In the earlier post, we discussed what is simple living and 3 super simple ways to start a simple life. If you haven’t already, you can check that post here. Today, we’ll look at some practical ways to simplify your life.
Simplifying refers to getting rid of the excess, minimizing possessions and complexities, and making everything clear and easy.
Simplifying your life — you would remove all the unwanted/unused stuff and reduce it to bare essentials.
9 AMAZING WAYS TO SIMPLIFY YOUR LIFE IN 2021
1. Fewer clothes:
Digging into a closet flooded with mostly unfavorite or worthless clothes is a terrible start to the morning.
The guilt of squandering, the clock ticking, and the pressure of pulling everything together — invoke negative vibes right at the beginning of the day.Â
Simplifying your wardrobe could be a quick fix. Also, a wardrobe is a better start to gaining momentum.
Start by removing all the ill-fitted and unloved clothes from your closet. Toss or donate them.
Looking at a closet full of the only clothes you love would motivate you to keep on in the areas of life.
Once you pick your favorites, you can create a capsule wardrobe by trying on and working the pieces together, to create different looks out of the same clothes.Â
2. Fewer duplicates:
Do you actually use those 50 different shades of lipsticks, 60 hair ties, 45 coffee mugs, 14 towels, 17 handbags, and hundreds and thousands of spares?
I know, we rarely consider getting rid of them thinking they’re useful.
On a quiet day, note which items you use to cook meals. Separate the lipsticks you use throughout the week, in a small pouch. Observe which coffee mug you reach out for, every morning. You’ll learn you hang on to only a few items of them.
Everything else is cluttered.
3. Less media:
Television and mobile phone consume an enormous amount of time. You turn on your television to watch one show and 3 hours are gone.
Do the negatives of drama shows, news channels, and endless gossip add value to your life in any way?
People who complain about time constraints must reassess their media time.
With many of us working online, going even a day without a phone or the internet is serious.
But you can certainly consider ditching your phone while having meals. When hanging out with your family. During kids’ study time. While spending time with God or working in the house, exercising, and meditating.
One way to do this is by turning off the push notifications. Or switching to do not disturb mode.
Identify triggers and act accordingly. Set aside a certain amount of time for media and focus on your life at other times.
4. Shop less:
Want to get out of the rut of decluttering routinely?
Abstaining from shopping is the answer.
Identifying the real cause when you find yourself shopping more often is important to overcome the issue.
Does the heartbreak, sadness, or simply feeling isolated make you shop for new things to feel better?
But does shopping actually makes you feel better? Is shopping a habit or do you try to keep up with the Joneses?
Find an alternative hobby or another way out as shopping is all fun only for a while but it can’t be the solution. In fact, the clutter from acquiring a lot of stuff will complicate your life more.
5. Multitask less:
Having multiple tabs open on the computer screen, listening to podcasts/watching television while walking on a treadmill, talking to someone while driving a car, texting/chatting while cooking, and cooking several dishes at one time.
The examples of just how we unconsciously multitask in our daily life are endless.
If you think you’re saving a slew of time and being more productive by multitasking then you’re sorely mistaken, my friend.
Travis Bradberry said, “Every time you multitask you aren’t just harming your performance at the moment; you may very well be damaging an area of your brain that’s critical to your future success at work.”
I think the reason is enough to stop multitasking. Still, running hither and thither slows you down and hampers your efficiency.
Even the tasks take longer to accomplish than they would do performing one at a time.
Our minds concentrate merely on a single thing at a time. Doing multiple activities at one time affects the quality of work as well.
6. Paperless:
 I don’t know about you but sorting through, filling, and recycling papers is a pain for me. Receipts, utility bills/invoices, newspapers, magazines, takeaway food flyers, invitations, etc create unwanted clutter.
Thanks to high technology going paperless is achievable.
Through a computerized system, I find — scanning, keeping track of papers, and finding them through the search option of your electronic filing system is super easy; saving hours of work stirring through the piles of paper to find important documents.
Keeping the record digitally is particularly useful in the case of health records, bills, banking details, etc.,
7. Less ‘Yes’:
Have the work deadlines, family responsibilities, and social activities overbooked your schedule?
Do you constantly feel overwhelmed and that you don’t have time for yourself?
It’s time to pause and reevaluate your time and commitments and learn to say NO for your own good.
I know, the issue of overscheduling arises when you can’t say no.Â
- You can’t say no to family commitments because you could never make them unhappy.
- You can’t say no to your boss because you don’t want to appear as a negative employee.
- You can’t say no to your friends because you don’t want to appear rude.
But where does your own time lie in between trying to please everyone around you?
A courteous no can help you find that much-needed space for yourself.
8. Unfollow and unsubscribe:
The reason to unfollow and unsubscribe from unwanted people and subscriptions again may be great for your sanity and your bank account.
In the Internet world, apps and websites especially shopping sites want you to subscribe to and follow them on social media.
Additionally, if you let them have your contact number then you’re sure to be bombarded with an infinite number of notifications throughout the day.Â
Also, once in a while, taking a good look at whom you follow on social media, and how it makes you feel (positive or negative) is crucial for your emotional well-being.
9. Automate more:
Your hands are constantly full of work, family, and home — that it feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day.
Today, everything and anything that you can think of could be automated. Right from cleaning appliances like washing machines, dishwashers, self-cleaning ovens, frost-free refrigerators, robot vacuum cleaners, robotic lawnmowers, and so much more, to automated bill payment methods, to free home-delivery grocery service.
Final words:
By squeezing in a few decluttering and organizing sessions here and there you can simplify and improve the quality of your life, and enjoy some peaceful time in the middle of chaos.
Thank you so much for reading. Happy Simplifying!