9 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life



We overcomplicate our lives, relationships, goals, and to-do lists. We, as human beings, have a tendency to make things more difficult than they need to be. Happiness is found in simplicity – so, how do you simplify your life?



1. Get rid of what no longer serves you.



When was the last time you really wore that shirt? Throw it away. When was the last time you really used that membership? Cancel it. When was the last time you really talked to that friend? Stop making promises to hang out. "Trim the fat," as they say, and only keep in your life what you really need.



2. Create clear expectations.



Conflict arises in ambiguity. Mistakes occur in ambiguity. Disappointment lives in ambiguity. Frustration is bred in ambiguity. If you want to avoid all of those things, set crystal-clear expectations. The result, then, is far more objective, instead of subjective.



3. Scale vertically, not horizontally.



When people think of growth, they tend to think horizontally, adding as many pieces to the puzzle as possible. But the more pieces you add, especially different types of pieces, the more difficult it becomes to switch your brain from one mode of thinking to the next. Too many different types of projects, or ambitions, or commitments, and you end up spinning your wheels. Instead, think depth. Think about diving deep, instead of spreading wide. Less becomes more.



4. Change your crowd.

改变你的社交圈子。



Financially, life becomes complicated when you try to live or associate far beyond your means. Too often, people want to "appear" successful or "appear" wealthy, and so they attempt to live a lifestyle they can't truly afford – and live on the edge because of it. But unless you are doing so with a very specific goal in mind and seeing it as an investment (e.g. "I want to rub shoulders with the right people"), you are doing yourself a disservice.



5. Don't overbook your calendar.



Is it smart to schedule back to back to back to back meetings? Probably not. I know what it's like to hustle, and if you have to do it, OK, get it done. But realize where the tipping point is and when that schedule is no longer the exception but the expectation. It's not healthy, and it's not sustainable. Make things simple: Create your schedule with downtime in mind.



6. Do not gossip.



Ever. The fastest way to complicate your life is drama. Take the higher road.



7. Build the right daily habits.



Whenever something "bad" happens, it's easy to look at the trigger event. But the real question is: What habits carried out over a long period of time built up to this? Make the easy day-to-day habits – what you eat, going to the gym, etc. – the standard so that you're not constantly in recovery mode. Be proactive instead.



8. Give, give, give, give some more, and then ask.



The best things in life come as a result of what we have first offered ourselves. Things get complicated when we're constantly in "ask" mode. But when we give, things tend to reveal themselves exactly when they need to. Give, give, give, and all will fall into place.



9. Don't try to be everything, to everyone.



And finally, one of the biggest sources of life stress for many is attempting to be what everyone needs, all the time. It's just not worth it. Be you. Focus on you. Do what you need to do first. Express yourself. Stay true to yourself. And you will attract everything you need in life, naturally, like a magnet, and repel anything else. It doesn't need to be any more complicated than that.



词汇表

overcomplicate [ˌəʊvəˈkɒmplɪkeɪt] 使复杂化，使过于复杂

simplicity [sɪmˈplɪsəti] 简单，朴素，简易

membership [ˈmembəʃɪp] 会员资格，成员资格，全体会员

trim the fat [trɪm] 去掉多余部分，删减冗余部分

ambiguity [ˌæmbɪˈɡjuːəti] 模棱两可，含糊不清，不明确

breed [briːd] 产生，引起，招致

crystal-clear [ˌkrɪstl ˈklɪə(r)] 清楚明了的，清澈透明的

scale vertically [skeɪl 'vɜːtɪkli] 纵向深耕，垂直扩展（指在某一领域深入发展）

horizontally [ˌhɒrɪˈzɒntəli] 水平地，横向地

puzzle [ˈpʌzl] 拼图游戏；谜；难题

spin your wheels [spɪn][wiːls] 白费力气，原地打转

dive deep [daɪv] 深入探究，潜心钻研

beyond one's means 超出某人的经济能力，入不敷出

live on the edge 生活在边缘（处于危险或不稳定的状态）

rub shoulders with  [rʌb]与…交往，接触，有来往（尤指与重要或有名的人）

do somebody a disservice [dɪˈsɜː(r)vɪs] 伤害，损害，帮倒忙

overbook your calendar [ˌəʊvə(r)ˈbʊk][ˈkælɪndə(r)] 把日程安排得太满，过多安排日程

tipping point 临界点，转折点，引爆点

downtime [ˈdaʊntaɪm] 休息时间，停工期，停机时间

gossip [ˈɡɒsɪp] 说长道短，说闲话；流言蜚语，闲话

drama [ˈdrɑːmə] 戏剧，戏剧性事件；闹剧，纠葛

take the high road 采取高尚的方式，保持高姿态（以一种更加高尚、正直或成熟的方式来处理问题）

trigger event [ˈtrɪɡə(r)] 触发事件，引发事件

build up to 逐步发展到，逐渐导致

proactive [prəʊˈæktɪv] 积极主动的，主动出击的，先发制人的

fall into place 水到渠成，步入正轨，就绪

be everything to everyone 取悦所有人，满足每个人的需求

stay true to yourself 忠于自己，保持真实自我

magnet [ˈmæɡnət] 磁铁，磁体；有吸引力的人或物

repel [rɪˈpel] 排斥，击退；使厌恶



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