Tag: Simplicity

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Enemy Of The Best

“The first step in crafting the life you want is to get rid of everything you don’t.” ~ Joshua Becker

“I had seen successful people let go of very good things that were not the best things to them.” ~ Dr. Henry Cloud

Don’t let the Good crowd out the Best.

In the book 9 Things You Simply Must Do To Succeed In Love And Life, Dr. Henry Cloud identifies one of the 9 Things as “pull the tooth”. If you’ve ever had a toothache, you know that temporary measures to hide or mask the pain do not work for long. You may be able to forget about it for a short time, but the pain always returns. Until you deal with the source of the pain, the problem keeps coming back. Continue reading “Enemy Of The Best”

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Your Life, Simplified

The objective of simplifying is not to have less but to have more . . . more time, more energy, more peace of mind.

Do you ever feel that your life is so crowded you don’t have any time or energy to focus on the things that you really want to do with your life? Maybe you are interested in paring down to the basics to get to your true purpose. Or maybe you just want to simplify your routine, your calendar, or your schedule to make life a little easier. Whatever your reasons for wanting to simplify, here are some suggestions for getting started. You can make a few changes or tackle them all and make time in your life for the things that are meaningful to you. Continue reading “Your Life, Simplified”

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Steady Wins The Race

Ready? On your mark. Get set. GO . . . consistently!
Consistent action is the key to growth.

“Motivation gets you going, but discipline keeps you growing.” ~ John C. Maxwell

Remember the fable about the race between the tortoise and the hare? The hare sped way out in front, then decided to stop for a bite to eat. The tortoise plodded along, slowly and surely, never wavering. When the hare saw that the tortoise was gaining on him, he took off again, far outdistancing the tortoise. He got so far ahead, in fact, that he decided he had time for a nap. Meanwhile, the tortoise plodded along, slowly and surely, never wavering. You know what happened — eventually, the tortoise passed the hare, who was otherwise engaged, and won the race. Continue reading “Steady Wins The Race”

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Why I Wear A Uniform

Wearing a uniform is not about doing with less — it’s doing with more . . . more time, more money, more willpower, more peace of mind.

“A [person] is rich in proportion to the number of things he can afford to let alone.” ~ Henry David Thoreau

Months ago, I adopted a uniform – a specific dress code or set of clothes that I wear each day. Of course, I’m not the first person to do this. One of the most famous uniform wearers is the late Steve Jobs, who was always seen in a black turtle neck, jeans and sneakers. (As a matter of fact, one of my friends began joking about my “Steve Jobs look”.) And there are a number of other people, famous and not so well-known, who have chosen their own personal uniform — Mark Zuckerburg, Albert Einstein, Johnny Cash to name a few. Continue reading “Why I Wear A Uniform”

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Enough

 

“Clutter isn’t just the stuff in your closet. It’s anything that gets between you and the life that you want to be living.” ~ Peter Walsh

“Waste lies not in the number of possessions but in the failure to enjoy them.” ~ Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin, Your Money or Your Life

Do you have “enough”? This is a two-sided question. If you don’t have a reserve of resources in all areas of your life, you spend your time scrambling to get your basic needs met. On the other hand, if you keep amassing resources beyond your reserves, you end up giving most of your time and life source to accumulating. Continue reading “Enough”

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Radical Simplicity

“Complexity is the curse of the digital age. It is a type of intellectual pollution that smothers clear thought and which has direct negative benefits on individual productivity . . .” ~ Gary Ryan Blair

I am in love with ideas. Ideas intrigue and fascinate me. I like to learn new things and new ways to do old things. I am constantly searching for new twists on old ideas or concepts. One reason is that I am basically lazy. I want to have and do and be various things — and I want to have and do and be them NOW with the smallest amount of effort. Continue reading “Radical Simplicity”

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When Is Enough Enough?

“Struggling is an expression of one’s unmet needs.” ~ Thomas Leonard.
What are you struggling with or against? There is a place you need to build a reserve.

Do you have enough?

In the Excelerated Life model, there are 3 principles that may seem to conflict: 1) Excelerated simplicity — freeing yourself from unnecessary complexity; 2) Being clutter-free and well-enough organized — able to find what you need when you need it, and 3) Excelerated reserves — building your reserves in all areas. Excelerated simplicity and being clutter-free go hand in hand, but how do we reconcile these principles with building Excelerated reserves – with accumulating more stuff? Continue reading “When Is Enough Enough?”

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A Simpler Life

“Designing a simple life means having fewer distractions in your life, so you can focus on what matters. It’s about saying no to everything that gets in the way, but saying yes to what’s right for you.” ~ Melissa Camara Wilkins

What Is Required For A Simple Life?

“If less is more, then nothing is everything.” [CoachU]

What is required to live a simple life? Does it mean giving up all luxuries? Going “off the grid”? Giving up your job? Cleaning out your possessions?

Actually, it could mean that and does for some people – but it isn’t a requirement. Most of us could lead simpler lives and create more time, energy, and resources for pursuing the things that really matter.

For example, research shows that people who have shorter commutes generally have a higher sense of well-being. [Morin] Yet, the trend is to move further away from our jobs to the suburbs and larger and larger houses. Most of us would be happier living in a smaller house, closer to work, but we have been enculturated to think bigger is better and more is preferable.

Continue reading “A Simpler Life”
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The Rules Of Time

Time management is a misnomer — you can’t really manage time. You can, however, manage yourself and the way you use time. Executive, teacher, doctor, student, stay-at-home mom (or dad), artist, builder, unemployed – all have the same number of hours in a day. It’s how they – and you and I – use these hours that makes a difference in our lives.

Although you can’t manage time, there are some rules of time you can use to better understand how you can use time to your advantage. These rules aren’t written down anywhere — in fact, I made them up. But they have been helpful to me in my own attempts to manage my life and time and I think they are worth sharing. Here they are in no particular order.

Continue reading “The Rules Of Time”