We’ve all had to live a less hectic lifestyle in recent times, being forced into finding value in things that make us happy, instead putting quality over quantity. Many of us have had to cut back and just be content with what we have, living a simpler life, not one driven by possessions or status. We’ve had time to contemplate and identify what is essential and what things are mere distractions.
So as we reflect on what is important to us and how we want to live, many of us are re-evaluating and wanting to embrace a simpler way of living. Perhaps we’ve found a surprising bonus during this time and are now more willing than we imagined to enjoy life’s simple pleasures. Being allowed extra time and space has enabled us to breath and think and maybe begin to rebalance our lives.
Breaking Free
The compulsory confinement has helped us to see how trapped we were in our daily regimens and suddenly unveiled the room for us to see and question our lifestyles and our place in the world. For many, a desire has grown to remove as much unnecessary complexity from our lives as possible. Undoubtedly we can’t control everything, but that doesn’t mean we can’t streamline.
In order to begin creating time and space to pursue our interests and passions, we need to strip away non-essential stuff, to concentrate our time and energy on what matters most. We need to be able to focus on the important things, rather than blurring the boundaries between essential and optional. In doing so, we can commit to what we’re doing and be more confident of success.
One Thing At A Time
Doing more than one thing at a time can have an immediate and negative impact on our memory. We work better when we focus on just one thing at a time. Those who accomplish the most good and realize the greatest influence with their lives, understand this importance. Reducing our commitments correlates to a reduction in distractions and therefore less mental clutter. If we choose to simplify our life by limiting interruptions, we improve our ability to concentrate.
Setting ourselves goals will allow us to create new habits, break down larger challenges into more manageable chunks and complete those tasks we’ve been putting off. By knowing what our aims are, we can concentrate on the essential tasks and eliminate the rest. Regularly reviewing our to-do-list means we can ultimately be more productive, less stressed, more energized and enjoy a better chance of success.
Living Within Our Means
The difference between what we buy and what we need leads to huge overconsumption. If we take time to examine our expenses, there are often many ways to minimize our spending by living more frugally. If we think about how we can limit the excess, then we can enjoy the freedom that comes with having more money to spend, on what we really value.
A New Perspective
Lock down has given many of us time to be not only with our families, but also with ourselves. This experience has enabled us to assess who we are, who is the person we want to be and what we actually want from life going forward. It has also shown us the importance of being comfortable within ourselves by accepting who we are. In many ways we have learned to appreciate the life we already have!