1596: A Helpful Guide to Simplifying Your Work Life by Hilary Barnett with No Sidebar

[00:00:00] This is Optimal Work Daily, a helpful guide to simplifying your work life by Hilary Barnett with NoSidebar.com. Choosing to simplify at home can feel like a daunting task at first, but once you begin, you notice the positive effects that seem to ripple through every area of your life. The one place that can be a bit more challenging, however, is work. We often have very different expectations and constraints in our work lives, and it can feel like work is simply off-limits.

[00:00:30] But whether you are self-employed, working from home, or if you're in a more structured environment, there are simple ways to make changes that can affect your satisfaction and joy. I held several different jobs before I decided to start my own company, and much of my minimalist journey has coincided with my need for more structure and simplicity in my work life. Even before I started freelancing, I knew that so many of my personal habits were affecting my happiness at work.

[00:00:56] Eventually, I learned that self-employment was the best route for me, but this came after a great deal of soul-searching. Becoming self-employed only served to magnify some of my bad habits, and forced me to take a hard look at how I view work and its place in my life. Work and life don't really seem to be two separate silos anymore, do they? The ability to check emails and notifications at any time of day makes it so much harder for us to create space in our lives that is free of stress, deadlines, and expectations.

[00:01:26] While the ability to work remotely has certainly made us more productive, it hasn't necessarily given us more job satisfaction. Simplifying your work life Here are some ways to simplify your work life no matter where you find yourself at the moment. They've helped me, and I hope they can help you. 1. Ask yourself, what do I really want? This may seem somewhat esoteric, but when it comes down to it, we only have one life to live.

[00:01:53] We will spend the majority of our lives working, so this question matters. If you find yourself in a job that you hate, it's important to ask yourself why. Sometimes doing what you love and earning a living simply cannot coalesce into the same vocation, but not as often as we think. What do you value the most? What work or hobby makes the time fly by without you even noticing? What would you do no matter what, even if you didn't earn a dime?

[00:02:19] These questions can help you clarify the why behind your work and help you see how your work can better align with who you are. 2. Find your strengths I have a rule in my business. If it's not something I'm really good at, I don't do it. I give someone else the opportunity to work to their strengths while focusing on my own. This helps me execute at a much higher level than if I tried to do everything myself, and believe me, I've tried.

[00:02:43] I also assign projects to my team based not only on what they are highly skilled at, but what they enjoy. Self-knowledge is something that can be applied in any role or position. I highly recommend both the StrengthsFinder and Enneagram personality tools for a first step. Both have been invaluable to me in my journey, and can give you a much deeper understanding of you so that you can be sure you are doing your very best and most fulfilling work. 3. Declutter and add beauty to your workspace

[00:03:12] A wise person once said, A cluttered desk is a cluttered mind, and I must say that I agree. It's impossible to think clearly about what the next important task is in your workday if your physical space is burdened with piles of paper, sticky notes, and yesterday's coffee mug. There are several ways to begin implementing better systems to organize your physical workspace, but the approach that has had a major impact on me is a method from David Allen, getting things done.

[00:03:40] Also, be sure to add some items to your workspace that add beauty and joy. Pictures of loved ones, a plant, or a print of your favorite artist are all good ways to bring some peace and inspiration to your home away from home. 4. Keep track of your time As you move throughout your workday, have you ever wondered how much time it actually took you to complete a project? Understanding where you are spending your time can be a major eye-opener. Online time trackers are a great help, and many are available for free.

[00:04:09] I find that in my work, I often put off certain projects because of overwhelm, but when I track how long they took, it was actually much less time than I expected. I spent more time worrying about them than actually executing them. Tracking my time helps me overcome this feeling and work on the most important items first. 5. Set clear boundaries Boundaries can often get a bad rap. They sound so, well, unfriendly.

[00:04:36] But they are important for creating joy and satisfaction in your work and personal life. In my case of working with clients, I have found that if I do not set very clear boundaries at the beginning of a relationship, things typically do not go well. Statements like, I am unavailable to text after 5pm, or I don't typically check email on weekends, are helpful. I used to worry about being upfront, but then I'd find myself resenting certain clients for overstepping. But how did they know where the line was if I never showed them?

[00:05:06] Now I make sure that I communicate all boundaries and expectations at the beginning of every client relationship. No matter whether you are in a high-powered position that demands a great deal of your time, or are working a few hours per week, it's important that you make certain parts of your day sacred and off-limits. Once you decide what those boundaries are, make them known. If you don't, no one else will.

[00:05:32] You just listened to the post titled, A Helpful Guide to Simplifying Your Work Life, by Hilary Barnett with Nosidebar.com. And thanks to Hilary and the team at Nosidebar as well for letting us share their articles. Nosidebar is all about getting rid of the excess and focusing on the essentials. That's one of the main topics over on one of our other shows on our podcast network, Optimal Living Daily. So if you like this kind of content, the kind of stuff you heard today, you should definitely check out that show for a lot more of it.

[00:06:01] Now, Nosidebar features a wide variety of authors. Most of the posts there are from guest writers covering minimalism both at home and at work, so that we can have lives full of purpose and simplicity. So come visit Nosidebar.com to learn a lot more. And again, to hear a bunch of articles from Nosidebar being narrated to you for free, please do check out the podcast, Optimal Living Daily. But that's going to do it for today. Hope you're having a great week so far and thanks so much for subscribing to the show.

[00:06:30] And I'll see you back here tomorrow, where your optimal life awaits.