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One of the benefits of creatively planning your life
is that it allows you to simplify. You can weed out, del-
egate, and eliminate all activities that don’t contribute
to your projected goals.
Another effective way to simplify your life is to com-
bine your tasks. Combining allows you to achieve two
or more objectives at once.
For example, as I plan my day today, I notice that I
need to shop for my family after work. That’s a task I
can’t avoid because we’re running out of everything. I
also note that one of my goals is to finish reading my
daughter Stephanie’s book reports. I realize, too, that
I’ve made a decision to spend more time doing things
with all my kids, as I’ve tended lately to just come home
and crash at the end of a long day.
An aggressive orientation to the day—making each
day simpler and stronger than the day before—allows
you to look at all of these tasks and small goals and ask
yourself, “What can I combine?” (Creativity is really little
more than making unexpected combinations, in music,
architecture, anything, including your day.)
After some thought, I realize that I can combine shop-
ping with doing something with my children. (That looks
obvious and easy, but I can’t count the times I mind-
lessly go shopping, or do things on my own just to get
them done, and then run out of time to play with the
kids.)
I also think a little further and remember that the
grocery store where we shop has a little deli with tables
in it. My kids love to make lists and go up and down the
aisles themselves to fill the grocery cart, so I decide
to read my daughter’s book reports at the deli while
they travel the aisles for food. They see where I’m
sitting, and keep coming over to update me on what
they are choosing. After an hour or so, three things