Live Simply. Love Generously.

Live simply. Love generously. Leave the rest to God. These remarkable summary statements about the Christian life were found in the papers of a martyred African pastor. In life and in death, he lived what he believed.

Simple living allows us to focus on God’s highest priorities and what could be more important than that? As we continue to examine the top ten timesaving tips, this week we discover two practical ways to reduce life’s clutter.

Eliminate Information Overload

We live on information overload. On any single day we are exposed to more than we could conceivably process in any one year. We are overloaded, overwhelmed, and pushed to the brink of breakdown. It is time to clear our minds, silence the sounds, and quarantine our living spaces from the relentless noise of life.

Stop the madness and just say ‘no.’ Try these suggestions:

• The average household has the TV on for 40 hours a week. Turn it off.
• Throw away clear junk mail. Don’t open it or read it – just toss it.
• Lose the guilt. Cancel subscriptions to publications you rarely have time to read.
• Contact the Direct Marketing Association (http://www.the-dma.org/) to get forms to help limit the flow of unwanted mail.
• Block email spammers.
• At home, turn off the cell phone.

Saying ‘no’ to overload allows you to say ‘yes’ to the things you really care about.

Delegate

We hesitate to delegate because we are convinced that alone we can do it faster and better. Admit it, we hate giving up control.

But, in actuality, delegating will save you an enormous amount of time. It will also
motivate others, promote ‘buy-in,’ and encourage cooperation.

Think about your top five time consuming work and personal tasks and dream of what it would be like if you delegated them today. Delegate to a competent employee, hire a personal assistant, or someone to help out at home. And don’t overlook the growing market of US and overseas virtual assistants. For as little as $4.00 an hour, you could cut your work load and your stress in half.

“Nothing is impossible if you can delegate.”
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Live simply. Love generously. Leave the rest to God.