14 Jan Looking for Simplicity May Not be Simple

There isn’t a question that comes up more in my work as a Feng Shui consultant than “How can I simplify my life?”  There aren’t too many people unaffected by the state of the world these days.  Life is busy; time is moving fast; we’re having trouble keeping up.

I hear people reminiscing about the slower pace of past times:  Remember when we’d go to the park on Sundays?  Remember when we’d ride our bikes every evening after work?  How come we never see our college friends anymore?  The response is always—we’re too busy.

For some of us, life is like a smorgasbord and we want to try a little bit of everything.  Although it all sounds fun and engaging, it isn’t long before we’re overwhelmed.  Sometimes we get saddled with stuff we really don’t want to do, but something called responsibility kicks in leaving us no choice.  However it comes our way, we are seeing that we’ve got more commitments than we did in the past and we’re not always enjoying it.

If people are asking someone like me how to simplify, they are obviously expecting some kind of answer filtered through Feng Shui principles.

Here are some suggestions that I’ve used to help me through a particularly un-simple phase and ones which I’ve shared with clients:

1. Keep only things that you love.  If you’re not sure, get rid of it.  Your sanctuary/home/office should only include items that support you.
2. Take nine minutes each day to de-clutter.  Clutter is the biggest mirror to us about feeling overwhelmed.  Start in one area and stay there until the area feels like it can breathe again—until it feels simple.
3. Simplify your emails.  Get rid of those daily emails that some people send if they’re not serving you.  Set your boundaries so you can feel in control.
4. Experiment with a Zen look in your bedroom, where simplicity would impact you in a very positive way.  Keeping things simple in your bedroom can help you sleep and provide enlightening dreams.
5. Don’t get disconnected from nature even if it means a short walk to the corner and back.  Nature will teach us how to be simple if we can stay in touch with it.

Although the question about how to simplify your life could be a lot more involved and specific, I’ve intentionally kept the suggestions, well, simple.  Although simple, they do take consideration and intention.  Just because the universal world is speeding up, it doesn’t mean we can’t create our own personal world that is slower and more meaningful.  Keep your space simple and your life will follow.