Help for a complicated life

Life is complicated. Not very profound we’re only part to blame. What makes our life more complicated are those outside factors that want a piece of our time, our immediate attention or our money. Ever feel like this?

In hockey, a player that scores three goals has earned a hat-trick. Fans will then throw hats on the ice to honor the feat. I hereby coin the phrase “complicated life hat-trick”. A complicated life hat-trick is an outside force that wants our time, our immediate attention and our money. Here are some examples:

Your son interrupts you at work and needs a form signed and money brought to the school right away or he cannot go on the field trip to the museum next week.

The human resources department neglected to tell you that your health insurance is about to terminate unless you fill out paperwork, write a check and send the package to the insurance company right away.

The dog ate your homework. OK…hear me out on this one. You now have to chase the dog down because he ran when he knew he was in trouble (time). You now have to redo your paper that is due tomorrow for your 8am class (immediate attention). The paper also didn’t settle well in your dog’s stomach so you now have to take him to be examined at the vet (money). Bet you were wondering how I could get there on that one!

Here’s the point. Some complexities in life are unavoidable such as those described above. How you can best handle those situations when they arise is to simplify the rest of your life.

Here’s one way to begin. Save time by working more efficiently. Outsource tasks that you do not enjoy or cannot do in a time effective way. Eliminate items from your life that are not really needed. Each of these topics will be featured in upcoming Life Less Taxing blog posts.

An example of working more efficiently is your bill paying routine.  How long does it take to pay your bills?  Most banks offer free secure online bill paying services.  Most services allow you to setup recurring transactions and will mail your payments or send them electronically for you.  No more looking for stamps, stuffing envelopes or going to the post office.  If your bank does not offer such a service, look for a bank that does.

Simplifying a complicated life does not happen overnight. Give it a try…be patient…one step at a time and you will have a life less taxing.