How to simplify your life

Have you ever felt like mouse on a treadmill, running in endless circles, longing for a chance to rest and recharge your batteries? For many people, the stress of modern living gradually depletes their resources until a physical or emotional breakdown forces them to stop, alter their habits, and adopt a simpler lifestyle.

Living a simple life means eliminating everything except what is essential, trading stress for serenity, and spending your time doing only those things which are important and enjoyable to you. Here are five practical steps for accomplishing this goal.

1. List your priorities

On a piece of paper or a file card, write down the five things in your life which are most important to you. They may be family, career, friends, hobbies, or creative activities. In any case, the five items on your list are your core values. Anything which does not contribute in a positive way to these priorities should be eliminated.

2. Review your commitments

Most of us do things which we feel we should, but which in no way contribute to the quality of our lives. In fact, they add to our stress levels. To simplify life, it is necessary to resign, drop out, and leave every one of these irrelevant activities. Devote the time saved to things which make you happy. Resolve to say a firm "No" to future requests which will mean unwelcome incursions into your precious time and energy reserves.

3. Get rid of excess "stuff"

It's easy to accumulate extra things which simply clutter up your living space and complicate your life. Take one room in your home at a time, perhaps on weekends, and purge every item, large and small, which you haven't found useful in the past year. Donate it to a worthy cause, give it to a friend or trash it;  just get rid of it.

Trim your wardrobe to basic, coordinating pieces with a few complementary accessories. Minimize the number of items stored in drawers and closets. This exercise will give you a tremendous feeling of satisfaction, and as a bonus, your home will be easier to clean.

4. Simplify your financial affairs

Cut up your credit cards and pay cash for all purchases. Establish a checking account and a savings account at a local bank. Eliminate impulse buying and concentrate on the necessities.. Make up a menu of nutritious meals each week in advance, and only shop for what you need at the grocery store. If you can discipline yourself to follow this plan, you'll be amazed at how much you can save.

5. Be your own best friend

Limit communication devices and technology. Check your e-mail twice a day and restrict yourself to fifteen minutes each time. Plan your computer and television use so that they contribute to the well-being and promotion of your core values. Take advantage of the silencer feature on the telephone, and place practical limits on the length of those calls you choose to return. Learn to be perfectly comfortable in your own company, and take advantage of the welcome calmness and peace in your life to develop your spiritual capabilities.

You can't totally simplify your life in a week or even a month. It will be an ongoing process during which you take one step at a time. However, as your stress level steadily declines and new blocks of free time open up, you will be eager to do ever more to banish extraneous distractions, and enjoy your peaceful and serene newly-discovered existence. In addition, there will be other unexpected rewards.

"To find the universal elements enough; to find the air and the water exhilarating; to be refreshed by a morning walk or an evening saunter... to be thrilled by the stars at night; to be elated over a bird's nest or a wildflower in spring - these are some of the rewards of the simple life."                                                                                             John Burroughs