Simplify Your Priorities

Post written by Raymund Tamayo

A hectic schedule is a sure way of causing high stress, I guarantee you. I learned this the hard way. Not too many years ago, my life was full of commitments. I had too many activities that I had no time for the things that I really wanted to do, no time to fulfill my purposes and goals in life, and no time for my family.

There were too many tasks to do, too many emails to process each day, too many persons to talk to, too many people to do favors for, too many meetings. It all piles up that I wonder how I got through alive during those days. I was burning out and everyday I drive home with my eyes half-closed, feeling stressed out and beaten. It was then when I decided to simplify my life.

First, I did it by learning to say “no”. I said no to commitments not aligned with the top five most important things in my life, namely: 1.) my spirituality, 2.) my family, 3.) health, 4.) financial independence, 5.) and simplicity. By doing this, I’ve become more energized every day.

Second, I made a careful watch on how I spend my time.

Last January 2010, we cut out cable TV from our lives. Believe it or not, after almost two years, we’re still alive! It wasn’t only a part of frugality, but also because cable TV tends to run your life. It is the ultimate time-waster. Now, we barely watch TV (except for a few minutes at church while waiting for the brethren). I check out the news on the internet and in news papers. It’s a wonder what the Internet can do these days if we use it responsibly.

Simplify by reducing the number of commitments in your life to just the essential ones. Learn to say no to the rest – and slowly get out of commitments that aren’t beneficial to you. Get out of meetings when they aren’t absolutely essential.

Instead, do miraculous things like read, and talk, and spend time with your family and friends. Spend your time in things that matters the most… something that goes beyond this earthly life. As what the “Gladiator” Maximus said in the film: “What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

Make your life count.