A little after Christmas, I bought a Christmas basil planter kit that was on sale at Target. I’ve only tried to keep a plant once before, and a friend who was a horticulture major told me I had loved it to death. Apparently, plants don’t need a constant stream of water or light. I think my husband thought I was a bit crazy for wanting to try keeping another plant alive, but I bought it anyway. I finally planted it a few days ago. This morning, I spotted the first sprouts emerging from the dirt.
While it seems silly, watching this plant grow brought me to a realization. The only worries for a plant are water, light, and air. It doesn’t worry about the fact that it won’t grow up to be an oak tree or if anyone will think it is ugly. It just is.
Life gets complicated quickly. One moment, we think we have everything under control, and the next moment, we have ten more commitments piled up on a massive to-do list. We get frazzled and overwhelmed. Who wouldn’t? That’s because we overcomplicate things. The world tells us to do more, work harder, achieve more, and finally, we’ll reach “success.”
The truth of the matter is, peace is not found in achieving more. The key to feeling peace is in simplicity.
When wrote this, originally, I had a list of 46 ways to simplify your life, but the post was so long, it became the opposite of simplicity. Because of that, I’ve split this post into three. This first will be about general life and productivity tips. The second will deal with the household and digital life, and the third will consider health.
In the last post, I’ll include a PDF compiling all the tips into one place. Watch out for that in the next few weeks.
In this post, I’ve listed 15 easy ways to simplify your life. Each of these changes takes minimal effort for the reward. Some may be important changes you could make or maybe not, so choose which to follow. Whether that is one or all 15, you’ll see a change. So, without further ado, here are 15 easy ways to simplify your life.
Life lessons
1. Limit your commitments
Know what you can handle, and limit your commitments to that. You don’t have to be in charge of a million things to be successful. Learn to delegate.
2. Learn to say “no”
If you don’t have the time to commit toward a project and still remain sane, say “no.” Simply say, “I can’t commit to this right now.” If you feel like it is important for you to join in but don’t have the time right now, say “While I can’t commit to this right now, I’d love to in the future when some of my other responsibilities are finished.” People prefer honesty to broken promises.
3. Buy only what you need
We talk about uncluttering, but we should talk about preventing clutter in the first place. If you want something that isn’t a need, wait a few days. This should be enough time to evaluate whether something is an impulse buy. Remember, quality over quantity.
4. Be present
Ground yourself by identifying something for each of your senses. Right now, I can see an uncluttered desk, hear soft instrumental music playing, smell clean air, and feel the pillow as I sit on my chair.
5. Forgive quickly
“Resentment is like taking poison and waiting for the other person to die,” (Malachy McCourt).
6. Limit choices
My husband struggles with decisions all the time. Having too many choices hinders rather than help decision-making. Limit yourself to only a few choices to decide between and enjoy what you choose rather than thinking of what you are missing out on.
Productivity
7. Follow a quick morning routine
It’s easy to add too many time-consuming tasks to morning routines. Simplify it to three things (besides showering/getting ready). For example, drink water, read the news, and exercise. A simple routine will energize rather than exhaust. And, you’ll get ready in less time.
8. Give yourself time buffers
Whenever you plan your day, build in a few extra minutes of transition time between appointments. You’ll feel calmer not needing to rush, and if you arrive early to the dentist, for example, just pull up a podcast or audiobook.
9. Start each morning in silence
With the craziness of each day, this is a must. If you have others in the household, try to be the first one up so you can sit in silence. Calm your mind before starting your day.
10. Journal each morning
During this morning silence, take time to journal each day. I only write one page each day, but it’s enough to focus me on what is important. You can read about my journaling process here or take the 30-day journaling challenge.
11. Set timers for tasks and activities
If you set timers, you don’t have to look at your phone constantly to check the time. Simply work until you hear the timer go off. This also means you can keep the phone out of sight and your workspace distraction-free.
12. Create a daily focus
I’ve heard often to write your top three tasks each day, but I like choosing one focus each day instead. I may have other tasks to get done, but by having one focus, I can create a mantra of sorts – “I just have to write today.” You won’t have to look at your planner constantly to remember what you need to do.
13. Do one thing at a time
This means, no multitasking! If a task requires brainpower, do on one thing at a time. Doing the dishes doesn’t require must brainpower, so you can listen to a podcast which doing that chore, but for tasks like writing, decision making, and creating, focus on one thing at a time. I fall into this trap a lot where I switch from tab to tab on my computer to work for 15 minutes here and another 10 here. This method is actually helpful if I’ve been procrastinating a task, but for the majority of the time, I focus on doing one thing at a time.
14. Simplify your goals
Some people set goals that are too complicated. Keep your goals specific and simple. For example, instead of saying “I will be healthy” (which could include exercise, food, or mental health), say “I will eat a salad every day.” This narrows the focus to food and gives a specific action you can measure each day. Also, make sure they are achievable.
15. Follow the 1-minute rule
When you think of a task to get done, if you can do it in one minute, do it immediately. Don’t put something as simple as this off.
What one thing will you do today to simplify your life?
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