So my next tip to living simple and creating a stress free life is the 80/20 rule. I have heard of many people applying this rule to diets but I tend to apply it to all parts of my life. I apply to it diet, cleaning, work, and doing family activities.
The 80/20 rule is quite simple. You stick to your regimen 80% of the time and let loose 20% of the time. I find our world loves to promote mediocrity these days. We love to build each other up without any substance to back it up. While I don't agree with being mean for no reason or bullying at all, I also don't agree with holding people to such low standards, they fail to meet their potential. I feel it is important to tell people when they are doing something wrong and encourage them to do better, work harder, practice, aim higher! This is especially true for kids. While I realize their self-esteem is fragile, telling people they are doing "amazing" when they aren't, only inflates egos. When times get tough, these people get too overwhelmed to overcome obstacles. They aren't prepared for real life. I think this is especially true for so many millenials.
Point is...You really need to work hard that 80% of the time to get results. You need to have big dreams and big goals and know what it takes to get there. You also need to have people be honest with you and most importantly be honest with yourself. Don't pat yourself on the back when you honestly know that you only put 50% effort into it. This is even true if you are better than most people you know. If your goal is to work out 4 times per week and you only worked out two, don't pat yourself on the back because you know people that didn't workout at all. This attitude will not serve you well in the long run. While it might be true, it still won't help you reach your goals.
When following this 80/20 rule, I find it easier to carve out specific times to work hard and specific times to let loose. For example, you eat healthy all week and allow yourself treats on Saturday, or you stick to your cleaning schedule all week and allow yourself a day off to rest on the weekend. If you allow yourself a cheat day whenever, I find it is a recipe to get off track. Often enough, if you cheat on Tuesday, you will be tired again Thursday and want to cheat again and then you will get off track REALLY FAST.
I also find by carving out specific "cheat time" I feel more gratification because I can feel like I earned it. I also find it motivating to stick to my plan come Thursday because I worked hard all week. Once you start a plan and stick to it, it is easier to keep going.
I also find following this 80/20 rule makes it way easier to carve out my "relaxing time". By following this method, I actually carve out ME time into my weekly routine. I either book a massage, take time to catch up on my favorite Youtube channels or blogs, or just take time to have fun with my family. How you spend that 20% of downtime is really up to you!
In the end, this 80/20 rule makes my day to day life a lot simpler because it creates a structured routine yet I still have time built in to my schedule to relax. WIN WIN!
grt
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