Simplify Your Life to Focus on What You Care About By Sandi Epstein Is life too busy, too complex? Perhaps a little simplification can help you find the time you never seem to have for things like: reading the newspaper, time alone or more time with family. So many of us fill our time with projects and tasks that can be delegated or dumped. Why are we all so busy? We are often conditioned to think doing more will lead to greater success. (Often those of us who do more fall behind on the promotion ladder and end up having less influence on those we love). What is important is doing the right things and delegating or dumping the rest. We are too busy because we haven't had time to think strategically through what is important and build a plan around it. Now is the time to sit down and articulate a plan to simplify your life. How to Simplify Write a list of the projects you will no longer pursue. Aim to cut back 50% on your projects. Some ideas on projects are: school activities that don't include your child, volunteer organizations, social events that don't fit your life now, striving towards goals that aren't anchored in your core values such as "being somebody." Identify and dump. Now, write a list of tasks that you can delegate or dump such as: driving to the cleaners (have pick-up service), cooking one night a week (delegate or go out), grocery shopping (try it online or delegate to a student helper), house repair (hire out), car washing (go to the car wash). Think of 10 tasks and do it now. So how does it feel to have more time? Sometimes it is a little scary - thoughts such as "well what am I here for anyway" might arise. That's OK. But move on to the next step. Last but not least, re-explore what is important to you. Ask yourself "who do I want to be" rather than "what do I want to do." Visualize in a 20-minute meditation what you see your life looking like. Use great detail and don't allow any barriers to get in the way of your creating the world you want. Now get down to planning how you will create that life. Hire a coach or get support from friends and family to make your dreams a reality. Also see: Setting boundaries at work and at home Find joy instead of stress in your balancing act Advice for finding work/life balance Sandi is a professional coach helping people to achieve their best in life. You can email her at SLSE123@aol.com or visit her Web site at WorkandLifeCoach.com