thought of being busy in that perspective.
Love the reminder that we don’t have a corner on the “busy” market. I often feel overwhelmed with where I am in life and I need to be reminded that I’m *not* the only one feeling that way!
I needed the reminder!
Thanks. This will get me back on track
Great reminder for 2010. Love the Zen Guy!
What a great idea! I definitely need to work on this!
I love the Zen Guy. He really hits home so many times. I’ve been working on the declutter and it really does make a huge difference in your outlook.
I’m on board for sure. Prioritizing in my life has already begun and I feel… free. I decided that staying home with my daughter was more important than my paycheck. It’s a little tight but God’s love is bountiful. Here’s to a life less busy and more joyful!
[...] them? If you keep thinking that you are “too busy” to get stuff done, I read this highly inspirational blog post over at The Daily Digi today. It certainly put things into perspective for me. I hope it does [...]
What a timely and informative post! Thank you. I really needed this and know others who could benefit from the change of “too busy” to “not a priority”. Excellent!
Thank you for this wonderful message. The reminders are great.
Thanks! I needed this, especially the declutter section.
Thank you for this great message! We all need reminders and this really hits the spot! Love, love, love the variety of The Daily Digi and all the work you all put into it. I have simplified my daily blog reading for digi scrapping to only The Daily Digi because you keep us so well informed and up to date on happenings in the digi world.
Ooo I need to simplify my life soooo much. I feel like I NEVER have time to do the things that I want to!!
Love the quote… Need to remember that….
WOW! This is great, I really needed to hear the “I’m busy” thing. Thank you! I also loved the 12 tips! Hello 2010! I will no longer be “busy” unless I am with my kids and husband. They are my priority.
absolutely love this post. very motivating to make 2010 a year of change
Thanks for the article. I really need to step away from the computer more.
Great post and great timing. The beginning of the year is always a time for me to rethink what I’m doing. But, I have to agree with Marcia above. The next time I say “I’m too busy”, the words, “you aren’t a priority” will be playing in my mind. It will be a good thing. I would much rather recognize that now with some embarrassment and change than in 10 years with full on regret. Thanks again for the post!
Fantastic post. Words I need to hear. My favorite is… Single tasking… is there such a thing?
My favorite stomach-dropping words in the whole post? “If saying “I’ve just been too busy” were the same as “you aren’t a priority” would we rethink what we do first during our day?” – especially when thinking of uttering them to my children.
Thank you for that.
Marcia
What an inspiring thought!! Awesome!
Wow! Great post – going to go to the library and check out the book The Power of Less! Very motivating post!
As much a I love the idea of a simple life, I love my semi-chaotic one too. I think it’s about balance.
Thanks for the remind. Now for me to just follow the advice.
This is a huge issue for me! Thanks for bringing some perspective in my life!
Thanks for this timely post
Great advices – thanks for an excellent post!
on that declutter note…I would so LOVE to rent a DUMPSTER and pitch MANY things, for lack of space, lack of use, or so run down it’s better to do without than continue to let the item take up space!
This is huge for me as I think somewhere along the line my priorities got screwed up. I need more deconnected time – time away from the computer. Then I think I’d be amazed at what I could accomplish.
Ugh… I know exactly what this is…. Sometimes I feel so frustrated just because of the long list of to-do stuffs staring at me
Thanks for the tips here. I will try to do it to brighten my day