Keep your life simple

Life can get so overwhelming. We are bombarded daily with lots of information, avalanche of tasks to do, new standards to measure up to, career pursuits to achieve, family to take care of etc.

Some days, you feel 24 hours isn’t enough.

Where can I buy more time?

With all these, life becomes more and more complicated. But it does not always have to be that way.

We can live a simplified life. We have the power to simplify our lives and make it less complicated.

 

Thirteen Ways to keep life simple.

#1 Having a to-do list

I realize that each time I write a to-do list, I feel less overwhelmed.

 

I can conveniently tick off the boxes as the day wears on.

 

A to-do list guides my daily activities. Surely there are days when I may not be able to finish all I have written down, but that brings me to the next point…

 

 

#2 Choose the meaningful over the urgent

Sometimes there’s so much to do within a little time and this could be because we focus more on the urgent than the meaningful.

 

We change behaviors to meet up with the expectations of others. The fear of missing out makes us cram in more and more activities into our already crowded schedules. We assign urgency to things with no meaningful priority.

 

To live a simplified life, you need not allow external expectations control the use of your time and affect your sense of urgency. Don’t try to get a lot done all at once.

 

#3 Learn how to say No

One way to complicate your life is to say Yes all the time, even when you know its not convenient for you.

I don’t mean you should not go out of your way to help others, but the Bible says, “Love your neighbor as Yourself” not more than yourself.

 

#4 What do I eat?

Deciding on what to eat is not always as easy as it sounds.

 

Having a meal plan is the way out. It’ll help you to know what to eat every day. It also helps with grocery shopping.

 

Sometimes I find myself wandering the shopping aisles without a plan, just looking for what might interest me. But with a plan, I have a list of what I need. Shopping is made easier and you save yourself some aimless wondering and impulse buying.

 

 

Although meal planing is a great way to simplify your life, I acknowledge it can become quite boring as time goes on. So it’s important to switch up your meal plans as often as possible and also leave some space for spontaneity.

 

Just go for whatever works for you.

 

#5 Have a budget/financial plan

Money is very important, and its mismanagement can be a cause of stress. I am not a money expert, but I do know that when I have a plan and budget for the month, I feel more at ease. It takes away anxiety.

 

It would be great to create a budget system that works with your lifestyle. More importantly, let your budget determine your lifestyle so you don’t live beyond your means, as that alone will complicate your life.

 

If you are a monthly salary earner, then you know how much comes in every month, and you can plan according to that.

 

If you are self employed or paid hourly, plan accordingly. It better to plan for less and then have more come in, than plan for more and have less come in.

 

Read my post on ways to reduce expenses and save more

 

 

#6 Declutter/Organize

I have this belief that my home is a pictorial representation of my life. Therefore, when my home is in a mess, I feel my life is messy too. It sounds crazy, but yeah, that’s how I feel.

 

This is where putting things in order and decluttering come into play. There are days that you can’t just be bothered, and that is okay. No pressure.

 

You may have lot of clothes in your closet and still have nothing to wear, because it’s just clothes that you haven’t worn in months/years taking up unnecessary space.

 

To decluter, experts say these are questions to ask yourself:

 

*Have I used it in the past year?

*Will I use it in the year ahead?

*If I was shopping right now will I get this again?

*If it’s broken, Is it worth fixing?

*Would I keep this if I could?

 

Truth be told, as a sentimental person, I know it can be hard to get rid of things. But at the end of the day, you will realize that you actually do not need and will not miss any of those items.

I know some people who make use of the buy one and get rid of one rule. For any piece of item you buy, you get rid of one item.

Organizing your home. Knowing the home for your things makes your life simpler.

 

#7 Clean up immediately

I personally develop anxiety when I see that I have amassed a lot of dirty clothes, or I have left a lot of dishes to wash up.

Cleaning up dirty stuff immediately simplifies your life.

 

 

#8 Unplug

This is my personal favorite. I log out from all my social media accounts for as long as I please.

Take time to unplug occasionally to feel renewed.

 

 

#9 Delegate responsibility

You do not have to do everything yourself. If you have the means and the opportunity, outsource tasks.

 

When moving to a new location, you could employ a moving company. If you can’t keep up with the house cleaning, you could employ a cleaner. You may have kids and you need sometime to yourself, employ a baby sitter.

 

Don’t be hesitant to ask others for help when you need it.

 

 

#10 Make use of the calendar

You do not have to keep every piece of information in your head. That’s the reason why we have calendars, both electronic and manual.

 

You can write down and set up notifications for important events such as birthdays, wedding anniversaries, travel dates etc. It saves you the stress of forgetting and last minute planning.

 

#11 Save on cloud

My laptop recently got stolen and before that, the phone I’d used for about two years suddenly went to sleep on me. I felt a sense of loss, but I wasn’t crushed because I had almost everything backed up on cloud.

 

 

Another advantage of saving on cloud, it makes documents you may need easily accessible from anywhere. In case of an unexpected loss, or maybe you forget your device, you can simply log into your cloud from any other device.

 

#12 Use google password manager

This I recommend using on your home laptop. You do not have to remember each password. Just log on to the site and google remembers the password for you.

 

#13 Always remember God is in charge of your life

When things happen in spite of your best effort, leave everything in the hand of God and go to sleep.

 

Remember you’re human, not a superman, you can’t have it figured out every time.

 

Hand over the things you can’t control to God and enjoy your rest in Him.

Does life get complicated for you sometimes? What are some ways you try to keep it simple?