I’m sure it seems as impossible to you as it does to me that we are almost into 2020. It’s seems like “Y2K” was just a blink of an eye ago – and here we are two decades later.
Many of us are thinking about how we’ll live our lives differently in 2020 than we have in years prior. So I thought I’d share with you some of the best advice I have received in years – something I’ve worked hard to implement, and have found that it has totally paid off. I hope it works as well for you as it has for me.
That is: whenever possible, and even if it doesn’t seem possible – simplify.
Thus K.I.S.S. = Keep It Simple! (You can make whatever you’d like from that last S. It’s supposed to be the word “Stupid” – but I won’t call my readers that… so… any word with an S will do!)
For me, working in a world of customer service, writing, teaching, and tech (web development) – my work is, at its core, not simple. Tech isn’t simple. People aren’t simple. Teaching is far from simple. And writing, when done well and correctly, isn’t simple either.
So – a year or so ago, as I was trying to figure out ways to slow down a little, a friend asked me why I let my life become so complicated. It was like being hit with a cold, wet rag! I had never thought about my life being so complicated! At least, I had not thought about complication as a contributor to spending too much time working, and not enough time living the rest of my life….
She reminded me – GREAT advice – that it’s far better to work SMART, than to work HARD. So very true.
And so – I vowed to begin removing complication – making life simpler – working smarter.
Example: I love to play golf, and I have an opportunity to play golf every Wednesday, later in the afternoon. My complicated life meant I too often gave up golf to attend a meeting, or meet a deadline. My new K.I.S.S. life means – golf takes precedence. That golf time is blocked out on my calendar. Granted, I still have to consider the weather, but not a business meeting.
Blogging… Between these tips (weekly throughout 2019) and the APHA blog (weekly for 10 years), and the AdvoConnection blog (bi-weekly until this year)… that is a LOT of writing. When you add those posts to my books, or even just articles I write, and now the courses I put together for this PracticeUP! site. Yikes. Why did I make my life so complicated?
So since earlier in 2019, the APHA blog has been published only twice a month. The AdvoConnection blog is published only once a month. And as of early 2020, these TIPs will move to twice a month, too (no longer weekly.) K.I.S.S. – still there, but not nearly as complicated.
As I close out this year’s TIPs, I’m going to simplify one more time. That is – with an invitation to you to re-read this year’s TIPs. They’ve been meaty, and do-able, and in some cases, very simple! So why not return to the first real TIP of 2019 and see how many you remember? Like potato chips… betcha can’t read just one 🙂
So – that’s my advice to you as you begin 2020. See if you, too, can simplify your life! It will give you some time to stop and smell the roses. Just the exercise of simplification will help you prioritize, too.
The roses are definitely worth smelling!
I wish you the very best – and all success – in 2020. You will be happier, and clients will be happier to have you working with them, with your newly simplified life.
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