By Dave Ulacia

Everywhere you look, it seems everyone and everything are moving at the speed of light (or faster). With so many commitments, roles, and obligations, it’s often hard to stay focused on what is most important to you, and your dreams fall by the wayside as a result. No matter what you do, you still need to find ways to free yourself from the chaos of daily life. Here are five simple ways to make your life less complicated right away.

1. With each potential task ask yourself, “Does this contribute to my goals?” If it doesn’t, simply don’t do it. Don’t waste time on efforts or projects (or even thoughts) that will only usurp time from your biggest priorities and dreams. You’ll be amazed when you see how much time you wasted on nonessential things.

2. Refuse to start making piles. Most of us have piles: piles of magazines; piles of mail; piles of recipes; and piles of piles. Get rid of your piles. Then, once you have, simply don’t allow yourself to create a new one. If you have anything you feel you may want to put it in a pile, either file it away or throw it away. Giving yourself only two options will free up time for more important things and free up space so you can think more clearly.

3. Keep your checkbook balanced. It only takes a few minutes every day, but the return on your investment is tremendous—you will have less stress and more confidence in yourself. If you have monetary goals, keeping your finances in focus and at-hand will make it easy for you to stay on track.

4. Say “no.” True, it is difficult for most people to say no, but it is the easiest way to simplify your life. Saying no returns authority back to you and clarifies your goals for others.

5. Give your solutions a chance. The pace of the world today may fool you into rushing into life changes when really, all you need to do is leave things alone for a little while for them to improve. It’s simpler (and smarter) to commit to a course of action in life and at work and let it fully play out—rather than panicking and changing your mind, direction, and goals constantly.

Thanks Dave!

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