Stressing over Simplifying

In three installments last week, I published a list of 72 ways to simplify your life that I found at zenhabits.net. I think it's a really great list. As soon as I found it, I knew it would help me on my quest to declutter and simplify. The problem, as is always true for me, is my perfectionist personality.

You see, perfectionists are not perfect. They just feel strongly that they should be, and that's the problem. Being one, I feel as if I should do all things perfectly, and preferably yesterday, which of course is a huge reason that I've had trouble simplifying. Simplifying your life is a huge, overwhelming task, and since I couldn't do it all right away (and perfectly), in the past I didn't do any of it. I just worried over it and stressed about it.

But this time, I'm doing it differently. I decided to choose a few items from the list, implement them, and when I've accomplished those or feel comfortable with a new habit, I'll choose one or two more and move forward.

So far, so good.

The first item on the list instructs you to make a list of your top 4-5 important things. By realizing what you value most, you'll be able to prioritize your decluttering and simplifying accordingly. So, here's mine:

1. Spending time with my husband, family, and friends.
2. Having time for non-work-related reading.
3. Living and working in a peaceful and orderly environment.
4. Being well-prepared to do my job.
5. Exercising and eating healthfully.
6. Having some time for myself every day. (No, this is not a duplication of my pleasure reading priority. More on this later.)

OK. I cheated. But that's my top six.

Come back tomorrow for the next step in my quest for simplification.

Reading Resolutions

I read a lot, so I don't have to resolve to read or to read more. What I do resolve this year is not to let work-related reading take over my life and crowd out all room for pleasure reading. After all, the joy I receive from reading is what led me to this field.

I'm not being unrealistic. I know that I can't read for pleasure as much or as often as I'd really like to and still be as prepared as I need to be for my classes. But I truly believe that teachers of literature can't just bury themselves in the classics. We need to at least attempt to stay current, to read some of the best-sellers, an occasional Pulitzer Prize winner. I can choose one book I've been wanting to read and enjoy a chapter or two before work, or during my lunch break, or right after I get home as a way to wind down from the stress of the day. I like it when a student asks me if I've read a book they're currently enjoying and I have and can discuss it with them. I like to model being a reader rather than just being a teacher.

I'm challenging myself to read at least two books a month simply for pleasure. This is a low-end goal. I hope to read much more than that. And, of course, I'll keep you posted about what I'm reading.

How about you? How are you going to challenge yourself as far as reading goes this year? Come on, you can tell me. I'll hold you accountable.

The Big Question

I've already told you that I'm a Type A personality, so you're not surprised that I'm wondering about what's next, right? Life's an adventure that I intend to experience fully.

And I'll definitely need a new topic to blog about.

Intentionality

I've been blessed to be able to pursue a personal life goal for the past ten years, the last three of which I've spent working on a PhD. I am so thankful for this opportunity, and I have received so much more than I had even hoped for in the process. But along the way, my singleminded pursuit has crowded out so many good, even necessary, things that I value but have just let fall to the wayside. My fault, I know. But still, it has happened.

Life events, however, have come together to inspire me. The theme of last week's Christian Scholars Conference was "The Power of Narrative," and Barbara Brown Taylor, one of the plenary speakers, made a statement that really resonated with me. She observed that so many of us choose narratives too small for our lives. We fritter away our time on non-essentials, drifting along, never daring to live a narrative big enough to fit our dreams and goals.

On top of coming face to face with that truth, while at this conference I met several people who are living their lives so intentionally, with such unifying focus. They have decided what is important to them, and they are purposefully making room for those things in their lives, getting rid of the habits that rob them of time or room for human connection and spiritual pursuit, and adding things that bring them contentment and real happiness. There was something about these people. They had a peaceful countenance (an old-fashioned term, I know, but it fits exactly) and a quiet joy I envied.

It's not like this is a new idea for me. I've always had an inner vision of the kind of person I want to be and the kind of life I want to live, but that vision often gets trampled under the tyranny of the urgent. And it's not as if I think my pursuit of a PhD was a "frittering away of my life on non-essentials." It was, and is, a worthy goal and very important to me. But now, as I'm nearing the end of this years-long journey, I want to transfer my energies from this pursuit into creating a life that matters, one that honors my values and makes my outer reality match my inner vision. I want to live a life of Intention. During the next week or two, I want to write about different areas of Intention that I want to pursue. It may not be a daily theme because I'm still thinking this thing through. But I invite you along for the journey.

P.S. Happy Birthday, Travis!