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In all sorts of ways, life today is pretty great – at least, in terms of things like material well-being, and the quality of medical care compared to what was available a hundred, or even 50 years ago.
One thing that isn’t so great about today’s world, though, is that huge numbers of people find themselves feeling perpetually overloaded, distracted, stressed out, and burned out as well.
In fact, not only does stress and a feeling of general-purpose helplessness develop as a result of things like decision fatigue, but there’s also evidence that many of us today in the developed world are working significantly longer hours than mediaeval serfs.
Here are a few tips for simplifying your life, so that you can escape from this sense of overwhelm.
Pack your belongings away so that you have a tidy home environment
If your home is very cluttered and you simply don’t have the space to neatly organise and store your various belongings, you can expect that this will have a pretty significant and negative effect, in terms of causing you to feel stressed and overwhelmed in general.
One great solution here, if you don’t feel like going the Marie Kondo route and dramatically reducing the number of things you own, is to rent space in commercial storage lockers, and to then transfer some of your belongings to them.
It might be that a friendly and reliable smart locker service is all you really need in order to regain a sense of balance and harmony in your home.
Stop trying to be “productive” for every second of the day
Back in the 1930s, the philosopher Bertrand Russell published a work entitled “In Praise of Idleness,” in which – among other things – he criticised the way in which productivity is always the bottom line in industry, with little if any attention paid to things such as leisure.
These days, even when we’re not at work, many of us feel the need to try and structure our days from beginning to end, to be as “productive” as possible.
Constantly trying to be “productive,” though, will likely not only cause you to become unduly stressed, but will also add layers of complexity to your life as you are constantly struggling to track and optimise every minute of your time.
Dedicate your time and energy to the tasks that really matter or that you enjoy, and say “no” to most of the rest
There are always going to be certain chores that just need to get done, and there are always going to be certain hobbies, pastimes, and projects that you enjoy and that give you a deep sense of meaning – but which may at the same time take a good deal of effort.
To simplify your life, you should focus on dedicating your time and energy to these sorts of tasks primarily – the ones you enjoy, and the ones that really matter.
Beyond these categories, you’ll generally tend to find that most of the “to dos” that crop up in your day-to-day life don’t actually need to get done, at all.
In other words, don’t be afraid to say “no” more often.
