(Photo by Posidriv)

Simplification can sometimes be overwhelming. The amount of matters you have in your life and the amount of stuff you have to do may be too big a mountain can undertake.

But there is no need to simplify everything at once. You do one thing at a time, and walk small steps. You will get there and have fun walking it.

In fact, you can do little but important things today to begin living a simple life. These things should not be the difficult things, but simple things you can do today. Not tomorrow, not next week, not next month. Today. Choose one and do it today. Tomorrow, choose another.

If you practice these 10 things, you will have made huge steps with little effort.

1. Make a short list. Take a sheet of paper and fold into a small square, perhaps 3 x 5 inches. Or, take an index card. Now make a short list of 4-5 the most important things in life. What is most important for you? What do you respect most? What 4-5 things do you want most in your life? The simplification starts with these priorities, as well as trying to free up space in your life, you have more time for these things.

2. Drop 1 commitment. Think all the things in your life that you need to do and try to find one that you doing dreadful. Something that takes much time, but not give you much value. Maybe you are on a team or coaching something, or on board or committee or whatever. Something that every day, week or month, you do not really want to do. Now is the time to drop this commitment. Call someone, or send an e-mail, tell the appropriate person or people that you simply do not have the time. You will sense relief. I would suggest that you drop all the obligations that are not on your short list (item # 1), but for now, only drop only 1 obligation.

3. Clear out a drawer. Or a shelf or a countertop, or a corner of the room. Not a whole room or even the entire cabinet. Only one small area. You can function this little area as the basis of simplicity, and then expand from there. Here’s how to purge: 1) empty everything from the drawer or shelf or in the corner into a pile. 2) Of this pile, choose only the most important things, you use and love. 3) Dispose all the rest. Right now. Trash it or take in your car to give away or donate. 4) Set up the things you love and use again, in a neat and orderly manner.

4. Set limits. Basically, certain restrictions on the things you regularly do: e-mail, RSS posts, tasks, feeds, items in your life, and so on, and try to keep the restrictions. Today, all you have to do is to set limit to a few things in your life. Tomorrow, try to comply with them.

5. Simplify your to-do list. Take a look at your to-do list. If there are more than 10 items long, you can probably reduce it a little. Try finding at least some elements that can be removed, delegated, automated, outsourced, or ignored. Shorten the list. This is a good habit to do once a week.

6. Free up time. Simplifying your life in general is a way to unleash the time to do things you want to do. Unfortunately, it is difficult to even find time to think, nor on how to simplify your life. If that’s the case, free up at least 30 minutes a day to reflect on simplification. Or alternatively, free up a weekend to think about that then. How can you free up 30 minutes a day? Only a few ideas: wake earlier, less time watching television, eating lunch at your desk, walk to lunch, disconnect from the Internet, e-mail just once a day, shut down your cell phone, do 1 less thing each day.

7. Clear your desk. I can personally attest to the amazing feeling that a clean desk can give you. It’s like a simple thing to do, and much to do for you. If your desk full with documents and banknotes and gadgets and office supplies you may not be able to get this done today. But, here are the basic steps: 1) Clear all off the desk and put into a pile, inbox, or floor. 2) Process the stack from top to bottom, one element at a time. Do not defer a decision on any item - Deal with them immediately and quickly. 3) For each item, either file it immediately, sent to someone else, trash it, or note it in your to-do list (and put in the “Action” folder). If it’s a gadget or office supplies, find a place for them in a desk extensions (or get rid of it). 4) Repeat until you stack empty and your desk is clear. Eliminate any knick knacks. Your desk should have your computer, your inbox, perhaps a notepad, and maybe a family photo (but not many). Ahh, a clear desk! 5) From now on, put everything in your inbox, and at least once a day, treat it the same way as described above.

8. Clean out your e-mail inbox. This is the same as the psychological impact as a clear desk. Your e-mail inbox is always full of read and unread messages? This is because you are delaying decisions on your e-mail. If you have 50, let’s say, or fewer e-mail in your inbox, you can proces them all today. If you have hundreds, put them in a temporary folder and learn a little at a time (20 per day or something). This is how to process your inbox to empty - including e-mail already in inbox, and all future incoming e-mail: 1) process the from top to bottom, one by one to decide and destroy proper ones immediately. 2) Your decision for deleting, archiving, to respond immediately (and archiving or deletion), forward (and to delete or archive), or marks an asterisk (or something similar) and note it in your to-do list to respond to later (and archive). 3) Process each e-mail like that until your inbox is empty. 4) Each time you check your e-mail, process to empty. Ahh, an empty inbox!

9. Move slower. We rush through the day, from one task to another, from one event to another, until we collapse in bed, exhausted, at the end of the day. Instead, simplify your life by doing less (see item 1, 4 and 5), and doing them more slowly. Eat slower, drive slower, slower to walk, shower slowly, work more slowly. Be more deliberate. Be present. This is not something that can be master today, but you may begin practicing today.

10. A single task. Instead of multi-tasking, do one thing at a time. Remove all distraction, resist any impulse to check e-mail or to do some other tasks while you are doing the task at hand. Adhere to this task until you’re done. This will make a big difference in both your stress level and your productivity.

(Rearranged from Zenhabits.net)