What is the difference between work and home? For some of us this question is harder to answer than we would like to admit. We are always on, always connected, and always at the beck-and-call of our employers, partners, clients, etc. And since we have all grown accustomed to faster technology and faster responses, we have concurrently grown intolerant to delays\u2014patience is a virtue lost on contemporary society.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n That impatience is blurring personal boundaries that once separated each area of our lives. Ask someone the difference between free time and work, or home life and recreation. In the abstract they will have an answer, but follow up with whether they live those differences, and the conversation takes a tragic turn.<\/p>\n For these boundaries to hold up, they must be grounded in physical space and real activity. The time itself blends uncontrollably if what you do with the time is virtually indistinct. So, you are at home, but checking your work emails; you are at the park, but thinking about your home d\u00e9cor or bills. That\u2019s what I mean.<\/p>\n The problem is that work, leisure, and home are no longer defined and protracted places. They are states of mind. We no longer have three distinct segments of time allotted to each space but rather some confluence of behaviors that converge in any one of those space at any point in time, based on necessity, urgency or stress. We can\u2019t expect to respect boundaries when we don\u2019t train our minds to make definite distinctions in time, space, and activity.<\/p>\n I don\u2019t think this is easy to accomplish. I personally struggled with making these distinctions and respecting them. However, I believe I\u2019ve managed to reach a balance, and every day I strive to maintain it. My first piece of advice: keep it simple. \u00a0Create Balance<\/span><\/p>\n Simplicity is a beautiful thing. In art, in design, in mathematics, simplicity is the mark of rigor, comprehension, and mastery. Life, however, is a complex and complicated affair that sometime spits in the face of our best attempts to simplify or organize it.<\/p>\n The best way to simplify life is on a timescale. Our time is fluid, whether or not it seems so. Aside from the sleep\/wake cycle, there isn\u2019t much that constrains how we use our time. I am referring purely to time itself when I say this; surely there are all sorts of externalities that constrain our time but those aren\u2019t common to all so I am putting them aside. The fluidity of time should help us simply not complicate our lives.<\/p>\n When we add the dimension of value to our time, it makes organizing our duties, responsibility, and commitments simpler. You can plot your priorities on the timescale and decide how much time should be allotted to each, based on the value you assign. And remember, how you choose to spend your time says a lot about what you value and who you are.<\/p>\n So, when we think about ourselves as existing on these two dimensions, the definitions of work, home, and leisure change. The boundaries delimit our behavior such that we do not impinge on our values. When you are at home, you are at home because there are values that determine why you are there and how you spend your time there; when you are at work, your values inform your behavior in the same way; and so on.<\/p>\n \u201cBut I have so much to do<\/a>! I can\u2019t possibly sideline my responsibilities based on my values.\u201d<\/p>\n Well that gets at a deeper question of how much you value your work over your home life. That\u2019s far too existential for this article. Anyway, each person has subtlety unique value systems and factors to influence that question. There just won\u2019t be a general consensus.<\/p>\n Fortunately, whatever the m\u00e9lange of values, responsibilities, and factors on your plate, there are\u00a0six approcahes<\/em><\/strong>\u00a0you can use to reorganize and restructure your life that are designed to simplify your activities, get more done, and enjoy more personal time either with others or alone. \u00a0Create Balance<\/span><\/p>\n Determine what is most important to you. Just you. Not necessarily egocentric values but sincere and genuine values. One of the most important questions that can set you in this direction is, \u201cWhat do I really want to do with my life?\u201d Answering this question will grant you peace of mind and fortitude.<\/p>\n Write a list of exactly 10 concrete goals<\/a> that you want to accomplish in the next year. Once that is down, reread the list, and ask yourself this, \u201cIf I accomplished one of these goals in the next 24-hours, which one would have the greatest positive impact on my life?\u201d<\/p>\n After completing the previous step, you can baptize the answer as your \u201cmajor purpose<\/a>.\u201d It doesn\u2019t need to be your ultimate purpose for the rest of your life, just your immediate, most beneficial purpose. Once you have that in hand, make a list that contains the other goals in order of priority subordinate to that major purpose. Think in concrete steps. \u00a0Create Balance<\/span><\/p>\n Align your values with your activities<\/a>. It is often incongruence there that causes profound unrest. A sense of joy, calm, and motivation washes over someone who believes that their values, what they do, and the way they spend their time are all in alignment.<\/p>\nWhy The Need To Simplify Your Life?<\/h2>\n
Six Ways To Simplify Your Life<\/h2>\n
Determine Your Values<\/h3>\n
Decide What You Want<\/h3>\n
Identify Your Major Purpose<\/h3>\n
Balance Your Life<\/h3>\n