Make a Difference Monday: Simplify Your Life

Most people are drawn to the Amish because of the appeal of "the simple life." Here's the thing--a rural, off-the-grid life is not simple. But I do believe the Amish have a very good filter system to hold on to what's important and eschew the rest. They have deeply held convictions about priorities. Now that...is the key to the simple life.

And you don't have to 'go Amish' to incorporate that concept into your life!

But how do we do it?

For the next few Mondays, I'm going to post suggestions about how to simplify life. I'd love your input, too! What simplifying tips do you have? What's worked for your family? Are there any tools that have really helped you de-clutter or get organized? Blogs? Websites? Do share!

The Long List...(btw...these are umbrella type Q's--but important ones to think through. Next week, I'll add more practical suggestions).

Make a list of your top 4-5 important things. What's most important to you? What do you value most? What 4-5 things do you most want to do in your life? Simplifying starts with these priorities, as you are trying to make room in your life so you have more time for these things.

Evaluate your commitments. Look at everything you've got going on in your life, from work to home to kids' activities to hobbies to hobbies. Think about which of these really gives you value, which ones you love doing. Which of these are in line with the 4-5 most important things you listed above? Consider dropping those that don't line up.

Evaluate your time. How do you spend your day? What things do you do, from the time you wake up to the time you go to sleep? Make a list, and evaluate whether they're in line with your priorities. If not, eliminate the things that aren't, and focus on what's important.

Here's a big one. It is so hard! For so many reasons...

Learn to say no. This is actually one of the key habits for those trying to simplify their lives. If you can't say no, you will take on too much.