Life, uncomplicated

I recently got an email from a friend with the subject, “100 Ways to Uncomplicate Your Life.” Reading through it, I found the majority of the tips to be practical and plain common sense. But the person who came up with them seems to know that these are the very things we take for granted, overlook or disregard. So here, with their corresponding numbers on the list, are the 20 easiest life-simplifying activities (out of the 100) that we can do—but most likely don’t:

1. Don’t try to read other people’s minds.

5. Start saving and investing every week, no matter how little you can spare.

7. Don’t try to be friends with everyone. Cultivate closer relationships with fewer people.

9. Before getting angry, ask yourself if it will really matter in 20 years.

16. Don’t drink alcohol when you’re tired, sad or mad.

23. When you have a conflict with someone, talk it out. Don’t let it turn into more than it is.

31. Don’t eat when you aren’t hungry.

34. Say no unapologetically.

37. Pay off your car before buying a new one.

38. Organize your desk at the office.

43. Have white sheets and white towels in children’s rooms/bathrooms, because they’re easily bleached.

50. Do the dishes right after dinner.

54. Do 20 push-ups before speaking in anger.

59. Take vitamin C before you catch a cold.

69. Schedule in free time.

75. Start your diet on September 1, rather than January 1, so that you won’t also have holiday pounds to lose.

83. Don’t try to help those that refuse to help themselves.

96. When you ask your husband which outfit looks best, thank him for his answer and wear the one he liked rather than focusing on why he didn’t like the other one.

97. Allow your children to grow up

100. If a relationship is over, let it go.

(Intrigued about its origin, I did some digging and found many reproductions online. The trail ended at http://livethecharmedlife.com/2010/08/100-ways-to-uncomplicate-your-life, where you can view the entire list. I assume that’s its original source.) –Ed Biado, Manila Standard Today