Life, Uncomplicated

A megillah is an elaborate, complicated production or sequence of events. I hear my share of megillas on a weekly basis, especially when real estate transactions fall apart. We have all had one of those transactions where a myriad of tasks, interactions, and communications go wrong. Sometimes we find that we are responsible for complicating events, thereby complicating our own lives. Often, it’s not just in business that we create megillahs. We often do it in our personal lives too. We make simple tasks and events much more involved and complicated than they need to be. Megillahs, as exciting as they may be, detract from productivity, and often detract from happiness too, as our energy gets directed toward unwinding the knot we create for ourselves and thereby keeping us from achieving the highest success that could have been obtained. For this week, here are six ways to remove unnecessary complications from your life, thereby removing the majority of daily megillahs thus allowing you to fully embrace serenity, productivity, and efficiency in your daily life.

1. Simply stop procrastinating - When you procrastinate, you eventually end up having to rush. When you rush, you might take shortcuts that you wouldn’t normally take, and you will inevitably make mistakes. Shortcuts + mistakes = a more complicated life.
2. Stop Looking for Approval/Opinions - Of course, it feels good when we get approval from others, but if you are seeking it regularly, then you are creating delays in your productivity and you are potentially watering down your own great ideas. Now let’s talk about seeking opinions from others. Are you really seeking an opinion, or is it an affirmation you are after, or yet, is it once again the dreaded approval that you can’t move on without?? Either way, the person whom you seek an opinion from is not ultimately responsible for the result, you are. Be strong, independent, and wise in your thinking, ideas, and strategies. Don’t worry about the opinions and the approvals of others, who are not nearly as vested as you are in a good result.
3. Do not confuse busyness with productivity - When you are slow and have downtime, relax and strategize. Do not just start working on something because it’s in front of you. Be thoughtful and considerate about where you spend your time throughout the day so that each moment counts. Being occupied with something feels good, but it does not necessarily mean you are accomplishing anything at all.
4. Let Go, Be Free - It’s easy to hold on to something just because we are used to holding on to it. We have been holding it for so long, we do not even see that it no longer adds value to our business or life, and in all probability, it’s probably serving us in just the opposite way. Evaluate what you are holding on to (a lead source, a relationship, a networking group, a marketing campaign, etc etc). What if you just let go?
5. Boundaries & Interruptions - Value your time more and eliminate distractions and interruptions as much as possible. When you do not set boundaries around your time and schedule, you complicate your life needlessly. Imagine if you answered calls from product salespeople all day long; stores, vendors, companies, selling products. Imagine the multitude of calls all day, and imagine taking them all, politely, and unapologetically listening to every painful pitch. Would you be able to get to the valued work, the real work you do on a daily basis? In calculated probability, no. There would be little time left. The problem is that those sales calls DO come in all day long, but they are oftentimes mere self-serving distractions such as email offers, Facebook updates, and Instagram stories. Approach all distractions of this type with extreme caution.? Respecting your time = respecting yourself.?
6. Be Brave, It’s About Having Well Intended Candor - It is much, much easier said than done. Sometimes the greatest complications in life are a result of avoiding candor. We hold back on what we really want to say because we fear hurting or offending someone. Be brave, and show candor, especially when it’s in the other person’s best interest. Telling someone something they do not want to hear, reduces complications in both your life and theirs.? The more well-intended candor you have, the less complicated life becomes.