It’s easy to make things simple within your four walls, then you walk out the door, and nope life is complicated. Other times it’s the habits you form that are complicating your life.
The reality is, there are so many things that vie for our time and attention on a daily basis. As a wife, mom, employee, and entrepreneur, my days are pulled in many directions. I know it’s important to slow down and keep things simple. In fact, seeking simplicity is one of my core values.
But every now and again, life just feels complicated.
The thing is knowing what to do and actually doing it are two very different things. After all great intentions will only get us so far. I’ve learned that when life feels complicated more often than not it’s because I’ve fallen back into old patterns and bad habits.
Almost always, a self-evaluation check will reveal that I’m engaging in one of these old habits.
So if life feels complicated it may be time for your own self-evaluation to determine whether you’re complicating your life.
Here are 9 habits to look for that complicate your life.
1. Procrastination
Without a doubt, this is one habit that will complicate your life quicker than anything else you do, or should I say don’t do!.
It’s so darn easy to put unpleasant tasks off when your to-do list is a mile long. However, I guarantee you procrastination is probably the most common way people complicate their lives.
According to an article in the New York Times, “when we procrastinate, we’re not only aware that we’re avoiding the task in question, but also that doing so is probably a bad idea. And yet, we do it anyway.”
Really, the only way to get back on track and stop complicating your life is to take action and do it now! This is especially true if the task will not take much time. If it’s a quick do it now.
It’s amazing how much simpler life seems just by staying on top of those little tasks.
2. Failing to Plan
I’ll admit I’m a planner by nature and life feels tremendously complicated when I have no idea what’s coming next. And I know it’s not just me.
When you go through your days keeping your to-do list in your head and fail to have a plan for the day, you end up going from task to task without having a clear idea of what your top priorities are. Needless to say, if you don’t know what your priorities are chances are you’re not working on them.
Plus you waste a lot more time than you think when you have to stop and figure out what you should be doing next. The extra time you spend trying to figure out what comes next causes’ you to lose momentum. All of this unquestionably makes life feel more complicated.
So stop complicating your life and take a few moments at the beginning of the week to make a plan. Review your plan each evening for the next day and make any adjustments necessary. I promise if you do this consistently you’ll have a clear direction for your days.
When you know exactly what you should be accomplishing and are working on that life feels so much simpler!
3. Failing to Prioritize
When we’re not clear on what our priorities are, we end up all over the place. Life feels like a constant state of busyness, in which we’re going nowhere fast! Then we wonder why everything feels complicated.
In order to stop complicating your life, it’s important to take the time to make out a list of your priorities. By doing this you’ll have a clear focus for your days. You’ll also feel more relaxed knowing that you’re working on those things that matter most to you.
It’s best to write down one to three priorities for each week, this will not only help to keep you focused, but it will help you from feeling overwhelmed. Even if you get very little of your to-do list crossed off, you’ll know that you focused on what was most important.
4. Ignoring Your Health
4. Ignoring Your HealthWhen we have a lot going on in life, the easiest thing to let slide is our health. This is because we put off exercising. Then we eat quickly prepared meals, which are usually highly processed. The next thing you know, you’re skipping on sleep. We keep going and going without ever scheduling any downtime.
The reality is if we’re not at our physical best we cannot expect to function at our best.
To stop complicating your life, start changing your mindset when it comes to your health. Far too often we tell ourselves “I don’t have time to exercise” or “I’m too tired or don’t have time to cook a healthy meal” or “I’ll go to sleep as soon as I finish this last thing”.
This thinking has to change. It’s time to start reminding yourself; “I can’t take care of anybody if I don’t take care of me.”
The bottom line is that life will always feel complicated if you’re not taking care of yourself. If you need some simple ways to incorporate taking care of your health into your daily routine, read “6 Things You Need To Simplify a Healthy Lifestyle”!
5. Taking in Too Much Information
A guaranteed way to complicate your life is focusing on too many tasks at the same time. I’m not talking about multitasking here (although you can simplify your life when you avoid multitasking). I’m talking about learning too many things at the same time and trying to implement them all at once.
The digital age has put us on information overload. Seldom is our problem a lack of accessible information, it’s actually too much information! With all this information in our heads, we begin to feel like a hamster on its wheel going round and round and getting nowhere.
However, you simplify things by focusing on one step at a time before moving on or taking in further information.
If you have too much information floating around in your head, it’s almost impossible to know what to focus on. Stop complicating your life with a big ol’ brain dump.
Get everything you have clogging up your brain down on paper. Spend about 20 to 30 minutes writing down everything that comes to mind.
Now, as you look at that paper start making a list of the things you want to do. The next step is to order that list based upon the priorities you’ve set out in #3.
When you complete this task I promise you will feel so much lighter, you’ll have a clear plan of action for accomplishing those things that matter most.
6. No Down Time
6. No Down TimeWe all need a stopping time, a time to clear our minds and come back refreshed. Even God took some downtime and rested on the seventh day!
Without taking time to rest, not just our bodies, but also our minds, we lose our focus and things begin to feel super complicated.
If you want to stop complicating your life you need to make time for the things that bring you joy. Have something you do on a regular basis that’s just for you.
If you don’t have a hobby take one up. If you enjoy reading, set aside a regular time for that. Even just stopping to watch a good movie or your favorite T.V. show (guilt-free) will go a long way towards adding some simplicity to your life.
7. Not Knowing What You’re Spending Time On
Let’s face it, we all waste time, I think it’s even a good thing to do every now and again. However, if you have no idea what is sucking up your time, you’re always going to feel like you never have enough time for the things that matter most to you. How can life not feel complicated under those circumstances?
To help life feel a little less complicated, try tracking your time for a few days. Jot down each task you perform during the day and note the amount of time you’re spending on the task.
If you spend a lot of time on your phone, like most of us these days, your phone will help track your time. If you have an iPhone go to settings, scroll down to battery, then battery usage. It will tell you exactly how much time you’ve spent on which app.
After doing this for a few days, you’ll be able to see exactly what you’re time suckers are.
Now set up safeguards for those things that are taking up your time, but not adding a lot of value, i.e., social media. Think about using a timer to help set limits.
Knowing that you’re spending your time on the things that matter most to you will ensure that life feels a lot less complicated.
8. Multitasking
Did you know that actual multitasking is a myth? The human brain is not capable of multitasking. Nonetheless, we all attempt it. But because it’s an impossible task it complicates your life.
If you are a serial multitasker try batching your work instead. Batching basically involves doing similar jobs together within a certain block of time.
For instance, my to-do list includes several telephone calls, a few emails, a trip to the store for a return something and a package I need to drop off. To batch my work I can make all phone calls between 9:00 am and 10:00 am. Next, I may set aside an hour to handle emails. Finally, I will run both errands at the same time to avoid going out twice.
I went into more details of how you can simplify your life when you stop multitasking here.
9. Not Paying Attention to Your Environment
Your home environment has a big impact on you. If you’re not paying attention to your home, in a short time it will feel chaotic and be filled with clutter and laundry piles.
Your home is far too important to allow this to happen. Because if your home feels complicated your entire life will feel complicated. There is so much value in clearing the clutter from your home, in fact, it is the number one thing I have done to simplify my life.
The bottom line is to avoid complicating your life you need to avoid clutter in your home. I have quite a few articles on how to get started decluttering your home as well as articles addressing common decluttering problems.
Let me encourage you to read a few of those articles and start decluttering your home.
While yes, life can be complicated, often we are the ones making it complicated. But the good news is you can stop complicating your life with a few actionable steps outlined here. Pick one or two steps you’ll start working on today and love your simplified life!
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