It’s “Simplify Your Life” week … bet you didn’t know that such a thing existed. I certainly didn’t!

However, given it’s August and I’m in summer mode, it’s a concept that warrants some consideration.

August isn’t governed by school drop offs and pick ups, sports schedules, networking meetings, and volunteer obligations.

In the McLeod household, it’s our month to wind down and relax. And yet, our brains don’t really shut down. No. We are busy planning for September and ramping up our schedules to include shift work, full-time self-employment, back to school, ball tryouts and practices, tutoring, and extracurricular activities. Not to mention a social life. It is a scheduling nightmare!

So as I sit here pondering Simplify your Life… I wonder what I can let go of? How can I simplify the busy realities of our daily world? Reduce the stress associated with a busy schedule? Re-arrange our schedules to reduce the impact of sports, tutoring, extra-curricular activity schedules? How can I prioritize time to breath, relax, and unwind?

I suspect I can’t let go of anything—as each piece of the puzzle is a priority for one of us. However, maybe I can structure my days differently. Maybe if I shift my perspective I can reduce the workload.

Hmm. What would that look like?

• What if I were to connect with other parents to coordinate a ride-sharing program to sporting activities?

• What if rather than sitting at the ball field and socializing with the other parents, I occasionally used that time to run errands?

• What if I did my menu planning and ordered my groceries online?

• What if I pre-planned my meals so that I didn’t have to cook mid-week?

• What if I got better at working from a mobile office?

• What if I got up earlier so I could meditate and do a gratitude list each morning and went to bed a little earlier?

After all, that next episode of Criminal Minds will be available tomorrow on Shaw on Demand (and I’ll be able to fast forward through the commercials). How much more energy would I have?

What if… it’s a great question to ask yourself. It helps to open up new pathways of looking at the situation, to explore ideas and discover new opportunities.

How would asking this question help simplify your life? What area do you need to simplify? How can you find creative ways to reduce your workload and stress? I can’t wait to learn from you. Please share your thoughts below.