Signs You’re Overcomplicating Your Life

When we think about simplifying our lives, I think the natural tendency is to focus on adding more structure and effort to our lives. We want to tackle our disorganized homes, cut out excess spending, and come up with better systems for doing more in less time.

While all of these things might be good, there is another way to look at simplifying your life that I think is even more powerful: learning to do less.

In our modern age, the temptation to over-extend yourself is very real. The barriers to adding new activities is lower than ever. Just think about all the media you consume online—all the reading, watching, and scrolling—completely separate from what you might do in your “real life”.

All of these things add up and end up cluttering our lives with good things, but blocking us from seeing what is most important.

I’ve been trying to identify what is most important in my own life and to focus on these things. I thought a good place to start is by pointing out what I’ll call signs of complexity—that’s my name for a number of things that waste our energy by constantly pulling us in to new distractions. My list below isn’t exhaustive, but I hope it helps you begin to declutter your own life and see the benefits of doing less.

You’re always in a hurry

I’m training for a marathon right now. When I’m out for a long run, I know that if I run in a way that feels like “hurrying,” then I’m probably going way too fast and will pay for that effort later. In the same way, we have a natural pace that feels easy and enjoyable and well within the normal limits of our energy— don’t blow past it and burn yourself out.

You feel overwhelmed by the thought of falling behind

The fear of falling behind is real, and something I’ve personally wrestled with. This fear can manifest itself as a need to stay up to date on the latest, newest, best music, movies, books, developments in your career, and on and on. The list never ends. It’s a never ending arms race of consumption.

You have a hard time moving on

Clutter in our physical world is an easy example of complexity. When we can’t let go of something, we feel the need to keep track of it and maintain it. That’s one more thing we have to manage. Whether it’s physical things, thoughts, or relationships, it can be healthy to let go of those things that no longer bring you or anyone else value.

You say ‘yes’ to everything

In my own life, I find it hard to say no to things that seem good, that other people are doing, or that pique my curiosity. This is especially true in the world of ideas– I am endlessly curious and have a strong desire to keep up with everything. But too many competing priorities is a form of clutter and will make it harder to focus on what’s most important.

You have a long list of unfinished projects

Starting something new is obviously a lot more fun than following through on something you’ve already committed too. My desk drawer is full of lists and plans and ideas for various new endeavors, but far fewer signs of steady progress. I’m learning to manage this tendency by writing these ideas in a notebook and then setting them aside until I make progress on my current objective.

You’re chased by fears

Rather than being motivated by a desire to serve others, or love people better, or grow closer to God in my faith, I find that I’m chased by the fear of falling behind and not doing as much as others. This kind of motivation is a poor substitute for the real deal because it puts the focus on myself and makes it more likely that I’ll compare myself against those around me, which is a recipe for envy.

Your priorities are always changing

Always chasing the latest trends or newest ideas or most interesting opportunities in life isn’t without its costs. For me, it means I neglect the mundane but important responsibilities in my life for the lure of novelty. Now, I’m not saying it’s wrong to be curious or to want to explore new things, but if your priorities are constantly changing, it might be a sign that you’re neglecting what’s most important.

Your mind is never at rest

For the past several months I’ve been trying to figure out what ails me. My wife pointed out that I seem to always be in a hurry and that I’m restless. The more I thought about this, the more I realized it’s true. I feel this constant, underlying desire to be doing something, accomplishing something, or at the very least, to be consuming a steady stream of information. At times this has been great because of how productive it makes me feel, but recently I’ve started to wonder about the costs and whether or not this posture is robbing me of some essential part of life.

You don’t make progress on your goals

Are you making progress in the direction you want to be going, or are you stuck? Whether it be in your work, your relationships, your faith, or your health, progress is a pretty clear indicator that you’re on the right path. In my own life, I noticed that the plants in my garden that don’t grow are usually the ones that are being choked by weeds– it’s not that they don’t have enough sunlight or water, but rather that they were competing with something else.

You’re easily distracted by what’s urgent

How is your tendency to distraction? Do you find yourself constantly running from one fire to another, or chasing after the next big thing? This is often a sign that something isn’t right. While we might think of boredom as its own problem, if you are constantly busy, then boredom is probably a good sign– it means you’re sticking to your plan and not getting derailed by the latest novelty.

You constantly compare yourself to others

Lately, I’ve noticed in my own life the tendency to compare myself to others. Whether it’s how productive I am, how good of a writer I am, or how good a father I am. This is a dangerous path to go down, because there will always be someone who is doing better than you. If the only way to get off the treadmill is to do better than everyone else or at least better than you did before, then you’ll never be satisfied and may eventually burn out.