Life is already complicated, you don’t need to add to it. You can do anything, but you can’t do everything.
Simplifying your life can help you keep up with all of your responsibilities.
Take some of the pressure off of yourself by simplifying your life where it makes sense for you.
So here are my best tips to simplify your life!
Quick Access
Be Intentional
Living intentionally is spending your precious time wisely as well as living in alignment with your personal values and priorities.
It’s making conscious decisions about what to give your attention and energy to – giving more to the things that are important to you and less to what isn’t.
Being intentional is about making choices and plans instead of just letting things happen as they will.
It’s living deliberately and the opposite of living re-actively.
Instead of just going along for the ride, grab a hold of the steering wheel.
Get Organized
Being organized can save you so much time.
You don’t have to look for things that you know you have.. somewhere.
You don’t have to worry about misplacing your important files or documents and you know your schedule so you won’t be late.
Specific ideas include:
Using a calendar to keep track of your schedule, appointments and any deadlines.
Sorting your files and photos into folders (digital or physical).
Keeping track of your expenses.
And giving each item in your home a place that it belongs when not in use.
Prioritize
Figure out what’s really important to you and what isn’t as important.
Listen to your heart and let go of those things you no longer need to be carrying.
If you’re having trouble figuring out your priorities, it might be helpful to use an Eisenhower Matrix.
The Eisenhower Matrix a frame work from none other than former US president Dwight D. Eisenhower.
It can be helpful if you are busy or feeling overwhelmed, if you have difficultly asking for help or saying no.
Urgent means it requires immediate or ASAP action.
Important means it contributes to a significant portion of your life or goals.
What is important is seldom urgent and what is urgent is seldom important. — Dwight D. Eisenhower
Create Routines
A routine is “a sequence of actions regularly followed; a fixed program”.
That means routines can look like almost anything.
The best routines are customized specifically for and by you.
It can be good to have routines as a back-up, even if you don’t always follow them completely.
For example, your morning routine probably looks different on a day off than on a day that you have to work.
Creating a morning routine is a smart place to start because a good morning can really set you up for a good day.
The reverse is also true, a bad morning can turn into a bad day.
You might also want to plan a night routine, evening routine or cleaning routine.
A routine might also look like following a specific schedule or theme.
Themes can be set for so many things:
Daily themes, like every Sunday is laundry day.
Dinner themes, like Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday etc.
Whatever routine or theme you decide to try, it just has to make sense and work for you.
If these tips to simplify your life don’t actually simplify it.. don’t follow them!
Make Lists
I love lists and you can write them for anything.
Writing things down can clear up some space in your brain.
Lists can help you organize both your thoughts and other information.
They can help you arrange things in an order that is logical to you.
Having go-to lists can also help save you time.
Go-to lists are perfect for things like for groceries, meals, things to do, workflow steps and your goals!
Having a basic go-to grocery and meal list will help you remember everything that you need to buy at the store.
It will also make it easier if you want to order groceries so you don’t accidentally forget something important.
A things to do list can be useful for when you’re feeling bored and don’t know what to do.
Instead of wondering what you should do, or doing nothing, you can just reference your list of ideas!
A list of your goals is also important to have and look back on often to remind yourself just what you’re working towards.
Automate
Utilize technology to make your life easier and automate what works for you.
Automating leaves one less thing for you to think about or keep track of.
You can set most of your bills to be paid automatically or a sum to be added to your savings regularly.
You can also get your groceries delivered and have your lights turn on or off at certain times.
These days many of us have an Alexa, Siri or Google in our homes that can remind you of things, take notes and give you information.
But even if you don’t have one of those devices, automating can be as low-tech and simple as setting alarm reminders on your phone.
Clean Up
Clean up after yourself, right away. Stop putting it off.
Make a habit of putting things back where they belong when you’re done using them.
Make your bed in the morning, wash the dishes as you go, put away your laundry when it’s done and take 15 minutes at night to reset your home for the morning.
A clear space can help clear your mind.
It can be so easy to just set our things down on any open surface and say we’ll put it away later.
Then before you know it, things pile up.
Clutter and mess always seems to attract more of the same.
Avoid that altogether by trying not to let the space stay messy in the first place.
Remember that your personal space and environment can really impact the way that you feel.
Clear Out
Ok I know I said this was tips to simplify your life and not a post about minimalism, but that doesn’t mean that we don’t all have some things that we could declutter.
Donate, sell, recycle or otherwise get rid of the excess.
This will also make cleaning up after yourself so much easier!
There’s no need to suddenly get rid of everything you own though, start with small steps.
Institute a one in one out rule.
If you buy a new item, you have to get rid of an old item from the same category.
For example, if you buy a new top, you need to remove an old top from your wardrobe.
A good way to clear out your wardrobe is to turn your hangers backwards after you’ve worn something.
After 6 months to a year consider removing anything that is on a hanger still facing forward.
Anything with a forward facing hanger means you haven’t worn it even once.
If you’re not wearing the clothes, they’re just taking up space for no reason.
Maybe clothes isn’t your problem though, it’s something else. Whatever is causing the clutter, it’s important to start small so you don’t get overwhelmed.
Tackle one area or one room at a time.
If you can’t bear to part with something, try putting it away in a box.
Like with the hangers, if after 6 months to a year you haven’t once opened that box – you probably don’t really need whatever is in it.
Unplug
When we spend so much time online it can be difficult to remember that most of what we’re seeing is manipulated.
We could all use a little less screen time, regardless of our age.
We don’t know what’s real, what’s fake, what’s photoshopped or what is only a sliver of the full picture.
So step away from the digital world and spend some time away from your devices.
Go Outside
Get out into nature, breath in the fresh air and soak up the sun (with sunscreen on of course!)
Being out in nature can benefit your health, calm your mind and increase your creativity.
Even just 10 minutes spent outside in nature has been shown to lower stress levels.
Going outside more is probably the easiest tip to simplify your life on this list, yet one of the most impactful.
Those were all 9 of my tips to simplify your life.
Take what makes sense for you, leave what doesn’t.
Even if you follow all of my tips to simplify, life will never really be simple.
Life is complex and constantly changing. But these tips can help you move towards a calmer life.
Let me know which tip was the best for you down in the comments below!
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