Life in the 21st century has us all frazzled. Between cell phones, email, long work hours, and taking care of our children and aging parents, we’ve all become overextended. Sometimes, it’s all we can do to keep from screaming.

Here are 22 effective techniques that will help you to simplify your life.

1. Make a list of goals you'd like to achieve. Then, prioritize the list and focus on just your most important goals. Don’t try to do them all. Remember, you can only squeeze so many activities into a 24-hour day.

2. Don’t say yes when you want to say no. It’s easy to say yes just to please others. But you have a right to say no when you don’t want to do something.

3. Stop checking your email so often and turn off your cell phone during the weekends and when you’re on vacation. And give yourself a break from constant communications with your office.

4. Delegate non-priority clerical work to others so that you can focus on your most important tasks.

5. Don’t drive all over town to save a little bit of money. Your time is worth more than the few cents you’ll save. And you’ll save money on gas, too.

6. Cancel subscriptions to magazines you never read. And read only one newspaper per day.

7. Reduce the amount of time your watch television. Get up off that couch and do something else. And cancel the extra cable packages you rarely watch.

8. Clean out and organize your office. Get rid of anything you’re not using. Be ruthless.

9. Quit any organization that isn’t fun or contributing to your advancement.

10. Set up automatic bill payments and investment deposits. Try to automate your other repetitive tasks, too.

11. Make it a policy not to work on weekends. This will force you to complete your work during the week.

12. Stop spending time with people who drain your energy and vitality. Eliminate negative people from your life.

13. Clean out your wallet or purse and get rid of unnecessary credit cards and clutter.
14. Don’t check your financial portfolio every day. If you’re investing for the long term, checking your results daily will add stress to your life and can lead to expensive and unnecessary changes.

15. Set aside time each day for yourself. Do something you enjoy —— go for a walk, reflect quietly, plan for your future, or meditate.

16. Track your expenses for a month, then cut back spending on items you don't need.

17. Put your credit cards in a spot where you won't be able to use them until you're debt-free.

18. Rent a vacation home instead of buying. You’ll eliminate the time and cost burden of maintaining the home, and you won’t be tied down to just one location for future vacations.

19. Take a vacation every year. It’s no badge of honor to skip vacations. You need to rejuvenate your body and spirit.

20. Reduce your children's planned sports and after-school activities. You shouldn’t have to use a time planner to schedule their activities, and you shouldn’t have to spend most of your time ferrying them around.

21. Live closer to your job to reduce your commute.

22. Take a moment each day to be grateful for your family and health.

If you use these techniques to simplify your life, you’ll soon see great results.

View all Joan Yankowitz's articles

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