Dr.
Jonathan Isaacson
Most people say they want to
simplify their lives because they feel like they have lost control
of their time. They want to have more time to do the things they
want to do, both at work and at home.
Every few weeks, there is another
newspaper or magazine story about how people feel that they aren’t
spending their time on things they enjoy. A recent poll, for
example, found that 65% of people are spending their free time doing
things they’d rather not do. Isn’t that amazing? It’s great if you
have created a full and interesting life for yourself, but how
frustrating if you don’t have the time to enjoy it!
THE PARETO
PRINCIPLE—80/20 RULE
The 80/20 Principle, first stated
by Vilfredo Pareto in 1897, says that 20% of our effort produces 80%
of the results. This means that a small number of resources are
highly productive—and a large number (80%) are not very productive
at all. Here are a few examples:
-
20%
of the things in your house are used 80% of the time.
-
80%
of the things in your house are used 20% of the time.
-
20%
of your activities give you 80% of your satisfaction.
-
20%
of the stocks in an investor’s portfolio produce 80% of the results.
-
20%
of the books in a bookstore account for 80% of the sales.
The challenge is to identify
those few vital items that produce the greatest value for you.
Focus on the activities that
result in satisfaction, such as money, better health, or more free
time. At the same time, identify those many trivial items that
don’t lead to things like satisfaction, money, better health, or
more free time. These unprofitable activities are taking up 80% of
your time. Doesn’t it make sense to deemphasize them in favor of the
vital 20%?
WHERE YOU ARE
SPENDING TOO MUCH TIME?
The first challenge to
simplifying your life is that it takes an investment of time. If
you want to discover how to make time for the things you enjoy, you
have to examine how you are spending your time now. If you keep
living your life the same way you always have, it will stay
complicated.
For some, the excuse,
“I can’t slow
down because everything is important,”
is a way to avoid seeing what
they don’t want to see: a relationship that is no longer fulfilling,
a job that no longer satisfies, an emotional distance that has
emerged between them and their family members. Some people keep
their lives going at a furious pace to avoid seeing what they don’t
want to see.
START SMALL
If you
really do want to simplify your life, you will make the time. You
don’t have to do anything radical. In fact, it is best to start
small. Set aside just 30 minutes each
day for a month. During that
time, think about a simple question:
What are the
elements that contribute to my life feeling so complicated?
Make a list of the factors in your private journal and write about
them. Begin to think about what can be changed or eliminated.
Finding this time is not as
impossible as it may seem at first. Maybe you can leave work 30
minutes early for a month and use the extra time for this
exploration, possibly at home. Perhaps you can take the train
instead of driving, or give up your exercise time for one month, or
turn off the television during the evening news and write in your
journal instead.
Set aside 30 minutes a day for
one month, ask yourself some important questions, and be prepared to
learn some remarkable things about yourself.
FEWER
RESPONSIBILITIES
You may think that this sounds
too simple. Most people who seek to simplify their lives think that
the answer is to get more help. But this probably won’t help. In
fact, if you hire someone to help you get more done, you will
actually have added another complication to your life rather than
making it simpler. You probably don’t need more help. You probably
need fewer responsibilities.
LEARN TO SAY
NO
If you want a simpler life, you
must learn to say no. In
Simplify Your Life: 100 Ways to Slow Down and Enjoy the Things That
Really Matter, author
Elaine St. James says that people get into trouble because they
agree to do things they really don’t have time to do. This leads to
a constant state of being overcommitted and frustrated.
Our culture makes it difficult
for us to say no to requests to attend extra meetings, dinner
engagements, or to take on new responsibilities. Many of us feel
obligated to always be participating at a high level. We are proud
of our high productivity and involvement, but it comes with a high
price: a complicated life that leaves to time for you.
St. James suggests that you
actually schedule time for yourself on your calendar at the
beginning of every month. When you are invited to participate in
something, turn down the request because you already have a
commitment.
CLEAR AWAY
CLUTTER
Get rid of things you don’t use.
Think of all the stuff you have acquired in the past five or 10
years. Most of it is designed to make life simpler, but in fact
most of it brings along its own set of complications.
Think of what typically happens
when you buy a new electronic gadget. Consider all of the time
required to earn the money to pay for it, shop for it, buy it, set
it up, learn how to use it, fix the unexpected problems it causes
with another gadget, and then the time you spend actually using it.
Most of us have rooms in our
houses filled with stuff that seemed like a good idea at the time,
but ends up sitting on a shelf or in a drawer, unused. St. James
suggests that you go through your house once each year and get rid
of everything you haven’t used during the previous year.
PUT OFF BUYING
NEW STUFF
She also has an idea for not
acquiring new stuff in the first place. She suggests a technique
called the 30-Day Wish List. When you start thinking that you must
have a certain product, add it to your 30-Day Wish List and wait.
At the end of 30 days, ask yourself if you really still need it.
Chances are, you will have lost your enthusiasm for the product and
will cross it off. This can save a lot of time and money.
