If you had to pick a word right now to describe your current life situation, what would it be? Satisfied? Complicated? Somewhere in-between? Or maybe you don’t know how to describe it.
Since mid-2019, I have spent my time simplifying my overall life and in the process parted ways with about 90% of my belongings (it’s an ongoing process).
“Simplify Your Life – Live the Life You Imagined.”
In this post, I am sharing the most practical and proven solutions from my own life experiences so take what you need and let go of the rest. I’m confident that by the end of this post you will be full of fresh ideas and practical solutions to simplify your life.
All you need to do is be ready to act. The recommendations I’ve provided here are for support. Create the time and energy to implement what fits into your life.
Before we start, I want to quickly remind you of the reasons you need to simplify your life:
- You will reach your potential life goals.
- You will find inner peace and happier life.
- You will feel freer with better work and life balance.
- You will become a super productive and organized person.
- You will kill those sneaky overwhelming feelings that pop in uninvited.
Let’s go start a simplified life, shall we?
1. Eliminate inessentials
In simpler terms – declutter. This is when you get rid of the things you no longer need in your life.
For example, let’s say you want to declutter your closet. In this case, you will get rid of all those shoes, dresses, and jumpers that you haven’t worn in six months, or even in some cases, years. And don’t forget those that don’t fit you anymore, etc. I’ve spent a lot of time curating my capsule wardrobe and now it only consists of the items that I love, wear and make me feel good. I have over time, been investing in quality pieces with pure materials like cotton, linen, cashmere & wool – these clothing pieces will last me years if they’re cared for.
This simple decluttering will:
- Create easy access to things you need. You will no longer have to go through lots of clutter before getting to what you’re looking for. With less distraction and quick access, this will save you loads of time.
- Create space for the most important items you truly need for everyday use.
Do you have old books you no longer use, old phones, DVDs, etc. that have been sitting on undusted shelves for months? Get rid of them by selling them on Facebook Marketplace, Vinted, Ziffit etc. and make some extra cash in the process.
Imagine a life surrounded by only the things you need. Isn’t that the life you want? To be surrounded only by things you love and use?
2. Automate
With so much advancement in technology, almost anything can be automated from bills, savings, subscriptions, etc.
By setting up automation, you will:
- Save time, by no longer having to do it manually
- Avoid accidental late payment fees
- No more forgetting to pay on time
- Once it’s set up, it’s hassle-free
So why not simplify your life by setting up automatic payments, then forget it? You won’t have to think about it anymore.
Time to take inspired action:
- Figure out which bills, etc. in your life you can automate
- Write them down and set them up one-by-one
Make life simple by choosing automated payment systems.
3. Create routines
A routine is simply the order in which you do things. There are two routines you can create to simplify your life:
- Morning Routine: Order in which you do things every morning to prepare for the day ahead.
- Evening Routine: Order in which you do things every evening to finish your day and prepare for the next.
These two routines control your life. They can either make your life simple or complicate it further.
Here is how routines can help:
- You’ll stay organised by knowing what to do and when to do it
- Your routines will act as a guide for the day
- Routines will help you improve your overall health, well-being, and productivity
- And most importantly; You’ll be spending your time intentionally and aligned with your values and goals
Remember: What gets scheduled, gets done.
If you are here wanting to simplify your life, this is how you’re going to do it.
Time to take inspired action:
This weekend, on Sunday evening, create some daily morning and evening routines that you can stick to.
Remember – this is your life, and you need to do it in a way that works best for you.
4. Be yourself
Do you recognise the person you are and the things you do when you are alone with nobody around to criticise or judge you? Being yourself is simply being the real you. How can you stay true to yourself? You can be yourself when you decide to let go of all the stories, labels, and judgments that you have placed on yourself.
Being yourself can simplify your life. When you decide to be yourself, your life will change and become more simple and freer.
- You will stop worrying about what others think about you
- You will start doing the things you enjoy
- You will be able to say NO confidently and without feeling guilty
- You will no longer feel the need to be a people-pleaser
- Best of all, you will no longer have to hide who you are or change things to fit the person you think you should be
Finally, you will start living a simple happy life.
5. Simplify your meals
Have you ever felt like cooking a meal takes forever; from meal planning to grocery shopping, and meal prepping?
I love food and I love cooking AND I do cook for myself daily. My health is a priority, so I make sure to nourish my body with a healthy diet and regular exercise. I visit the local farmer’s market a couple of times a week and buy fresh, seasonal produce from there.
6. Create a daily WORKING to-do list
A to-do list is simply a list of all the tasks you intend to accomplish during any given day or week. Creating a to-do list may seem a pretty straightforward thing to do, and I agree.
But here is where people go wrong. Many times they create a long, unrealistic, and ineffective to-do list only to end up feeling overwhelmed. If you create a healthy to-do list and use it correctly, then you will have simplified your life by far.
4 ways a to-do list can simplify your life:
- It will help you tackle the priority things first, rather than what’s easiest
- It helps you overcome feelings of being overwhelmed
- It will act as a guiding light for your day
- It will help you stay organised with a healthy work-life balance
So, here is a quick guide on how to create a healthy working to-do list that will simplify your life:
- Keep it short and simple
- Focus on quality, not quantity
- Write your list down in a planner like this one
- Lastly, always check your to-do list every night or first thing in the morning
This way it’s pretty clear what’s expected of you as the day starts. A to-do list will simplify your life by helping you get things done based on your priorities.
READ MORE: How to Write a Better To-Do List
7. Learn to manage your personal finances.
When it comes to personal financial management, 3 things should come to mind:
- How you save
- How you spend
- And how you budget your money
These 3 things have a profound impact on your life. You see, I’ve been there. I was very bad at saving money, and budgeting wasn’t my thing at that time – truth be told, I can’t even remember how many times I have struggled financially. HOWEVER, things have never been better than they are right now – and I am SO GRATEFUL for that, but it has been hard work and one thing I have learnt in the process is that managing money is a never-ending process.
If you want to simplify your life and feel freer, you should start to consider making managing your money a top priority. Benefits of how proper finance management will simplify your life:
- You will be financially secure
- Your bills will be paid on time
- You will live the life you want and maybe even be able to afford a vacation with Airbnb
- You will become financially independent and free of debt
READ MORE: Are your finances organised?
Those are the tips I used and still use today, for my own financial management. Like everyone else says, the important thing is working out a budget that works best for you, there’s no one-size-fits-all solution. When you manage your financial life, then you will have a more simplified life.
8. Learn to manage your time
Tell me, have you ever felt like everything is just everywhere? Does it feel like it’s getting harder to maintain your focus? Like so many things are waiting to be done and you face countless interruptions once you start a task?
And then you feel like it’s a miracle when something finally gets done. You are not alone. I’ve been there, and I understand how life can feel like it’s just too complicated.
Well, I’m here to tell you it’s not. All of this can be simplified by creating a good WORKING time-management plan. With good time management, your life can be simplified.
- Try being more productive
- Procrastinate less
- Devote more time to self-care
- Accomplish your goals, etc
These things will give you a life with more freedom, which helps to decrease stress and pressure. I should also mention that time-management skills are different for everyone, and you need to find what works best for you.
Time for action.
Below is my quick time-management list that works for me and may want to borrow.
- I create a to-do list every Sunday covering the next 7 days. I use Google Tasks for this
- I sometimes use a time block system on my to-do list
- Focus on one thing 100% of the time. In other words, do one thing at a time. Multitasking is not for me (believe me, I’ve tried!)
- I read books and listen to time management inspirations.
As you learn and maintain good time-management skills, you’ll find freedom from deadline pressure and stress in general. In addition, you’ll simplify your life.
READ MORE: My top time-management tips | Create More Time & Energy | You always have time for the things you put first
9. Get and stay organised
You know your life is disorganised when you want to wear something and you can’t find it, realising it’s probably in the dirty pile of clothes from last week. Or when you are constantly late for work or meetings with friends.
You see, the list is long; I can go on and on. So, let’s move on, shall we? First, there is no magic overnight solution to getting organised and continuing to stay organised.
There are some little things you can do that will help you become more organised and stay organised.
Time to take inspired action:
- Devote exactly 20 minutes every day to tidying up
- Wash and fold your laundry
- Go paperless; pay your bills, and everything else, online
- Put stuff where they are used, not where there’s space
Schedule things. Remember: What gets scheduled, gets done.
Being organised, and staying organised, can simplify your life in the following ways.
- You will gain more self-confidence back and stop being embarrassed by clutter
- You will be less stressed because you can find things when you need them. This will help you feel calmer and more relaxed
- Get back control of your life
Simplify your life. Start being more organised today. And if you’re new to organising, remember that it’s a matter of practice.
10. Let go of perfectionism; aim for progress.
One word. Perfectionism. Just let that go. Let go of trying to be perfect. And how can you tell if you are a perfectionist? The following list will help …
- You leave no room for mistakes. When you see an error, you’re the first to jump on it and correct it
- You have a very specific manner you think things should be done, and many times others don’t understand your need to do things in your specific way
- You take an all-or-nothing approach. It’s either you do everything well, or you don’t do it at all
- You have a keen eye for details
Does any of this sound familiar? There’s nothing more useless than unfinished projects. But sometimes it’s easy to watch them stack up, isn’t it?
Take these actions to let go of perfectionism.
- Remind yourself that life is full of opportunities to learn, grow, and keep learning
- Let yourself get started then produce something – even if it’s not perfect
- Merge your expectations
- Embrace experience and imperfection as learning opportunities
- Tell yourself you can always go back later and amend or smooth it out later if needed
Focusing on perfection will complicate your life, and it holds you back from progress. Use these steps as a guide and let go of perfectionism. You will see how your life will be simplified.
To wrap things up, if you want to live a simplified life focus on these things:
- Plan your time wisely
- Create working routines
- Start creating a working to-do list
- Get, and stay, organised
- Have a meal planning system in place
- Automate your bills, etc.
- Use proper finance management
When you do all these, you will have simplified your life and created the life that you want. Simplicity will bring balance to your life, you will no longer feel trapped, or overwhelmed by a complicated life.
READ MORE: Become a woman who embraces imperfection
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