Simplify your life and maximize your results.

Allow me 30 seconds to share the world’s most fascinating story.

The story of the Golden Buddha.

In 1781, a group of monks owned a beautiful golden Buddha in a remote village in Thailand.

When they heard that the Burmese army was planning to invade their country, the monks covered their golden Buddha with clay so that the army would not see any value in it.

The Burmese army invaded the temple, destroyed everything, and killed every monk they came across. Sadly, the true identity of the golden Buddha was lost for three centuries until the Burmese army left Thailand.

In 1957, a group of monks was moving the giant stone Buddha to a new temple; while moving the clay golden Buddha, it cracked.

The head monk ordered the monks to stop moving it. That night, the head monk couldn’t sleep, so he returned to the statue, shined his lights, and saw something he wasn’t expecting: a shining gold color under the cracks.

Excited, he woke up every monk in the monastery, and they worked tirelessly with chisels and hammers to uncover the 13-foot-tall and 10-foot-wide Golden Buddha.

Beneath everything you see in the mirror, a golden you is hidden from the public eye. Get rid of all the things that act as clay layers, cover your true self, and add stress or anxiety to your life. Use these 25 tips to improve your life.

These 25 Things Will Simplify Your Life

1. Do what you love to do. The most important thing you can do to simplify your life is engage in activities you enjoy. There is no reason to do something you hate for 8–10 hours daily.
2. Determine what “enough” means for you and your family. How much money is enough? How much vacation is enough? How many couches are enough? Once you determine what is enough, planning will become easier.
3. Define what “success” means for you and your family. When will you feel successful? What do you have to achieve? How many people do you have to impact?
4. Reduce the clutter in your home. If you buy something, get rid of something. Most people have clothes in their closets that they haven’t worn in the last five years. Get rid of anything you have not used in the previous 12 months.
5. Work where you live or live where you work. Most people travel 45–60 minutes daily to get to work. The drive time adds stress and complexity to their lives. How easy will your life be if you cut your commute time in half?
6. Eat the same breakfast every day. Eating the same breakfast protects your morning energy. You do not have to consume mental energy when deciding what to eat. Choose a balanced breakfast and repeat the process every day.
7. Have a work uniform. You save time and energy when you wear the same thing every day.
8. Go to sleep and wake up at the same time every day. If you want to sleep better, have more energy, and better mental clarity, go to bed and wake up at the same time every day. Nothing destroys your productivity or health faster than a lack of sleep.
9. Get rid of all your toxic relationships. Surround yourself with people who add value to your life, and you add value to theirs. Get rid of anyone who drains your emotional and mental energy. If it is a family member, limit your interactions with them.
10. Let go of your past. Stop carrying emotional baggage. Learn how to let it go. This is a challenging task, but it gets easier when you surround yourself with people who provide you with positive energy.
11. Plan your week on Friday. Don’t start your weekend without planning the upcoming week. Writing down your plans for the week ahead helps free your mind and allows you to focus on spending time with your family during the weekend.
12. End each day by writing your to-do list for the following day. Don’t sleep without writing down what you want to accomplish the next day. Writing down your goals allows your subconscious mind to be more creative during sleep.
13. Start every morning by reading your to-do list. You wrote your to-do list the night before. It is time to reread to allow your conscious mind to focus on what matters for that day. Complete the items on the list first before doing anything else.
14. Save everything on the cloud. Avoid saving files, pictures, or anything on your computer. Use Google Drive or other services to protect your valuable information on the cloud. This will ensure that you never have to worry about losing documents.
15. Open no more than five tabs on your computer. If necessary, use a Chrome extension to limit the tabs on your computer. Having too many open tabs can scatter your focus.
16. Use a journal to declutter your mind. Get in the habit of using your journal every day. Write about things you are grateful for, people you love, projects you enjoy working on, or places you like to visit.
17. Learn how to say no. Stop saying yes to please other people. Protect your time, attention, and mental energy. If it’s not a “Hell Yeah,” it’s a “Hell No.” Only commit to things that help you simplify your life or add value to other people’s lives.
18. Simplify your workout routine. Have a workout buddy or a group with a defined workout plan. Stop switching and changing your workout routine. Your goal is to protect your health, clear your mind, energize your body, and not compete at the Olympics.
19. Slow down. Breathe, and take your time. Stop running from appointment to appointment; slow down and enjoy the moment.
20. Get rid of most of your credit cards. Simplify your life by eliminating all your credit cards except one or two. No one needs 20 credit cards in their wallets. Having too many credit cards encourages overspending and prolongs debt repayment.
21. Stop watching the news. The mainstream media has one goal: keeping you watching, and they do that by selling you fear.
22. Reread some old books. One of the best habits you can adopt is rereading old books. It allows you to see the book from a new perspective and build a bond with the author.
23. Take a day off every week. Take at least one day off each week to recharge and refocus. You will be more productive during the week. The same thing applies when you take your vacation. It will enable you to be more creative and focused when you return to work.
24. Set up automatic payments. Using automatic payments enables you to delegate tasks to technology. Why should you do anything if it can be done for free using someone else system?
25. Delete 90% of apps on your phone. I’m 100 % sure you have apps on your phone that you have not used in the last 90 days. Do you need to use all of these apps?

If you use these 25 tips to simplify your life, you will have more energy and more time to focus on things that matter. Stop wasting your energy, time, money, or attention on things that do not add value to your life.