Peace of mind is not a destination to arrive at but rather a journey to be experienced. It is a process of being aware of letting go of negativity. The path of peace is road blocked with fear, worry, and stress. Clearing out these negativities cannot be done without simplifying our life. The methodology of organizing things that was invented hundreds of years ago is no longer relevant. Life back then was more stable, less hectic and dynamic. That methodology got to be changed from organizing to simplifying. It should be based on eliminating the negatives in order to work single-mindedly on the positives.
The industrial age dictates organizing our life according to a to-do-list. Time in this age was simple: fewer tasks, consistent and predictable office 8-hours a day. Designing a balanced lifestyle was easy. Conversely, the information age brought with it more complexities. On the one hand, we have much more choices: variety of brands, sizes, colors etc. that are increasingly overwhelming. On the other hand, distractions made us less attentive and more confused on what to choose and what not to. Even when we know what to do, the new age distractive devices such as mass and on-to-one media made our to-do-list a thing of the past.
Prioritizing what not to do over what to do is key in simplifying your life. The process starts with awareness of how you spend your time. Track all your activities in the last 3 weeks – the more data collected the better. If your activities were habitual without tracking them, start right now and write down how you spend your time. After three weeks, examine these collected data. You will definitely find a pattern of wasted activities. Next, discipline yourself on eliminating the habitual activities that waste your time and prevent you from achieving your goals. Upon getting rid of the unnecessary, you will have time to focus on what needs to be done.
Related: How Productivity is Dependent on Managing your Energy
Leading a simple life is anything but easy. Becoming Hollywood’s highest-paid actress is a result of experiencing what works and what doesn’t. That’s what Julia Roberts has found out. She is grounded and keen on giving away what distracts her from enjoying peace of mind. For her, living simply is best achieved through decluttering our life. Get rid of the stuff that you don’t need or don’t use. She sees that decluttering the space gives peace of mind and enhances our productivity and creativity.
Julia believes that to have a great mindset is to focus on the now and be conscious to what distracts you. Living unconsciously bogged us down to cramming our life with junk stuff that poisons our life. The junk she is talking about is a mental junk that causes negativity and leads to unfavorable results. When she was once asked about sticking to simplicity, she replied; “I don’t like projecting into the future. I rarely plan for the weekend. When you expect too much, you’re bound to be disappointed, so I try to avoid that.”
Set your peace of mind as the path towards fulfilment and happiness. That path entails sacrificing the most favorable, yet unnecessary, things you hold dear. Upon this sacrifice, you will be rewarded with achieving your goals that come from the discipline and consistency of your actions.
