Ten Tips to Help You Live to be Drama Free at Midlife

10. Write a list of goals you'd like to achieve. Focus on what you know you can do well. Don’t try to be a “jack-of-all-trades-master-of-none.

9. Say “no” instead of “yes”. I had to learn this one. You can’t be all things to all people so instead of trying to please everybody—just do what you know you can do and forget about the rest. The worst mistake you can make is to say “yes” and then fail to do what you promised because you’ve said yes once too often.

8. Stop being a slave to communication tools. How many phones do you really need in order to communicate? Do you really need a home phone, a cellular phone, pager, fax, e-mail and internet ICQ technology?

7. Stop spending time to save money. Instead, spend money to save time. Don't drive across town to save a few cents on a grocery item. It's not worth your time.

6. Cancel subscriptions to magazines you never get around to reading. How many magazines do you have cluttering up your house?

5. Cut back on television time. When you’re sitting glued to the television, chances are more likely that you’re going to snack on junk food. And where does junk food go? Straight to your stomach, hips and thighs! Instead, go for a walk and get some fresh air. Then you come back, take a shower and relax or find some other things to occupy your time.

4. Clean out your garage or your home-based office. If you're not using something, get rid of it. Have a yard sale and make some extra money. Remember, one person’s junk is someone else’s treasure.

3. You don’t need to be a member of every organization. How many groups do you belong to that aren’t contributing to your personal or professional growth? You say “Oh, but they need me.” No, they don’t. There are others who can do what you do—maybe even better. Join a maximum of two groups. One for professional; the other for pleasure or social.

2. Simplify your financial world. For instance, set up automatic bill payments. Include your automatic savings plan as part of your monthly spending. That’s one less headache you’ll have every month.

1. Give yourself some ME time! Plan to spend more time doing things you like to do. Ladies: Get your hair and nails done. Get a pedicure. Go out with girlfriends and share a laugh or two over hot flashes and mood swings. You’ll feel much better after that.


Beverly Mahone writes about issues affecting baby boomers in her book "Whatever! A Baby Boomer's Journey Into Middle Age." For more articles, visit her website at www.talk2bev.com

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