Are you someone who feels overwhelmed easily? Do you not know what you should be focusing on?
I was like that. Until I finally learned to simplify my life and find my focus.
Right now, as I’m working on my online business and taking on life coaching clients, it’s almost impossible for me not to simplify and focus.
Finding what’s important for you
To find your focus, you need to know what’s important to you right now. If you know this, you can make decisions easier and have more clarity about the next steps in your life.
1.List out different categories in your life
List out all the categories that are in your life right now. Some of the general ones include family, friends, health, finance, spirituality, environment (where you live etc.), career, personal development, etc.
Make sure all the things you do in your life can be categorized within these groups.
2. Rank the categories by importance
Rank the categories by the most important to the least important. Now, don’t say all of them are. Because if they are all important, than nothing is important.
3. Make decisions and take actions based from this list
For example, if you rank your family as more important than work. Then you can decide to miss your work seminar to attend your brother’s baseball game.
It’s important to make sure you are honest about your rankings. Make sure the categories by importance is actually how you feel. I give you the permission right now to understand that there’s nothing that “should” be more important than the other.
Everything is your decision, and what you choose to think about it. Also realize that everything comes in phases, what’s important to you right now may change over time as you evolve and move onto the next chapter of your life.
Do what you need to do and what feels right for you.
After you know your focus, then it’s time to simplify the rest.
3 Ways to Simplify Your Life to Focus on What’s Most Important
1. Simplify your relationships
Consciously choose who you are spending your time with. Be assertive (straight forward) about what you’re trying to communicate.
Drama. Toxic relationships. Complaining. Judgements. Gossips. These are all very complicated and negative energy to be around.
Also, stop trying to “fix” other people’s problems or forcing them into doing what they don’t want to do. If other people really want to change, they have to be the ones to take ownership and realize that on their own. You simply can’t take responsibility for that.
What if you can just let them be themselves, like how you can be yourself. Instead of trying to change others or make them see you a certain way, what if you can simplify the relationship to building genuine connections and be interested to learn about them and hear what others have to say?
2. Simplify Your Thoughts
We get on average 60,000 thoughts/ day. Isn’t that crazy? But not all of these thoughts are necessary useful and not all of them are serving you.
I teach my clients on thought work a lot. I teach them how to manage their thoughts and process how they think. SO they can always choose a better thought for any situation.
One simple way to declutter and manage your thoughts is by writing “thought pages.” Start by writing down everything that’s on your mind on a piece of paper. Just let it all out. I do this every day in my journal.
Then, look at it. Decide which thoughts you want to keep, which ones you want to let go of, and which ones you want to change. It’s a very useful way to declutter your thoughts and simplify them to keep the ones you want.
4. Simplify Your Decisions
We spend a lot of energy every day making decisions. Sometimes it’s fun. Sometimes it’s frustrating. If you really want to go to the next level, excel in your career, and go to the next level in your life, then you need to stop making decisions for what’s not important to you.
Make decisions ahead of time
Plan your tasks the week before. I plan all my tasks and meetings for the week every Sunday so I don’t have to think about what I need to do every day.
Lay out your clothes the night before, so you don’t have to think about what to wear every morning when you wake up.
Minimize the option of making decision
This is why Steve Jobs and Mark Zuckerberg wear the same outfit every day. They don’t want to think about what doesn’t matter to them.
I recently got into the habit of eating the same oatmeal for breakfast every morning. Because I don’t care about what I eat, I only want to carry on with my routine and start my day right.
Conclusion
Know what’s important to you and use that as your focus in this phase in your life. Simplify how you handle relationships, what you choose to think about, and how you make decisions every day.
This is really how you focus on what truly matters and design a life you love on your own terms.
Rooting for you,
How do you simplify and find your focus in your life?
Shirley Huang is a Certified Life Coach, Podcast Host, and online educator. She provides weekly resources to help people become leaders in their life, while loving themselves and having fun a long the way. Check out her Life Coaching Programs here.