By Arsalaan Haleem

You wake up in the morning, take a quick shower and consider yourself lucky to grab a cup of coffee before going to work. On the way to and from the office, you endure the rush hour traffic, adding at least an hour or two to your daily commute. At work, you face tons of deadlines, things to do, your perpetually demanding boss and worse, office politics. Things are nearly the same at home – the kids need help with their school works, oftentimes arguing as to who gets what or who gets to do something first, bills need to be paid, the laundry needs to be taken care of. The list goes on and on. Well, worry not, here are a few tips which followed properly, will help to simplify your life.

• Stop checking your mobile phone for voice or text messages.

• Do not check your emails ten times a day – Check your inbox only twice a day, thrice, if you work if really necessary.

• Hire a maid to do your dusting and cleaning, if you cannot do it or doesn’t want to do it. Hire two maids if you have to and if you can afford to. Believe me; it will save you a lot of headache – and stress.

• Write a list of goals you’d like to achieve. Focus on doing a few really well, rather than a lot in a mediocre way. You can’t add hours to the day, but you can cut down on activities.

• Stop being a slave to communication tools. Do you really need an office phone, a home phone, and a cellular phone, pager, fax, e-mail and Internet ICQ technology?

• Give away clerical tasks to others who can handle non-priority activities.

• Stop spending time to save money. Instead, spend money to save time. Don’t drive across town to save a few rupees on a grocery or food items. It isn’t worth it.

• Cancel subscriptions to magazines you never get around to reading. Only read one newspaper per day.

• Cut back on television time. Only watch those shows you decide on beforehand. Circle them in the television-listing magazine. Then turn off the television when the program is over. Give up watching television altogether.

• Quit organizations that aren’t contributing to your advancement, your network or your fun.

• Make a plan for the weekend that doesn’t involve work. Plan to spend more time with your family or with people who make positive contributions to your life. Stop spending time with people who are a drain on your energy or vitality.

• Carry a smaller wallet or purse. Start by cleaning out the one you’ve got. Get rid of all the unnecessary receipts that you carry about – believe me they are no good.

• Make time for yourself. Set aside time each day to reflect quietly, go for a walk, plan for your future or meditate. Visit the park instead of the mall.

• Cut back on debt. Track your expenses for a month, then cut back on your spending on items you do not need. For instance, take a home-lunch to work instead of buying one at your workplace. Mix and match your outfits rather than constantly buying new ones.

• Cut back on your children’s planned activities. If they have to use a time planner to schedule their activities, and you spend all of your time taxiing them around, they’re probably too busy.

• Live closer to your work so you don’t have to drive.

• Take a moment each day to be grateful.