Lately I’ve been exploring ideas on how to bring more simplicity to taking action, tackling tasks, getting things done in the day.
It can be so overwhelming, we procrastinate, we overcomplicate.
What if it could be easier?
In this article, I’ll share some ideas to bring more simplicity to everything I do in my day. The ideas won’t work for everyone, but I hope they’re valuable to you in some way.
1. Completing the moment
One thing I’m noticing is how often I’ll rush from one thing to another, leaving a bit of a mess, or leaving something unfinished in a rush to start the next thing.
A phrase that resonates for me is “complete the moment.”
It means not rushing to the next thing before I finish what I’m doing. For example:
- When I finish eating, wash my dishes and clean up any other messes. throw away the food Delete the counter.
- If I’m getting ready, make sure I hang up my towels, put my dirty clothes in my hamper, fold or hang any clothes that aren’t dirty yet.
- If I finish a meeting, write down any notes or tasks that need to be done so I don’t forget.
- If I do laundry, don’t just wash and dry – fold and hang.
If I slow down and let whatever is said in the moment complete itself, I can move on to the next thing with a sense of wholeness and peace.
Also, it’s so cute!
2. Just this task
If you look at your task list or email inbox, it’s probably too long to finish this week, let alone today. It’s overwhelming, and if we try to tackle it all, we’ll probably jump from one thing to another in a frenzy.
What resonated for me was the phrase, “Just this.”
It means I choose one thing to focus on and forget about everything else. It’s easier said than done, I know! But it’s a habit.
So I delete everything, and there is only one thing in front of me. I give it my full focus, as if it deserves full attention. I breathe, and put myself into it.
It’s very simple, and very meditative. It is not a force, but a simplicity that is refreshing and calm.
3. No need to rush
As I go about my day, I like to remind myself, “No need to rush.”
As a Zen practitioner, you might think I’m always calm and I go slowly. Not at all! I like to move really fast – if I’m cooking or cleaning the kitchen, you can hear the cupboards screeching and I’m whirling around. It’s fun!
So I have to slow myself down on purpose. I find it challenging but really beautiful. No need to rush. Why am I in such a hurry?
4. No need to run
We always have a handful (or more) of difficult tasks on our list that we love to procrastinate. They push back, and pile up.
I like to remind myself, “No need to run from this.”
What this means is, it’s not as difficult and scary as I think. I feel like I have to run away from it, because I’m afraid, or I’m overwhelmed. But when I notice that I’m about to run, I remind myself that it’s not necessary.
Then I turn to the task and breathe, and take the first step as simply as I can. It is also a meditative work.
5. Clean things out
How many of us have browsers with ten thousand tabs open? What about an email inbox overflowing and overwhelming?
I like to remind myself, when I have a lot open or piling up, to clean things up. It helps keep things simple.
Some examples:
- Every day or two, I save and close browser tabs — I bookmark the tab to find it later, put it in a task, save it to my read-next service, or work on it. Ideally, I clear them all so I can focus on the next one
- Every day or two, I clean out my email inbox. Now, this isn’t always true – sometimes things just pile up. But I like to keep a clean inbox, so I take some time to work through them. If things pile up, it can take 5-10 sessions! But ideally, it’s a few sessions a day.
- My read-ahead service (currently Instapaper) tends to pile up, so ideally I try to clean it out every week. This means spending some time reading articles and saving them, or deleting them if I don’t feel like reading something. It means I don’t feel guilty about things I don’t read.
- I do the same thing with physical items — if I have things on the kitchen counter, on my desk, on my bedside table, etc. … I take a moment to deal with each item and clean them up. Sometimes I don’t have time to do it all at once, so I’ll go back to the pile until it’s clear.
It’s not about being perfect, or stressing out when things pile up. But if I take a moment to clean things up, my life seems a lot easier.
6. Moments of planning and reflection
I find it important to take a little time at the beginning of each week and to plan each day.
Nothing complicated: what do I want to do this week? What do I want to do today?
I do the same for every month and every year. It helps me know where I’m going and what to focus on. I like to keep it simple and do a few minutes every day and every Sunday (or Monday).
I think it’s also important to create a little space for reflection. What was I doing, what was worth celebrating, what was I stopping? What’s stopping me? What am I learning? I don’t have to reflect on them every day, but if I spend just a few minutes each day reflecting, my life becomes wiser and simpler.
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Previously published on zenhabits
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Photo credit: splash
