Today, we are living in a fast paced world. We rush everything and that gives little room for our real happiness. It makes us chase so many things that we lose focus to what are really important. Minimalism and zen living help streamline our daily activities so that we will only focus on things that make us happy. So, how does this work? Here are some lessons that I learned from my research on minimalism.

1. Set a maximum of three goals that you really want to achieve. Having at least three goals will make you really focus on those things. Think of why you want to achieve it and what will happen if you do not  achieve it. List it down so that it will motivate you to move forward. Now, think of how you will achieve it.

Take note that reaching a goal is not instant, it is done with baby steps. Imagine that your faucet is dripping with few drops of water every hour, if you put a cup under it you will be able to collect a cup full of water. You just have to wait for the drops to fill up the cup. That is the same with goal setting, little by little will result to something big in the long run.

2. Remove unnecessary activities from your life that robs your time. What are the things that are truly important to you? Your family, career, friends? Then prioritize them by rejecting activities that are not really necessary. If a co-employee requested you to do something out of your job description, reject him and tell him that you are busy. It is not bad accepting requests but you should say no more than you say yes. It is your time that they are using, doing activities that deprive you of the things which are essential to you will not help you.

Example, a friend of you requested you to do his report for him, you did that report instead of helping your child or sibling do his or her homework. Is it more important to accept a request from a co-worker than bond and help your own family? Time to look at your goals and those that make you happy.