Rules for a simple life – Do you feel overwhelmed, anxious, tired, and stressed?
Do you sometimes feel the need to drop everything, move to the countryside, to the beach, or to the mountains and live a simple life?! This is because you’ve overcomplicated your life to an extent where both your body and mind simply don’t want to exist in this kind of reality. Let’s fix that. Pick any of these rules for a simple life and deploy them today.
See what happens! Here are 50 rules for a simple life. Don’t worry if you don’t feel like reading, you can enjoy the video below or watch it on YouTube:
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Rule #1 – Focus on a single task per day
Everything feels like it’s urgent, but only a handful of things are important. Do not confuse one with the other.
Every day ask yourself: what is actually important for me to do today? Then do that!
In less than 1 week your life will begin to sort itself out.
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Rule #2 – Wake up at the same time every day
If you wake up using an alarm you’re actually doing your body a disservice. Your body tells you that it needs more sleep, yes you artificially cut it short.
The thing is, your body will naturally follow its own biological clock if you can wake up at the same time every day for a couple of weeks.
The interesting part is that it will self-adjust the time it asks you to go to bed accordingly.
Life gets simpler when you wake up at the same time every day.
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Rule #3 – Smile more
Do it right now. It’s a cheat code to trick your brain into thinking you’re actually happy and as a result, it does make you slightly happier.
The world reflects your own feelings back at you!
So smile, and it will smile back.
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Rule#4 – The best revenge is NONE
Leave it in the past and move on.
Seeking revenge takes something from you and gives even more of you to the other side.
Seeking revenge is like losing twice. Move on. Be happy!
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Rule #5 – Focus on 1 desire at a time
Life feels complicated because you are told to want a million things at the same time.
Remove the noise. Take out the desires that aren’t really yours.
Find the few that really matter. Pick one.
Life rewards clarity!
As long as you focus on a single desire and nothing else, you will be able to alter your reality to make it happen. As a rule of thumb:
If you don’t have it, it means you do not want it enough!
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Rule #6 – Don’t allow the external to affect the internal.
Here’s a smart way to think about it:
Ships don’t sink because of the water around them; ships sink because of the water that gets in them.
Don’t let what’s happening around you get inside of you and sink you.
Most ships are able to withstand any storm they might find at sea, and sure, ships are safer in the harbor, but that’s not what ships are for.
Explore the sea and don’t let the water in.
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Rule #7 – Remember when you wanted what you currently have
Wake up every morning and realize just how amazing it is to be you. 10 years ago you wanted what you currently have.
How amazing is that, and how foolish it is to not give yourself more praise for what you’ve done?
Your life lacks simplicity because you keep adding desires without appreciating the ones you’re fulfilling.
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Rule #8 – You don’t have to know how to bake a cake, to eat cake
There are 3 ways you end up eating cake:
- You gather all the ingredients, the tools & recipe and proceed to bake it yourself (Hard)
- You work, get money, and purchase a cake. (Medium)
- You’re in the room when someone cuts their cake. (Easy)
This metaphor isn’t really about cake!
In the most important situations in life, go with option 1 – when it comes to the non-essential stuff, go with option 2, and when it comes to the unexpected, go with option 3.
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Rule #9 – Do not lie, or at least try to tell the truth
Even more important: DO NOT LIE TO YOURSELF! More often than not, we are the easiest ones to fool.
Every lie we tell incurs a debt to the truth.
If you want a simple life, stick with the truth, that way you won’t have to worry about the lies you told.
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Rule #10 – Live below your means and all life will be good.
This is by far the most valuable lesson when it comes to living a simpler life.
The only way to lose in life is by consistently going beyond what you can afford: financially, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, at the expense of the present.
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Rule #11 – You will not be able to escape pain, uncertainty, and constant work
Now that you know all three will be parts of your life, what kind of work do you want to do for the rest of your life?
How will you deal with uncertainty and pain?
Internalize this rule for a simple life and learn to embrace it all as part of life, and you will no longer be crushed when things don’t go your way.
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Rule #12 – Avoid the trap of more
You don’t need more, you need just enough. Once you know what enough is, go after it nonstop until you get it.
And when you’re there, push for another 10% and stop. Remember rule number 10!
You can be more successful than someone with a lot more money if you do this because you will have something they will never have.
And that is: ENOUGH
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Rule #13 – Return what you borrow
Give back what was given to you in the same condition in which you received it. If someone was kind enough to help you, return the favor.
As humans, we are programmed not to find rest until the balance is restored.
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Rule #14 – Always be on time and do not make excuses
Pay attention to how time flows, and you will be able to understand its pace. Once you do that, you will never be late again; your mind will account for everything.
People think less of the unpunctual. Your life will feel more chaotic.
It will always feel rushed.
Similarly, your partner will be disappointed in you, as will your friends because they will think you do not respect them enough. Moreover, people who are late always feel like they’re running behind and always feel like they give less than 100%.
It will eat at who you are, and eventually, it will all come crumbling down.
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Rule #15 – Know when to keep your mouth shut
Once words leave your mouth, they’re no longer yours to control. More often than not, shutting up leads to superior outcomes.
Words can inflict harm, either on others or on yourself.
Taste your words before you spit them out and make a decision if you want to proceed or not.
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Rule #16 – Know that you are not the voice in your head
You are merely the person witnessing it. The voice in your head likes to talk a lot. It’s a self-absorbed attention-seeking spirit.
It does not have your best interest at heart. Additionally, there is one thing we need you to understand from this rule for a simple life:
Being able to separate yourself from the voice in your head is the first step in taking control of your mind, and one cannot live a simple life unless one controls their mind.
People who downloaded the Alux app often say that this is one of the major benefits they immediately see in their lives: taking back control of their minds and focus.
Furthermore, by putting your headphones in and listening to a 10-minute coaching session in the morning, you’re retraining the mind to serve you by focusing your efforts on what matters instead of being distracted.
It brings you clarity and removes the anxiety of not knowing what to do. If you feel overwhelmed or lost, it’s the best investment you’ll ever make!
Go to alux.com/app right now and allow our experts to coach you toward a better life.
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Rule #17 – Stress, over-eating, lack of sleep, and exercise are forms of self-harm
The reality is we don’t like to think about what we’re doing to ourselves as a form of self-harm.
You eat junk food because it makes you feel good at the moment, but you don’t get to enjoy it because you know what harm it is doing to you. So you blocked it all, but know that everything you do that does not serve you is a form of self-harm.
You’re decreasing the quality of your life, you feel worse, and you feel pain… because of it.
All of these are choices you make knowing damn well the harm you’re doing to yourself; you just never called it that.
Stop doing it to yourself!
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Rule #18 – The people around multiply what you are
If you want to be happy, spend time with happy people;
If you want to be successful, spend time with successful people.
To be miserable, spend time with miserable people.
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Rule #19 – Motivation is temporary, act on it immediately
If motivation does find you, do not let go of it. Allow it to move you in ways you otherwise wouldn’t.
It will give you the momentum needed to get started on the things you’ve been postponing for a long time.
Once motivation goes away, you will fall back on the discipline you’ve instilled in yourself.
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Rule #20 – Motivation is temporary, act on it immediately
The general rule is:
What doesn’t get planned, doesn’t get done!
The easiest path to getting something done is to remove all traction beforehand. Make a plan the day before and start on it immediately after you wake up.
You will be surprised at just how quickly you’ll be up and running.
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Rule #21 – Be intentional with your time, and energy and act accordingly
If you don’t schedule your time, others will schedule it for you.
Just because you aren’t actively working doesn’t mean you are available. In fact, the body needs time to recharge, grow, contemplate, meditate, and relax.
Don’t mistake “busy” for “productive.”
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Rule #22 – If undecided, go for the option that’s the most painful in the short term
This way, you get to enjoy its benefits over the long term.
Alternatively, flip a coin and pay attention.
Because in those few moments when the coin is in the air deep down you will know what outcome you want.
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Rule #23 – Believe that whatever happens, you will be able to get through it
Optimists outperform everyone else. This rule for a simple life is as straightforward as it gets.
As the navy seals put it: we fall to the level of our preparation.
In life, the goal is not to hope that nothing bad ever happens; instead, to know that you will be able to handle it, no matter what it is.
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Rule #24 – The enemy of peace is other people’s expectations of you
This is your life. You control it.
The more people who have a say in it, the more chaos they’ll brew. And a simple life is one where the decisions are simple, and simple decisions lead to peace because you already know what serves your well-being and what doesn’t.
Let them deal with their own lives, and you deal with yours. As it stands, the sooner you apply this rule for a simple life, the simpler your life is going to get.
If your expectations differ from theirs, theirs no longer matter.
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#25 – Set boundaries. Tell people NO. Tell some people to F themselves if you have to
They do not get a say in who you are, what you do, how you spend your time, or what you should be doing. Moreso, people have this tendency to expect you to give to them by taking from yourself.
They might even get annoyed when you say no, but learn to prioritize yourself.
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#26 – Finish the books you bought before buying new ones
Anything worth starting is worth finishing.
Do not jump to the next shiny thing before you maximize the current opportunity.
The rewards in life usually lie after the 90% mark. As a result, most people never get that far and that’s why they fall short.
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#27 – The media will make it seem like the world is on fire 24/7/365
The media is not your friend. They thrive on your panic. Do not give it that power.
Beyond the pure essentials, you will live a happier and more peaceful life if you ignore them.
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#28 – Don’t worry about having a grand purpose
It’s ok to just go through life finding interesting things to enjoy. That is, find wonder in the ordinary, and the extraordinary will reveal itself.
If you are meant to have a grand purpose, it will find you.
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#29 – The purpose of the struggle is to rid yourself of ever struggling again
The best solution is the one you only have to apply once. Thus, the purpose of the game of money is to never have to worry about money again.
Figure out health and happiness, and you’re golden.
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#30 – If you have to say it twice, write it down
We have a pretty simple solution in mind. If we don’t know what to do, we read. Once we know what we need to do, we do it.
If the mind keeps going in circles, we write it down. As simple as this rule is, this much difference it will make in simplifying your life.
Rule 30 works well with employees.
As a result, document everything like it will be used in court against you and you will never have to worry about training your people again
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#31 – Never work harder than you have to
The culture is broken. Working 24/7 until exhaustion isn’t a flex, it just tells us you don’t know what you’re doing.
First, be effective. Second, be efficient. Lastly, use laziness to find a smart solution.
Refer to Rule 29 and fix the problem once and for all so you don’t have to deal with it every single time.
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#32 – You won’t be able to find time, you have to make time
Your time is already pre-booked.
Anything you want to add to your life will require you to dive into what you’re already doing and cut things out.
If you’re brutally honest and track a day in your life for 24h and you’ll realize just how much time you waste purely out of not knowing what to do.
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#33 – You won’t be able to find time, you have to make time
There’s no point in going through the same thing over and over again unless you like the outcome.
This applies to most things in life.
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#34 – Other people’s emotions are not your responsibility
Especially when they end up costing you your own. Furthermore, by coddling them, you’re only making them more dependent on you, which inevitably will backfire in the long run.
This is one of the rules for a simple life that will make the most impact on your emotional life.
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#35 – Remove poison from your life!
Sugar, coffee, alcohol, reality TV, cigarettes, drugs, and deep-fried food.
We know scientifically that these inputs cause harm to the body, yet we still consume them. Lastly, if sugar is bad for your body, what do you think social media is going to do to your brain?
Cut out what doesn’t nurture you.
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#36 – Bask in having to do nothing
It’s a luxury only a few get to enjoy. This is what makes this rule for a simple life so exciting.
People in the office call it inbox 0, but they miss the point since they’re still in the office just waiting for a new email to come in so they can solve it.
If you find yourself having to do nothing, appreciate the moment, for society will be quick to throw things at you out of envy.
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#37 – Minimize the number of things you own
More often than not, the things we own end up owning us. Look around you right now.
Literally everything you see used to be money that you chose to exchange for these goods.
Sure, having multiple cars is fun—until you have to do maintenance on all of them. The same goes for homes, toys, and projects.
Everything you own eventually asks for some time from you, and it won’t take long before you realize just how important your time is.
Remember: Things are only valuable when used.
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#38 – Invest in a Quality focused wardrobe
Buy wardrobe staples in bulk and in the same color. Don’t be cheap.
You know the saying: You buy cheap, you buy twice!”
But it’s not actually the price that’s bothering us in that example. It’s the time it takes to get the second one. In order to live a simple life, buy one quality item for everything you need and take care of it.
Your perception of reality will change once you begin to: Wear comfortable, weather-appropriate clothes.
No reason to show your ankles midwinter.
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#39 – Learn to “feel” what you’re doing
Here’s what that means: we are sensory beings. Starting from this, we can understand the following rule for a simple life.
The quality of our lives is dependent on how much of our senses we use in our daily lives. If you’re eating like a robot, life will seem robotic. Instead, taste the salt, taste the bread.
Feel the water run down your body in the shower.
Feel the sun on your face. Fill your heart when you hug the person you love. Notice how they smell.
In fact, being aware of your senses will show you the true reality of your life.
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#40 – Do something nice for a stranger and keep it private
Go out of your way to be nice on the days that you’re not feeling well. It’s like a life hack for happiness, and you will immediately start feeling better.
Give things away and do it often, not only does it help others, but it will declutter your life.
Furthermore, make it a regular thing to go through your closet and give away clothes you’re no longer wearing.
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#41 – Compliment people often, and do it genuinely
The compliments we receive stick with us longer than the moment in which they were spoken.
To this day, some of you still remember when that boy or girl in primary school said something nice about you.
Moreover, compliments can dramatically alter someone’s mood, and they will make for much better conversation and more pleasant outcomes.
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#42 – Accept the things that are outside of your control
If you can change the outcome, do it. Besides, if you can’t, leave it be and play the game, however, the cards may fall.
As humans, almost half the things we worry about never come to fruition. And, that’s self-inflicted pain, stress, and worry we didn’t have to bother with.
The other 50% is a part of life, and you will default back to Rule 23.
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#43 – Nothing in life is promised except death
We are born with the seed of death within us. Realizing this is the key to using this rule for a simple life.
Remember that you will die, that almost everything you do will be forgotten, and that the problems you’re facing are insignificant in the grand scheme of things.
Lastly, this will allow you to detach yourself from the faux-urgency society has manufactured around you.
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#44 – Fix the little things and life immediately gets better
Pay attention to how you do things more than what things you are doing. Equally important, it’s up to you what you end up focusing on.
The biggest secret in life is that one can fully control their perception of reality by altering their views or perspective on things.
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#45 – Realize that over 1 billion people would love to trade lives with you right this moment
Your reality is their dream life.
Don’t take it for granted.
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#46 – Live as if your version of God is real and watching
It doesn’t matter if you’re religious or not.
Acting as if somebody is watching and keeping track of who you are as a human being will tilt your reality toward the positive side.
May you all get to see your field of reeds.
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#47 – Be happy alone, be happy together
Learn to be happy by yourself. Learn to be okay with being alone and to like yourself. What’s more, once you do, others will follow.
In addition, learn to make the most out of both positions. This is one of the most important rules for a simple life you can apply.
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#48 – Spend time with your parents
The reality is you won’t get that many Christmases with them. You can actually count them.
We like to postpone things because we fall into the trap of doing what’s urgent only to realize we might lose importance in the process.
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#49 – The only way to win is by deciding you’ve already won
If you’ve watched our last week’s Sunday motivational video on levels of income, you learned about this idea that the only way to really win in life is by deciding full-heartedly that you have already won.
If you don’t do it, you will be caught up in a perpetual hamster wheel and eventually burn out.
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#50 – Practice what you learn in these videos and from the books you read
We know going through articles like these is quite fun, but that’s what separates you, the Aluxers, from everyone else. These are not supposed to be forms of entertainment.
Instead, our mental triggers are supposed to alter behavior. Pick one or two of them and apply them immediately.
When you see the impact they have, add another 2, and so on. Before you know it, it’s the little things that turn your life around.
Since this is a long list, we’re curious to learn: which of these do you think is the most impactful? Let us know.
Bonus
We’re celebrating a full year since we launched the Alux app
For the past year, we’ve measured and expanded our team of experts in order to perfect the product. If year 1 was one of testing and building things behind the scenes, it’s time to bring it all into reality.
The app is getting three major upgrades in the next few days and weeks.
We’re introducing the first smart journal, specifically designed for entrepreneurs and high achievers.
It takes less than 10 minutes per day, and it will act as a second brain where you store the most valuable things you learn. At the end of the year, you will be able to export it as a personal collection of valuable insights.
Next, we’re partnering with renowned authors, industry experts, and niched opinion leaders to give the most actionable masterclasses available for less than 1% of what their seminars would cost.
This way, we’re democratizing access to high-level education for everyone. Both of these are coming later this week.
Lastly, our super secret project is almost complete: We’ve been building something quite unique.
In brief, it’s a smart-learning module that will be able to create unique mentorship paths where we measure its success based on how much richer, happier, healthier, wiser, and better your relationships are.
This is coming next quarter.
Get the app, Aluxer, and together we’ll get you where you want to go. If you’ve made it this far in the article, we want to take this opportunity to thank you.
It means a lot – the support you’ve shown us so far – and we promise we will always be here for you.
These 50 rules for a simple life will help you everywhere you go. Therefore, save this article and come back to it anytime you feel like there’s too much on your plate. See you next time!
