The Case for a Simpler Lifestyle —
Did you know there are over 800,000 apps available in the Apple Apps Store? We have lunch at the Cheesecake Factory every couple weeks, but we have never counted how many selections there are on the menu. But someone else counted and there are over 240 things you can order, not counting lunch and brunch specials. Or did you know that if you go to Sepora.com, you will find 135 mascaras, 437 lotions, and 1,992 fragrances?
Or have you noticed how long your contract is when you sign up for a new credit card. In l980, the contract was about 400 words–today it is over 20,000 words. Who reads the click-through agreements when you download a program? They really don’t expect you to read through the agreement. One company stuck into their click-through agreement and offered $1,000 to the first person to email the company at a specific address. It took five months and 3,000 sales before someone read far enough to find the offer.
Gone are the days when someone went to work at 9:00 in the morning, and came home some time after 6:00–and left all their work at the office. Today, you bring the office home in you phone, your iPad, or computer. One of our relatives who works for a major computer programing company was expected to be available 24 hours every day to his boss through his email. We are in a crisis of complexity!
How did we get into this complex mess? For one, it’s the lawyers. They feel it necessary to cover every contingency. Another culprit is government regulators who require what they call “disclosure.” So something is required in an agreement, then something more is added on, and then we add on a gadget that adds on additional requirements, and soon we are entangled in complexity.
So how do we simplify our lives? We begin small. For example, I have an intake sheet that must be signed by everyone I see in counseling. I know some therapists who have 8 or 9 pages on their intake forms that a new client must read and sign. I took one of those forms, boiled it down, and in my one paragraph I cover everything I need covered in giving me permission to do counseling. I simplified something in my life!
Maybe we can begin by looking at what is causing stress in our lives and asking ourselves, “What can be simplified?” How can I simplify my paying my bills? How can I simplify my time commitments by cutting off my phone/office work at a certain time after I get home? How do I prioritize the demands on my life and my time? What am I doing when I am too busy to respond to my child? Take some time to think through these questions and others, and discuss them with your spouse, and with your family. And then “simplify!”
Question: Define one thing you can do to begin to simplify your life tomorrow.