When we first made the decision to start simplifying our lifestyle, Gibbs and I sat down and made a list of our priorities. Our first list included twenty to thirty things we wanted to concentrate on.
As we moved along in our plan to simplify, we began to see that even after we had taken some major steps to free up our time and energy, there was no way we’d be able to do everything on our list.
So we cut back and ended up, at least for starters, with four or five things that were most important to us: our marriage, our writing careers, spending time with family and special friends, and pursuing our personal hobbies of reading and exploring cultural pursuits.
In one respect that doesn’t seem like much—at least not compared to what we thought we wanted to do, or compared to what many of us have been trying to do. But if you’ve got a spouse, and children, and a career, and certain responsibilities you can’t get out of, three to four priorities is about all you get. There’s really not a whole lot of time for anything else, especially if you want to include quality inner time as well.
Recognize that inner pursuits take time, too. And to get the maximum benefit from going within, that time should be free of the distractions and the complications we often allow our lives to be full of.
So as you start to make changes in your life and in your schedule, be realistic. Attempt to strike a balance between your outer and your inner goals, and keep in mind you may not be able to do everything you think you want to do.