peak clutter

Mentally replay the time of day that has the most pressure for you to move quickly or work productively. Then look around for the obstacles that could get in the way.

revenge of the owners

Try not to own things that make you angry.

on the track

Simplifying your life requires being willing to do less, but then with the advantages of simplicity, you find that you are doing more.

earlier in the cycle

Getting out of a bad repetitive pattern involves stages of learning to recognize the pattern sooner and interrupt it sooner.

in the way

The biggest obstacles are the biggest obstacles.

rebel

Rebelling against your own thoughts only creates more thoughts.

former mountain site

Why turn a mountain into a mole hill when you can replace it with a small trench?

lost

The things you carry with you all the time are the things you are most likely to misplace.

fix me

The daily problem you decide to address first could be the one that would make the biggest difference or the one that can be corrected most easily.

invisible hassles

It takes new eyes to see all the hassles you live with every day. Any hassle that repeats regularly, disappears into the background in a matter of days. In this way, most of the opportunities to improve your life become invisible to you. To make them visible again, you must find one and take action on it, then another, and another.

leverage

The actions that solve problems come more easily when you are feeling strong. Build a foundation for solving problems by taking away the obstacles that sap your strength.

still works

Make small compromises to keep old equipment operating. A few occasional hassles or an out-of-date look are less costly than the disruption of having to learn new equipment before you are ready.

cycle

Identify your biggest hassle. Identify its cause. Solve it. Repeat.

no-repeat

Given a chance to repeat their biggest mistakes, people tend to do so. Try to steer a person away from any such situation.

a cost

Every inconvenience comes at a cost. If it forces you to adapt or adjust, it is occupying your attention and time.

fed up with being fed up

If you’re “fed up” with something for years on end, your reaction has become an automatic habit that others are using against you.

clean sweep

Problems that are more serious don’t necessarily call for solutions that are more complex. They may be a sign of the need to simplify things.

expert style

Save time by learning the techniques that experts prefer and recommend. Consider a task that you do repeatedly. Find someone who has mastered that task. Try their approach.

hassle chart

If you aren’t sure what to do first, start with the hassle that prevents you from working on the largest number of your other hassles.

pomegranate

Write clever insults directed at your most vexing hassles.