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The Simple Life
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No, not the one with Paris and Nicole–your simple life. The life where you’re not caught in the rat race at work, stuck on the Beltway in rush hour traffic, scrambling to find time for yourself, battling stress and anxiety, and chugging antacid to get through the day. That simple life.
Looking around at all the distractions and demands of life in the city—television, Blackberries, iPhones, laptops, the media, the 2008 elections, socializing, traffic, traffic, TRAFFIC—simplicity seems not just out of reach but downright impossible. You might not be able to go from frazzled Hill staffer to Zen master overnight, but you can definitely simplify your life and you don’t have to pull a Thoreau to do it.
Here’s the game plan:
Figure out what matters most to you. What are your priorities? What are your values? What is your purpose? Try this exercise to find your unique life purpose.Then evaluate how you currently spend your time. Does the way you’re living your life line up with your priorities and values?
Wherever possible, eliminate activities that do not support your priorities. Learn to use discretion and say no. Are there activities you could cut or scale back to leave more room for what really matters?
Declutter your life. Start with the space you spend the most time in–your kitchen, your home office, your office office, the kids’ room. Every day, remove five things that either don’t belong in that space, don’t add any value, are threadbare or broken, haven’t been used in one year, and/or don’t make you happy. Once you’ve tackled that space, move to another. Need some help? Check out Clutterbusters, professional organizing consultants serving the DC Metro area.
Create routines. Are mornings a mad rush to get lunches packed, clothes ironed, kids on the bus, and get yourself to work? Do you flop on the couch in front of Golden Girls reruns instead of doing something meaningful? Build a routine that manages these stressful times better. Visit FlyLady for inspiration.
Outsource. Use a virtual assistant to take care of routine errands like making dinner reservations, doing internet research, scheduling travel, and returning phone calls to service providers. TimeSvr provides on-demand Aides to handle simple but time-consuming tasks for busy professionals.
De-Stress. Meditate. Take a yoga class. Learn to calm the mind and relax the body. Try the Art of Living course, which teaches simple but powerful techniques for becoming centered and peaceful.
For more info: The Art of Living Course will be offered September 9-14 on weekdays from 6:30-9:30pm and weekends from 9:30am-1:30pm. Call Nancy (816-830-6929) or Kasia (202-320-7394) for more information.
Do you know of a local woman, resource, service, or event that should be highlighted by the DC Women’s Examiner? Email Jen Schiller at dcwomensexaminer@gmail.com.
Do you know of a local woman, resource, service, or event that should be highlighted by the DC Women’s Examiner? Email Jen Schiller at dcwomensexaminer@gmail.com.
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