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18 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life… Starting Today!
1) ORGANIZE EVERYTHING! Your work, schedule, life! Stop spending time, money,
and effort looking for people and things. Stop wondering what to do next. Update
your address book. Throw out old contacts. Get cracking with your To-Do list.
Before going to bed at night, you should know the top 6 most important things
you need to do the following day… and have them written in your Day-Timer
planner!
2) QUESTION EVERYTHING! Stop doing “busy work!” Start asking yourself,
“Does what I’m doing forward my life? Bring me closer to my goals?”
If not, consider cutting it out! Also ask, “Is there an easier way to
do this?” Don’t settle into inefficient routines. Strive for constant
improvement in all areas of your life. Streamline tasks and you’ll save
time for more important (and more fun) things.
3) BLAST THROUGH BILLS! Stop messing with checks, envelopes, and stamps. Pay
bills using convenient (and lightning-fast) online payment services, such as
Quicken. You’ll handle a stack of bills in minutes. With all the postage
you’ll save, it could pay for itself! Ask your bank for details.
4) ELIMINATE IT! Swamped with unwanted telephone solicitations? Here’s
how to wipe out most of them. Write: Telephone Preference Service, c/o Direct
Marketing Association, P.O. Box 9014, Farmingdale, NY 11735-9014. Provide your
area code and telephone number and write, “Please place me on your ‘Do
Not Call List.’” Be sure to sign and date your letter. They’ll
keep your information on file for five years, after which you can send another
request.
5) MAKE MEETINGS DISAPPEAR! On average, each employee costs its company $52
per hour. A two-hour meeting of 10 people amounts to a hefty $1,040 tab. In
one poll, 90% of managers said half the meetings they attended were completely
unnecessary or a big waste of time. FACT: most meetings can be boiled down to
a one-page, bulleted action list that can be distributed via e-mail in seconds.
Only those with questions need respond. Everyone else can simply get back to
work and be productive.
6) 10-MINUTE CHORE BLOW-OUT! You know all those little nagging chores you keep
putting off? The shirt with the missing button… the long-overdue oil change…
the thing you’ve been meaning to return… the doctor’s appointment
you’ve been putting off. Take 10 minutes, make a list of all these things,
and schedule one day that you’ll get as many done as possible. Get them
off your plate and off your mind!
7) 10-MINUTE CLUTTER CLEAN-OUT! Set an egg timer and take 10 minutes to storm
through one room a week and try to throw out at least 10 things. Don’t
stew over it. Don’t think much about it. Just see it… pick it up…
say goodbye… and trash it! Be ruthless. If it’s something you can
easily replace (if you ever need it again, that is)… then pitch it! Keep
repeating the following phrase out loud – like a mantra –throughout
the process: “If in doubt, THROW IT OUT!” (Silly, but works wonders.)
Then, move onto your next room… reset the timer… and throw out 10
more things. Try this fast (and fun!) idea and you’ll be amazed how much
junk you clean out! TIP: Discard things based on to what degree they support
your life goals.
8) SCAN IT… DUMP IT! Go through your overstuffed file folders. Trash
everything you no longer need… scan everything else and discard the originals.
Copy everything onto one disk or CD and store it in a safety deposit box at
your bank.
9) PRUNE YOUR POSSESSIONS! How many pairs of leather gloves… brown shoes…
khaki pants… black belts and running shoes do you really need? Donate
the ones that don’t fit. Discard the ones that are out of style. Dump
the ones that simply look bad. Having too much of anything takes its toll on
you. “Things” need to be maintained, cleaned, stored, moved. Buy
fewer things of better quality. They’ll last longer… look better…
and the extra space will help you breathe easier.
10) TURN OFF THE TV! The average American watches over 20 hours of television
every week. Enjoyed judiciously, it’s a fun distraction, even though much
programming is inane or negative. But it can be addictive, and before you know
it, your whole day is gone. Create a “TV-Free Night.” Use that time
to talk with your family… plan your next exciting goal…or reconnect
with friends you’ve lost touch with and have been meaning to call.
11) LONG MAY IT RING! Phone ringing? Ignore it! Let your answering machine
take your calls. Return them on your time. Stop playing slave to your phone,
pager, and doorbell.
12) SHRUG IT OFF! Keep things in perspective. Don't get aggravated by trivial
matters. Milk spilled? Wipe it up and move on. Flat tire? Call for roadside
assistance or change it yourself… and drive away. Didn’t get approved
for the loan? Call another bank. Adopt the Zen mindset: notice the situation…
say, “Well, that’s what is”… handle it… and go
on with your life.
13) TELL IT TO YOUR DAY-TIMER PLANNER! Stop trying to remember everything.
Write it down! Your brain is too valuable to be used primarily as a storage
device.
14) CANCEL AND REDUCE! Review your magazine subscriptions. Cancel half of them.
There are few things you can’t get free on the web. Learn to live with
less information. Stop watching hours of TV news… grab news online and
stay in touch in minutes. Added benefits: 1) the information will be more current,
and 2) you’ll have less trash to throw out.
15) SALESPERSON SENDOFF: Place a tiny “No Soliciting” sign on your
front door. It won’t stop all salespeople, but should turn many away.
And it’s easier to say “No!” to those who do “slip through”
by simply pointing to the sign. Better yet: establish a policy that if you’re
not expecting company, you don’t answer the door. (99% of the time when
you’re not expecting company, it’s a solicitor.)
16) “DIS-MEMBER” YOURSELF! Cancel memberships for any organizations
you haven’t attended in months. If you’re not participating, chances
are you’re not interested! Pocket the renewal fees.
17) TOUCH IT ONCE: Go through mail quickly. Use the “touch once”
system. Commit to handling each piece of mail only once. Either pay it, file
it, or trash it. Letting opened mail pile up is not an option.
18) RECYCLE IT! Newspapers: Throw out within 24 hours – another is coming
tomorrow. Magazines: Rip out and bind the articles that interest you…
and throw the rest away! Carry them in your planner to read while waiting in
line, for appointments, etc.
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