dibya’s blogosphere

Simplifying your life is really about gaining control of your life – creating more time, on the job and at home, to do the things you want to do. All the surveys I’ve seen reach the same conclusion: More and more people feel that they aren’t spending their time on things they enjoy. A Time/CNN poll found that 65% of people spend their leisure time doing things they’d prefer not to do. That’s staggering! What’s the point of leading a “full life” if you don’t have the time and energy to enjoy it?

But here’s the problem: It takes time to make time. You can’t figure out how to create time for the things you enjoy if you don’t take time to rethink what you’re doing now. Maintaining a complicated life is a great way to avoid changing it. We all feel that we can’t cut back on anything. But as long as our work is so vital that we can’t slow down, we don’t have to look at our own lives: a marriage that isn’t working, a career that isn’t satisfying, children we’re out of touch with, friendships we’ve outgrown. There’s nothing more “dangerous” than having a little time on your hands.

So the first step toward simplifying your life is to make a small investment of time. Free up one hour a day for 30 days, and use that time to reflect on a simple question: What is it that’s most complicating my life? Am I working too hard? Am I working at a job I don’t like? Are my kids draining all my energy? Then start thinking about how and what you can cut back.

It’s not as unrealistic as it sounds. Just for one month, leave work an hour early – who’s going to notice? And if you can’t find time at work, find it at home. Just for one month, stop reading the newspaper. Free up 60 minutes a day for 30 days, ask yourself the right questions, and you’ll be amazed by what you discover.