Simplifying your life might sound like a pipe dream for the lucky ones. It used to be that way for me too!
As my life evolved I found yourself getting involved in more and more ‘things’. I was:
- busy working
- managing a home
- trying new hobbies
- running my own business
- involved in my local community
- busy establishing a food garden as well as an ornamental garden
- committed to writing on a regular basis
- planning a new home build
- setting up our farm
Perhaps you are also busy, with some of those things or you are:
- raising kids
- caring for grandkids
- busy in your local sporting group or outdoor activities
- committed to a service group such as Rotary or Lions Club
Each day can feel like a whirlwind of have-to’s and should do’s.
Each and every one of these commitments came with a pressure on my time. I am not suggesting that any of these are bad places to be or inappropriate ways to spend time.
Finding time to be able to do the things you love, whether it is community based or home based, can be challenging, no matter how much you are passionate about each and every one of them. I hear you!
Getting smarter with your time
Simplifying life doesn’t necessarily mean doing less. For me it can mean doing things more efficiently – working smarter, not harder at life.
It can be creating systems to automate processes that need to be done.
Have you considered engaging a contractor to do that thing around the place that just doesn’t bring you joy? Or paying the local carpenter to come and fix that door that has been hanging off its hinge for several months because you just haven’t got around to it? I have a cleaner that comes in once a fortnight. It’s not much but it helps me to feel a sense of calm at least once every two weeks. The feeling of walking in to a clean home is amazing at the end of a busy day!
Dealing with the ‘stuff’
Removing some clutter, even if one “thing” at a time, can add up to a lot of change over a year.
I don’t believe anyone wakes up one day and just has a simple, calm, organised life – not even Marie Kondo! It’s something we need to desire and want to work towards.
The benefits of simplifying our lives are many:
- That feeling of being in control of at least one aspect of your busy life
- Having time to breathe for 5 minutes amid the morning rush
- The opportunity to read a few pages of one of those books which has been gathering dust next to your bed all year (yes, guilty!)
- The chance to actually cook a healthy meal from scratch using fresh ingredients from your garden or local farmers’ market
- A moment to reflect on how much abundance we have in our lives
Simplifying life doesn’t happen all at once – it’s not that simple! Like any desire, goal set or target, it’s worked at regularly, mindfully and persistently.
Getting started
These tips are for your if:
- If you’d like a more simple life (and how simple it needs to be will vary for every person on the planet), or
- If you feel the need to declutter from the busy-ness and disconnect from the demands sometimes, or
- If you feel overwhelmed by the amount of ‘stuff’ you need to get done, just to get through the day.
Here’s a few things I do that you could too, to get started. None of them take up a huge amount of time. If done regularly, they can help a little to move from overwhelmed to a simpler life:
Don’t say yes immediately
Don’t say no either. Before you say yes to anything else, give yourself some room to think – a straight “I will need to check my calendar and get back to you tomorrow” buys you a little time to consider if you really have time to get involved, donate time or volunteer. It can also give you a space to consider whether something else needs to go so you can take up this new opportunity.
Find a place to put it
If you don’t have a place for everything or you don’t now where it belongs, then find somewhere to keep it. It doesn’t matter if ‘it” is your dog’s favourite toy, the spare bedding from the guest room or that gadget you use to get tight lids off. Make sure you let everyone else in the household know that it now has a home, a place to belong and encourage them to do the same.
It can save you wasted time looking for it next time as well as a load of emotional energy and frustration at not being able to locate it when you need it.
Tidy up behind yourself
Take an extra 20 seconds to put something back where it belongs when you have finished using it, rather than leaving it to the end of the day, the weekend, or searching for it next time you need it.
That 20 seconds won’t impact your overall life at the time, but your future self will thank you! (Maybe my mum was right after all!)
I have nominated ‘clear spaces’ that I don’t allow to be subjected to clutter. Our kitchen bench is a great gathering spot for the things of the day – the mail that got collected, that packet of seeds I want to plant out, the latest catalogue from the hardware store, a thingy which was used to fix the widget two days ago … you know how it is. Every now and then I spend a few seconds putting one or two things back where they belong. It all helps.
Focus
When you are busy working on something, focus on it. Be present in the moment. Whether you are doing the dishes, stacking the dishwasher or helping your 3 year old paint her toe nails for the fourth time today, be present.
Do just one thing at a time. I know you will worry that you will get less done, but you will get the thing you are doing done so much more quickly, enjoyably and most likely with a better result.
Take regular breaks
I know taking breaks doesn’t sound very productive right, but actually taking regular breaks allows your body and mind to reset, refresh and re-focus when you return to lengthy tasks.
I’m not suggesting you take a break every 10 minutes. If you are working on things that will take several hours, then schedule yourself some breaks to keep you fresh.
Simplifying your life doesn’t need to happen all at once. Practice being mindful of what is complicating your day and make a mental note to go back and see if you can simplify it in some way.
Start small. One change, no matter how small, implemented regularly can make a difference. Choose one of the suggestions from above or come up with your own “to simplify” activity.
Do it for 30 days and then see if you think it is worth it.
By then it will just about be a habit and you may have become unaware of the change or routine at all – you may be doing it automatically!
That is your goal – once your brain has turned it into an automatic task (it’s called habituation for a reason) then it is one less thing you will need to consciously think about.
Good luck with starting on the path to a simpler life! I’d love to hear how you are going with it – feel free to drop a comment below – I read them all and would love to know!
