16 Ways to Simplify Your Life

Pareto's 80/20 rule states that in any particular pursuit that we undertake, approximately 80 percent of the results may come from just 20 percent of our efforts.

If we identify and focus on the 20 percent that really matters we are more likely to live a simpler life more on our own terms.

How much do you really need? Not as much as you probably already have.

Make sure anything you have in your life has a reason to be there and gives you something back. If not, get rid of it.

Living simpler means we streamline and hack away the things that are not essential.

What that version of simpler actually ends up being is however a personal choice. What works for me may not work for you.

Multitasking is a great way to spin plates and do lots of things sub-optimally. It means we're not fully engaged with what we're doing but rather thinking about what's next.

Forget multitasking and instead focus simply on one thing at a time until completion and then move onto the next task.

Make sure you're saying yes to the right invites that mean you get to spend time with those you care about, or on things you care about and goals that are important to you.

Learn to say a polite "No, thank you" to invitations that don't fit this bill. The ones that don't add to your life in some way.

"I don't have time" is becoming one of the most overused phrases in our culture. What it often means is we don't see something as a priority or perhaps we have our priorities slightly skewed.

We need to make time for those things and people that are truly important to us in our lives.

We are spending more and more of our time plugged in. We're in danger of letting life pass us by while we click away.

As fantastic and powerful as technology is, we need to make regular time to disconnect as well.

The things that give us the rosiest feelings or that we're most proud of often involve giving or providing a service to someone else. Make giving back a constant goal.