simplify your life

In June, I mentioned hearing a person in my church talk about how hard it was to find time to pray. "Life is so complicated." She said. "There is just too much to do. There’s no time." Just one day later, while having lunch with one of my project engineers, I heard similar sentiments: "Too much." He said sadly. "There’s just too much going on." He wasn’t just talking about work, he was talking about his life in general. More and more, people are realizing that too much complexity in life often separates us from the few things in life that are truly important.

It can be a struggle. We live in a world too often focused on productivity and not enough on spirit; in a time where technology holds out so much promise while at the same time sapping much of our time and energy trying to realize that promise. How do we get out of the treadmill trap?

In time, this will develop into a full section of Summit Manor, But for now, you may want to visit the sites below and take in some of the ideas and thoughts of the various authors. 

But before you pour through their lists and articles, don’t let yourself be overwhelmed or decide that all these things are complications in themselves. Instead just peruse theme at your leisure, and choose one or two things to try. Not all will work out, so whatever doesn’t work out get rid of, and try one or two more. The difference just one or two small changes can make is often astonishing.

What you see here is only the tip of the iceberg. There is so much more that we can do to help you or your organization discover and develop spiritual gifts. Take a look at what we do. And, when you are done, contact us. We'd love to talk to you!

15 ways – By now regular readers of this newsletter know I love lists and this article fits the bill nicely. Entitled "15 Ways to Work Your Way to a Simple Life." by Arthur A. Hawkins II. Ignore the ads (There are a lot of them) and take the advice. http://www.timemanagement4u.com/worksimple.chtml

More ways – I really like this list, probably best of all I stumbled on. It deals with the obvious, but also tackles the technology age head on – without becoming a Luddite in the process. http://www.getmoredone.com/tips7.html

Cyber Simplify – Even though I am an avowed computer geek, I would never put the words cyber and simplify together, but this firm does, with some good results. Once you get to their site at http://www.cybersimplify.com/csb16 , go to the "Mind Tools" section and THEN click on the CyberSimplify link. It’s a bit convoluted but the pay off is a list of ten things we can do in our technology dominated world to simplify life.

It’s a process – I like this article by Brad Swift, because it openly acknowledges that simplification is a process, not just a goal, and is one of the few articles that openly acknowledges that simplification can be hard. Encouraging stuff. http://members.aol.com/simplfe/10steps.html

Simple Living – This site is dedicated to the art of living more simply. http://www.simpleliving.com

A Trap to avoid – True simplicity is not about stuff, living "poor", or managing time. True simplicity is based more on making wise decisions about what is, and what is not important.  This short article makes that point clearly. http://www.finfera.com/grandfather/simple01.html 

Define Simplicity – Part of the process of simplifying our lives is to define just what you expect, and what simplicity means. This article can help. http://www.suite101.com/mypage.cfm/DSimple/1839

More self study – This article outlines some of the steps you may take in looking at your own life and deciding to simplify. http://members.aol.com/simplfe/10steps.html

Elaine St. James is the author of "Simplify Your Work Life," "Simplify Your Life" and "Living the Simple Life," available in many bookstores and amazon.com.. For some time she wrote a series of columns on simplifying life, and you can read many of them at www.uexpress.com/simplifyyourlife . Oddly, this address will take you to her farewell column, and you can keep hitting the "previous" button to read through back columns. It’s worth the effort. Want a quick dose of St. James? Then read this article from fast company magazine: http://www.fastcompany.com/online/15/6ways.html

7 Secrets – This article, by Kathy Gates, a professional coach, is focused on what she calls a "Great Life". Central to her theory of a great life is the idea of simplifying life, and she lays out 7 "secrets" to accomplishing it. http://www.reallifecoach.com/greatlife.htm

Practical Hints – This article urges us to start slow, and offers some practical ideas. http://www.finfera.com/grandfather/simple01.html

Simple Survivor – A couple of years ago, several magazines hit the news stands at about the same time, all focusing on creating a simpler life. These days, I can only find one still there: Real Simple magazine. It’s billed as a woman’s magazine, but I have to tell you – I buy nearly every issue. You can get a sampling or even sign up for a free issue at http://www.realsimple.com/realsimple