August 17th, 2009

After Armen’s list of 100, my own 100 Ways to be a better leader and now several readers creating their own lists of 100 topics, I thought I would continue this trend and build one more on 100 ways simplify your life and mind. I’ve written a couple articles before on this topic and I’ve kept a few items from those articles on my list here, but most of this is new and it is really a useful way to find things to start doing. As with any of these 100 lists, obviously you can’t do all of these things (I certainly don’t) but you can pick some items on the list and start with them to simplify things in your life. I’d love for you to comment and add your own items or why not create your own list of 100 items, link back to these if they have inspired you and challenge your own readers to do the same and keep these lists going!

Simplify Your Actions

1. Start everyday with your most important task, leaving other ones undone

2. Do what you said you will do first

3. Say no when you are already committed and asked to take on more

4. Ask others for help whenever you need it

5. Finish things completely, don’t leave it only to have to come back again and again

6. Pick one thing at a time to do and focus on it

7. Make the most time for your passions and purposeful work

8. Leave spare time for yourself unscheduled and uncommitted

9. Prioritize your todo list

10. Keep one todo list and keep it short (only the most important things should be on it at any time)

11. Take time to be in solitude

12. Take time to pray and meditate

13. Make wasteful actions (like TVwatching or pointless internet surfing) more difficult to do to help avoid them.

14. Find and eliminate other wasteful actions in your life

15. Develop habits and daily routines to practise important actions

16. Read every single day

17. Plan your week and all major tasks for that week

18. Review your accomplishments each week

19. Be grateful for what you have, what you can do, and for everything in your life

20. Turn off your cell phone

21. Turn off all notifications on your computer from IM, email or other popups

22. Eat simple meals and don’t cook things that don’t need to be cooked

23. Eat less, which lets you also prepare less and cleanup less and store less

24. Automate any bills, payments, and money transactions that you can

25. Ignore distractions from media

26. Commute by bicycle or public transit instead of the busy freeway

27. Use commuting time wisely by reading or listening to books

28. Consider a career or job change to reduce stress

29. Find and maintain routines for day to day things

Simplify Your Stuff

30. Get rid of clothes you no longer wear or have worn in 6 months

31. Sell or give away household items you rarely / never use

32. Eliminate 2 things for every one new thing you acquire

33. Lend things out to friends often and don’t ask for it back if you don’t need it

34. Buy less stuff by only buying basic needs

35. Move to a smaller house or living space and get rid of all extra stuff

36. Give away books when you are done with them and let someone else enjoy them

37. Give up some electronic gadgets and do without them

38. Engage in simple hobbies that don’t require a lot of stuff (music, art, perhaps writing?)

39. De-clutter your living space and don’t keep any trinkets or excessive decorations

40. Consider going more green since this requires reducing things that consume power / energy

41. Get rid of your televisions or at least reduce the time you spend watching

42. Get rid of other media distractions in your life

43. Put a sign on your door/mailbox asking not to receive any flyers or unsolicited mail

44. Don’t carry all your credit or debit cards, just a small amount of cash for emergency

45. Downsize your vehicles or sell one

46. Clear out all clutter and extra stuff from your vehicle

47. Spend a weekend and pretend you are going to move, then clean out and get rid of everything you don’t need

48. Have a place for everything and keep it organized in place

49. Label, simplify and organize your file systems (both physical and electronic)

50. Consolidate your email accounts, bank accounts, RSS feeds and others

51. Recycle and reuse as much as possible

52. Give to those who have less than you

53. Volunteer your time for service to others

54. Keep a vegetable garden via online nursery

55. Grow some plants and flowers

56. Enjoy nature’s company

Simplify Your Relationships

57. Be honest with others (it will help avoid complex issues and conflict)

58. Treat everyone with respect, not just your close friends or relationship

59. Treat everyone fairly, don’t complicate things with favoritism

60. Trust others without them having to earn it first

61. Accept people for who they are and don’t expect them to change

62. Compare yourself only to yourself from the past, no one else

63. Learn to say, “No”

64. Ask your friends and family for things they are looking for, and give them any items you can do without that you have

65. Keep all your contacts and address book items in one place

66. Involve your whole family with simplifying your life

67. Tell your friends about what you want to achieve by simplifying

68. Pick some of the actions above and do them with a friend

69. Focus on activities for doing things instead of buying

70. Spend less time with the “negatrons” around you and more time with positive people

71. Apologize quickly for any hurtful actions

72. Spend time in private with a significant other each week

73. Go for walks and have time to just talk with your friends and family (you don’t always need to be doing anything)

74. Make a gift for someone else instead of buying one

75. Write a personal thank you note or letter to a friend

76. Call someone you care for with no reason other than to tell them you were thinking of them and wish them a wonderful day

77. Walk away from all gosip and don’t participate in those conversations

78. Put family meals at home first and don’t let work get in the way

79. Stay completely disconnected from work on weekends and vacations

80. Listen to others and stop talking so much yourself

Simplify your Thoughts

81. Be content with life for health, love and happiness instead of with belongings

82. Keep less goals and plans (focus on just 2 or 3 at a time)

83. Exercise often as this clears the mind and keeps you healthy longer through life

84. Make time to do what you love and to provide relief from stress

85.Make a list of all your simple pleasures in life and pick an item from it to do every day.

86. Evaluate new things by asking “Will this help to simplify my life?”

87. Let go of perfectionism

88. Find what calms you and visualize it to reduce stress

89. Be positive and look for the best in things

90. Be anxious for nothing and live more in the moment

91. Let go of things from the past

92. Face and get over your fears

93. Always look for ways to improve oneself

94. Note and express gratitude

95. Know and stick to your limits for commitments

96. Seek knowledge only to apply it as wisdom

97. Look for and express love to yourself and others

98. Choose to be happy and at peace with yourself

99. All that you express, comes back to you, so think and express what you want for yourself

100. Seek and love God and He will provide, you need not worry about anything else

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