Well, it’s been a while since my last real blog-post :-). And since REWORK inspired me to share more stuff, I’ll now share a little about how I simplified my life in the past months and years.
Ever since I’ve read The 4-Hour Workweek simplification became one of my key principles of life. Since then, my selective perception kicked in and I see, read and hear about this principle everywhere (e.g. in books of Thich Nhat Hanh, in my productivity bible Zen to Done, the Simplify Your Life audiobooks and many more).
Here are examples of what I’ve done so far and why:
- Low-information Diet: I stopped reading newspapers and watching news 100%. If something really important is happening in the world, people will tell you. Positive side-effect: The constant negativity isn’t depressing me anymore.
- Quality reading only: I stopped reading magazines 100%. Instead I read books. My attention is a very limited resource. Why waste it on crap that will be out of date in a couple of days or weeks? The only exception left is Twitter: I only follow 20+ people and spend a couple of minutes per day. But honestly: Reading a book or listening to an audiobook would bring more value per invested minute.
- No alcohol: Since 6+ months I eliminated alcohol completely and switched to tea as my main beverage. It makes life so much simpler: Never worry whether you can still drive or not. No more hang-overs. Better sleep. Healthier liver. Less expenditures. And many more.
- Stick to Getting Things Done / Zen to Done: GTD/ZTD is my main organizational foundation since more than 2 years now. The main advantage is that it keeps your brain empty by using a reliable system (note: the human brain is NOT a reliable organizational system). I’ve implemented it everywhere, from business to private, and I use it for absolutely every task and routine (grocery shopping, holiday planning, project management at work, weekend routine including laundry etc.). At Trigami, GTD/ZTD has been built into the heart of the organization. It’s how we think, it’s how we act and it’s a requirement for every employee.
- ZEN: Since more than 1 year, mental training is a core component in my personal development program. Mental health and mental strength is key for every human being. Bad habits intoxicate most of us. We’re driven by emotions more than we’re aware of. Our mind is blurred. This is not a good foundation for a truly happy life. Mental training helps me to relax, to get a clear mind and to transform my unfavorable habits. I also learn what’s truly important in life (and if we’re really honest we might realize that it’s NOT money and NOT success – yet we forget that too often).
- Let old memories go: Some of us have a (secret) box with old letters, photos, postcards etc. Why hold on to them? So I eliminated most of them last summer. And it was a relief.
- Deleting SMS: There was a time when I stored almost every SMS I received. Not anymore. After reading/replying it gets deleted. It’s a tiny habit, but a great relief.
- Reducing the closet: I don’t buy many clothes. Yet it’s unbelievable how many I own and how a little percentage of it I really wear. So I’ve put countless of bags to the Red Cross container – and I’m not done yet!
- Using a labeling machine: David Allen said it loud and clear: Get a labeling machine! It took two years to follow this advice, and I have to say: It’s awsome and absolutely worth it! And it pushes you to define a fixed place for every item. Find the place, label it and never worry about where to put things anymore!
- Throw away administrative paperwork: Again a very tiny habit: Once an invoice is paid, I throw it away. Once an bank statement is scanned over, I throw it away. There was a time when I collected those things in folders to never look at them again. Those times are over. If something is worth keeping, I scan the item and throw the original away.
- A-Z filing systems: No matter if digital or physical, I use A-Z filing systems (thanks David Allen!). On my computer, I have an @Inbox and a @References folder. First, I’ve put all my mess into @Inbox, and then sorted it into @References in the A-Z fashion. That way I find everything I’m looking for in a matter of seconds, without ever using the search function.
- Only one computer: Since more than two years I’m only using ONE computer. No more syncing-pain and only one machine to maintain. I strongly recommend this.
- Tea: There was a time when I was convinced I can only drink tea with 2-3 pieces of sugar. Not anymore. I’ve eliminated the sugar out of the equation. Plus: Instead of waiting for the tea to cool down I only fill half the cup with hot water, wait a while and fill the rest with cold water. I might not get a medal of honor by the Queen of England, but it sure makes my life simpler ;-).
- Public transportation: For years I’ve been using a scooter as my main transportation vehicle. Now I switched to public transportation. Timed correctly it’s as fast. Yet it’s more relaxing and if you wish also more productive.
I think you get the picture. The conclusion is that I’ve made it a habit to change my habits, and I’ve become pretty good at it. And I will keep doing it. And just because these are the things I believe in today, doesn’t mean I will believe in them tomorrow. Habits change. Beliefs change. Life changes.
Cheers, Remo
Bookmarked, your post here got me thinking of reorganizing my mess and hopefully can lead to leaving a simply life like you advice here. One problem though I’ve check the link on Zen to Done website and its not on english hope you can share it or do I need to buy it? Thanks again for a long and informative post.
@Deborah: You find the English version of ZTD on zenhabits.net
Thanks for sharing, Remo. I definetely got some valuable inspiration. By the way, I stopped smoking a year ago and run every month >120km.
Life changes! A fact that cannot be denied. Nothing is constant here in the world but CHANGE. Your post is really great. I think I should have to change some of my habits that are messing up my life. I better start it today and make a good life.Thanks a lot for your post.
Simplicity is a good thing. It certainly makes life a lot less stressful for the most part.
No alcohol,Letting old memories go,Reducing the closet!!!that’s an great achievement buddy.Thanks for the info.even i ll try following this rules.Its hard to simplify our life.
Pretty impressive Remo. It sounds great but to be honest, it scares the crap out of me to make changes like that. After all, we are all creatures of habit and I’ve been doing certain things for so many years, I wouldn’t know how to quit. Any advice?
Thank you very much for that inspiration! I did another one: I threw away all my sox in different styles and colors and bought a huge package of black sox that I like the most. So I can just take the bunch of sox out of the dryer and put it into the drawer with the other ones, which all match with each other ;-)
It’s a great story! I’d like to do some of the thing you did, especially diet would be great. You’ve inspired me to chenge my life, thanks !
Shutting out the news has to be one of the best things we can do these days. Besides consuming so much personal time, at the office all I hear is Democrat this and Republican that. It seems so many people are getting sucked into politics that they are no longer willing to enjoy life.
I just got done reading an article about Billy Ray Cyrus’s divorce. It’s pretty sad that someone whose been married for 17 years ends in divorce. It goes to show though that you can’t take your family for granted!
Thanks Remo for sharing your true to life advices. I’m always glad to read real tips. I also agree that we should throw away some things in our past that hinder our life to become light. It’s always nice to forgive and forget.
Simple is better :)
Very Nice! Thanks from Germany!
Great photo! Regards from Catalonia!
[...] durch meine Gründerkollegen Remo Uherek und Christoph Magnussen, die schon länger die Prinzipien von “Inbox Zero” und [...]
your post really inspire me,, thought this some way to make our life more enjoyable. but, I cant stop smoking .., lol…
it is impressive to read how you simplified your life… which sort of tea do you prefer? Green tea?
A lot of good advice, I even went from caffeinated tea => non-caffeinated tea, I haven’t read 4 hour workweek but I plan to.
hey Remo,
good stuff. What I like best abouth the article is the last paragraph, gives the entire thing a bit of perspective, appearing much lessn “indoctrinated”.. ; )
greetings, Tom
These are good ways to simplify a life. After reading your article i started tinking whether i can simplify my life, too. I cam eto the conclusion, that it is no fault in doing that. I will start by stopping sheduling my whole week. So i don´t have to worry about frogetting thigs. The information diet sounds great. I will try this. I used to search the internet for new informations every day for hours. Hopefully i can resist doing this the next days. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
this post is very inspiring and motivating. I want to copy this routine and apply it in my daily living. I’ll let you know guys the effect of this :)
i love this article!!thanks for sharing your thoughts..and i will try my best to make my life simply by following your tips..looking forward for more….cheers!! :)
after reading this article 18 days had passed and it works on me…I changed a lot my negative attitude become positive and it help me to become a better person…thank you so much for this wonderful and inspiring article