5 Ways to Work Less

Our culture lives to work. What’s the first thing you ask someone when you first meet? What do you do? I think this is a reflection of our American values to become successful and our focus on material possessions. Where you work reflects your social status and how people judge who you are.

I ask the same question as well when I meet someone. I need to take this advice too. Stop worrying about how someone makes their living. Start focusing on using work to live.

 

“Work to make a living, don’t live to work.”

Many people have a job or career that consumes their whole life. Relationships and family time are neglected due to their work schedule. I suggest you start making time for other important things such as your love ones. Start going on dates to find a suitable spouse. If you’re already married, spend more time with your loved ones.

At the end of your life, you want to look back and answer three questions. These three questions are significant.

“At the end of our lives, we all ask, ‘Did I live? Did I love?Did I matter?’” – Brendan Burchard

If you’re working all the time, you are missing out on living your life with complete happiness. It is possible to be fulfilled. You deserve to live a fulfilling life!

Work must not be the main focus in your life to have a fulfilling and rewarding life. I understand bills are piling up and you have to take care of yourself. But our culture of work and little pleasure has to be challenged for our well being.

You must know 17 million Americans deal with depression every year. It usually stems from the lack of meaningful relationships, and not balancing certain areas in our lives. The reason for my depression was I worked too much. It was very unhealthy, and a driving force in my mental illness. 

You might be asking yourself this sounds good. We all want to work less and enjoy life. How is this possible? I will share with you four tips to help you work to live, and not live to work using my experiences studying in Valencia, Spain.

Make Time for Love Ones Your #1 Priority

It sounds simple but it really can be difficult. When you have bills coming in, mouths to feed, and things don’t seem to be going well. It is easy to forget relationships with loved ones are more important than money.

Money is paper that we determine the value. It is fleeting, and the more you have the more responsibility is given to you. Limit the amount of time you spend working per day.

If you have a job take off on some days. If you’re unhappy find ways to be happy at your job. We all have responsibilities, and for that reason I don’t advocate quitting your job.

We all have to do things we don’t like in life. Try your hardest to find happiness in your current situation. As a last resort, find another job, but don’t quit without evaluating the consequences. Pursuing your passion might make you even more depressed when you are able to pay your bills, and no clients purchase your services.

From living in Valencia, Spain, I saw how the #1 priority was spending time with loved ones and maintaining a tranquil environment. Take breaks on your job.

The rat race for a paycheck deteriorates your well being. And there’s always someone capable of replacing you. Thus work on making yourself better.

Make Connections, Work on Yourself

“Work harder on yourself than you do on your job.” – Jim Rohn

A job can always be replaced, but if you acquire skills that can never be taken away. You will always be needed and able to use your skills to make a living. Your have much to offer the world. Don’t limit yourself to only learning skills for a job or career.

Become an asset to your company. And image how much further you will go in your career, and the leverage you will have in where you want to work. It is not enough to work hard anymore, you have to work on yourself.

How to work on yourself? Read books to gain the knowledge you seek about financial independence and how to make a exercise routine. There are many people out their willing to coach and mentor you.

Find a mentor, learn from others, and build your network. It isn’t enough to just work to make money. Jobs are becoming a commodity. And in America the work environment is very stressful with long hours and minimum pay.

With uncertainty in the job market, build your confidence and skillsets more than you do on your career. In doing so, you are able to live a much more satisfying life. All your energy isn’t going into working for money, but rather you are improving yourself.

“The richest people in the world look for and build networks. Everyone else looks for work.” – Robert Kiyosaki

You don’t have to be rich in money, but you can be rich in your relationships and the way you live your life. You could have a better mindset and mood than the people around you. And you could get up every morning with the drive to live to your fullest and truly be present in the moment. If you do this, you are rich! 

Get Over Your Fear

When I was depressed I was afraid of everything. I feared death, and I felt like fear controlled my actions. When I learned to walk through my fears with much therapy, I was able to get better. My thinking became clearer and life didn’t seem so hard.

I had to face my fears to get over them. I also had to search deep to find and get rid of the fear. Don’t let your fear of getting fired, fear of not working hard enough, fear of not being able to pay your bills, or any other fears you have with working control your actions.

Living in fear creates anxiety and further pushes you into depression. When I went to study in Valencia, Spain, there was much for me to fear. But I didn’t let that stop me from doing what I wanted to do. Look how much I would have missed out on if I let fear deter me from going to Spain.

Face your fears, and you never know how far you will go in life. When you work to live, you have a life outside of your work that makes you money. The driving force in your life isn’t fear, and you feel better.

Your fear can be your source of anxiety. You’re always on the edge, and you trust no one. Weather you’re at work or at home, fear limits your connections. If you want to live freely, fear must not be the main reasons you make your decisions. You have to overcome your fears to live depression free.

Are letting fear rule your life? If so, start right now thinking about how you can overcome your fears. Implement your solutions to conquer your fears. If you need help seek out a mental health professional.

Getting help will improve your life and provide you with someone to lean on for support. Many people let fear hold them back from getting help. If you get help immediately, the less time it takes for you to get better.

Your mood changes when you make actions in fear. In our society, implementing the necessary changes to live free requires you to face your fear of failure and anything that will stop you from maintaining your goal to work less. When you are finally able to conquer your fears, your perspective will be much clearer. And you will gain the fulfillment that you deserve.

When I finally faced my fears, I was able to experience the best moments of my life. I felt totally free to be me. I wasn’t feeling weighed down. I made decisions based on my wants and desires. It enriched my life and made it much more exciting.

Meek Living

You are probably thinking I suggest you live poor and barely able to pay your bills. In fact, I suggest the opposite. Live with just enough and pay your bills, but avoid the attention for limelight or to be praised for every single good deed you do.

Do things with a pure heart. If you want to work less, you might not be able to afford the glamour and trends. Be satisfied with having your needs and stop pondering for things that you don’t need.

In Spain, I noticed the people are satisfied with living in apartments. The big houses and cars are not a cultural norm. Family, work ethic, and traditions are a priority.

What are your priorities in life? You will live a much more fulfilling life when you don’t focus on obtaining material possessions. And learn to appreciate what you have.

If you have a computer, watch television, and have a meal for dinner than you are richer than most people in the world. We, Americans, are the 1%. We live with access to many things that other countries do not have.

Appreciate what you have. Strive to live a quiet, meek life. It doesn’t mean you let people take advantage of you, you’re poor, or you can’t pay your bills. It means you live with just enough, pay your bills, and you are satisfied with what you have.

You don’t have to overwork yourself for things you already have. Ask yourself why you work? Is the reason taking away from the other aspects of your life such as relationships and personal development. What can you do to work less?

Depression Free Chart

There are four areas in life. If you are focusing most of your time on one then you aren’t living your life to the fullest. And it is a source of your depression.

     Depression Free Chart

 Work less to build the other four areas you need to live a fulfilling life. Your mood will drastically increase, and life won’t seem so difficult.

It is estimated that 15% of depressed people will commit suicide and that depression, anxiety & stress will be the second biggest killer in the United States of America by 2020.

The reason for this phenomenon is the lack of focus on having a well rounded life. For instance, if you develop a hobby in something you really enjoy doing and devote time to do it. Than you will have encouragement to live each day.

You must have a balance. In Spain, I estimate that out of their time on a daily basis 20% work, 40% relationships, 30% personal development, and 10% hobby.

Why is this my estimate? The people take siestas during the day, meals are ate around the table, and maintaining their traditions is a part of life. Their traditions require society to work together around their shared national identity. They have leisure time to do their passions and hobbies.

Life should be more than work. You can’t have a rewarding life if all you do is work and you neglect to build relationships. Start working on the areas in your life that you neglect. It is a requirement for your well being and mood.

Conclusion

In our society, we work too much. It wasn’t until I went to Valencia, Spain when I saw just how much Americans work. I learned work shouldn’t be the focus of your life. In fact, working too much limits you from building the other areas in your life such as relationships, personal development, and a hobby needed to be happy. I suggest you focus on loved ones, build networks, conquer your fears, and chose to live quiet and meek in order to work less.