Lately, I’ve been doing some thinking about how I am going to reach my goals.  I think about this constantly.   The first step is to have goals.  It’s another step just to write them down on paper.  It’s an even bigger step to believe in yourself and push yourself to see them through.

But I think there’s more to it than that.  Often times I try to visualize where I am today in perspective to the future.  For example, I may say to myself  ”I want to be living on the beach in such and such a city” and I will bring myself back to where I am today and then ask “What am I not doing that I will wish I had done?”  or “What adjustments do I need to make now so these things will fall into place?  After all, I don’t just want to hit my goals, I want to knock them out of the park!

When I am really busy and get a little ahead of myself and need direction, I will typically go sit in complete solitude.  I’ll ask the question: “What can I do right now in my life to help me hit my goals?”  Well, today while I was out for my walk, I was doing a lot of listening.  The answer that kept coming up was “Simplify” I can hear myself saying  ”You have too much shit going on, simplify your life.”  I don’t know where this voice is coming from.  I don’t think it was my father’s voice that I will sometimes hear.   Maybe it is the voices from other blogs I’ve been reading that talk about forms of minimalism.   I can clearly see the value of having 5 pairs of jeans versus 15 but I need a game plan because that is how I do things.  I think, I plan and I execute.

And while I don’t see myself going as far as Bloggers like Colin Wright of Exile Lifestyle I can clearly see the benefits of learning how to simplify my life. He is actually down to owning 72 items total.  His idea of mobility and simplicity so he can travel the world is very appealing to me.

So, ready of not,  I am diving in this weekend.  Care to come along?  I came up with The following 5 ideas on how to make my life more simple and manageable.

1) Goodbye DVDs and All Other Hard Copy Audios – I am officially saying goodbye to anything I can’t listen to via the Internet, I Tunes or that I can’t saved on my computer’s hard drive.  This may sound radical but those 1993 ‘Awaken The Giant Within‘ audios need to go.  I’ll live.

2)  Downsizing and Simplifying Wardrobe to 5′s - This one is going to be tough for me because I have a lot of clothes I like.  However, I don’t need 15 workout T’s including the one’s that have already shrunk to my chest line.  I am going to try to go with 5 of everything.  5 pairs of jeans, 5 dress shirts, 5 pairs of socks, 10 pair of underwear (of course there have to be exceptions on the first run), 5 business suits, 5 ties, 5 going out shirts, 5 slacks, 10 pair of shoes, 5 shorts.  Everything else is going to be donated.  Let’s hope I keep my resolve here.

3) I Am Getting Rid of Those 5 Annoying Keys on My Key Chain That I No Longer Use – Simple enough!

4) I Will Stick with One Thing At A Time To Completion – Presently, there are over 5 unread books laying around my house, 12 bookmarked posts from other bloggers I want to read and things falling off my Master To Do List.  This is because I love to learn about things that interest me and I like to read how to do things more efficiently.  I have to admit though while looking at these unread books that range from The Ad Sense Code to Excuses Be Gone, I am overwhelming myself for no reason.  There is no way to read every book or post I find interesting.  So, I am committing to not buying more books or bookmarking any more posts until everything I have is completed.   I know I will break this rule but I also know I will make strides to just not worry that I am missing anything else.

5) De-Cluttering Of The Kitchen - In between writing 4 and 5 I walked into my kitchen and counted 27 pieces of Tupperware Bowls.  I am going to pick my top 5 and do away with the rest.  Then for anything else I am not using (like that second coffee maker) I am getting rid of.  This includes extra glasses, plates (actually I only have a few of those) silverware, etc.

Some of these things are going to be hard to do.  Getting rid of a lot of clothes will take will power but I feel good about it because I am giving everything away (including a few kitchen appliances) to the Salvation Army.  At least this way someone will actually use them.

So, that is this weekend’s big project.  Share some of your own ideas for simplifying your life.

If you enjoyed this post and you are looking for other ways to simplify your life, you may enjoy the following post I wrote on Time Management, Working In Time Blocks – Getting Things Done

No related posts.