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More and more, work is creeping into people’s personal lives and personal lives are creeping into work. Call it work-life creep – the blurring of lines between professional and personal, workday and personal time, weekday and weekend.
While some want their lives to seamlessly intertwine, combining worlds can make it difficult to isolate professional and personal priorities and goals. It can complicate life and make you feel overwhelmed. It can make it difficult to feel organized or accomplished. To take back some order and simplify your life, try these four things:
1. Differentiate between what you have to do, should do and want to do.
Ask yourself, “Is this something I have to do, should do or want to do?” If you want to quickly confirm your priorities, use this framework to think about almost anything in your professional or personal life.
If writing the report that is due next week is something you have to do, then this is what you need to focus your efforts on now. Put everything else on hold. If getting your bridesmaid’s dress fitted is a task you should do in the next few weeks, then mark it on your calendar to do the week after your report is submitted. If you want to redesign your kitchen but have other must or should do tasks looming, take comfort in putting it aside and revisiting at a later time.
You cannot do everything at the same time. Life is full of never-ending tasks. Do not let it overwhelm you. Prioritize by identifying what you need to do, should do and want to do. Take it one task at a time.
2. Send less e-mail.
If you want less e-mail, send less e-mail. Spend less time being responsive and more time being proactive and thinking about what you need to do to achieve your goals.
3. Say “no,” or allow yourself to let some things go.
You do not have to do everything. Say “no” to some social engagements when you feel tired. Make space in your life for things that matter more to you.
4. Decide where you want constancy and where you want variety.
The fewer decisions you need to make, the more time you have to do other important things. By putting some areas in your life on cruise control, you claw back time for more important things. Some successful people, like Mark Zuckerberg, wear a work uniform. They wear the same style clothes everyday. It is one less decision they have to make and leaves room to think about issues that require more thought and creativity.
Life can get complicated. Simplify your life by prioritizing, spending less time on technology, saying “no” and creating consistency. Take back your life.
What helps you to simplify your life? Share with me your stories and thoughts via Twitter or LinkedIn.
