Ready to simplify your life today? Things tend to be busy and chaotic, but believe it or not, it doesn’t have to be that way. Yes, modern life is busy, but we often make it more stressful than is really necessary.
Here are 8 of my favorite tips to help you simplify your life right now.
1. Set Smartphone Boundaries
If we think about the stresses in our day to day lives, much of it is caused by our smartphones. Whether it’s checking email until late at night or first thing in the morning, or comparing ourselves to others on Instagram.
Our phones are incredible tools, but they can also increase our stress levels if we aren’t intentional about how we use them.
Think about your biggest stressors when it comes to your phone, and see if you can cut down on any of them.
Maybe it’s by keeping your phone in another room while you have family time or even leave your phone at home when you’re out with your spouse.
Related Post: How to Spend Less Time on Your Life
2. Set a Budget to simplify your life
Another big stressor is often related to money. Have you ever had a month where you went to pay off your credit card and found that you spent WAY more than you realized?
While this doesn’t happen often, I find that when I’m not focused on the budget, I seem to waste money here and there without realizing it.
When you’re able to to set and stick to a reasonable budget, it gives you so much freedom. You don’t have to worry whether you’ll be able to pay your credit card bill at the end of the month.
It will definitely feel uncomfortable at first, but after time, it will become natural and will feel easy.
3. Cut Down on Netflix
I know, this is a tough one. TV can be a great way to relax and I would never suggest that you cut it out entirely. However, try to think of TV as a nice reward rather than something that you just do.
Just like we talked about earlier with boundaries, I like to set expectations for how much TV I’m able to watch. Or, another way to do it is to set a 2 episode limit. For example, you can watch Gilmore Girls, but no more than 2 episodes.
Another tactic to simplify your life is to schedule something to do as soon as your TV time is over. For example, if it’s 6 PM, tell a friend or your Mom that you’ll call her at 8 PM. By giving yourself something to do, this will cut down on the temptation to watch that third or fourth episode.
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4. Get Rid of Clothes You Don’t Wear
Have you ever gone in your closet and actually thought about how long it would take to wear each and every item of clothing in your closet? If not, give it a try, you’ll be shocked.
For most of us, we could probably wear a different top each day and not wear the same thing for at least 3-6 months, probably longer.
Productivity gurus often talk about Steve Jobs and eliminating decision fatigue by not having to make decisions about clothing. I know that I wouldn’t want to wear the same thing every day, but, there is truth that the less you own, the easier it is to decide what to wear each morning.
It’s also important to keep your closet organized so that you can always find exactly what you need.
This will save you so much time and energy. A good test is to get rid of anything that you haven’t worn in 6 months.
5. Keep Your Home Organized and Give Everything a “Home”
Don’t be the person who stresses out every morning trying to find the car keys.
Make it a point to know where things go and return them to their correct spot when you use them. In the moment it might take a few extra seconds, but it will save you a headache later on.
For example, have a specific place for batteries, scissors, paper, the TV remote, etc.
I know that on days when I clean my house I feel a million times better. There’s just something about having a clean physical space that simplifies and clears your mental clutter as well.
Your house doesn’t need to look like a museum, but make sure that you know where to find things.
6. Eliminate Things That Aren’t Serving You
Make it a habit to go through your credit card statements for the past 6 months or 1 year, and make sure that you’re regularly using everything that you’re paying for.
Today it’s not uncommon to sign up for “free trials” and new subscriptions, and then completely forget to either cancel or actually use them.
Remember that the more “stuff” you have in your life, the more complicated things seem. If you ACTIVELY USE 5 subscriptions every month, then awesome, keep using them. But, if not, try canceling a few and paring life down to the minimum of what you really need and love.
Related Post: How to Change Your Life for the Better
7. Focus on ONE Thing at a Time
As you’re reading this blog post you might be simultaneously scrolling through instagram, sending a text, or listening to a show. We’re all guilty of this from time to time.
But, keep in mind that multitasking is not the best way to reach your goals and make big progress in your life.
Focus is not easy in today’s world, but it tends to be what separates the happiest and most successful from everyone else.
8. Start a Gratitude Journal
Whether it’s a note on your phone or a physical notebook or journal, gratitude will change your life. When we take a break from our everyday stresses and worries, we can step back and see that things are usually not so bad. In fact, most of us have it pretty good.
I’ve also found that referring back to a gratitude journal can be a great practice for days when you’re feeling down or in difficult seasons of life. I like to look back and see the things that I was grateful for in different months or years of my life. Sometimes it’s as simple as a great cup of coffee or as big as a meaningful trip with friends or family.
We often look for the “quick fixes” or the secret to simplify your life and while it’s no longer a secret, maybe it never was, starting a gratitude practice is one of the smallest things that you can do in life to reap the greatest benefits.
Which of these tips are you going to use to simplify your life today?
