Simplifying Your Life
Next week is National Simplify Your Life week, and I want to help you celebrate it!
Though its origins are unknown, this is a week to raise up the importance of decluttering and simplifying our lives – getting rid of physical and psychological clutter that might be getting in the way of living a balanced, joyful, purposeful life.
Now, as a life coach, I honestly think that any week and every week can be a good time for that, but sometimes it’s nice to have an excuse to do something we’ve been dragging our feet on. So if you know that something in your life needs to be simpler, this week’s for you!
And if you’re not sure how to appropriately mark such an ostentatious occasion, don’t worry – I’ve got you covered. Here are twenty ways to get started in simplifying your life – ten for your physical surroundings, and ten for your psychological world.
10 Ways to Simplify Your Physical World
Clean out a drawer.
Clean out a closet.
Clean off your desk.
Clean out a file drawer. Or maybe just one big file folder.
Clean out your car.
Clear the stuff that’s cluttering prime horizontal space in your house (think dining room table, kitchen island or peninsula, table or shelf near your entry door, workbench).
Unsubscribe from services or email lists you never use (hopefully not this one!).
Subscribe to services that make your life easier (e.g. automatic deposits, automatic bill pay, auto-purchase of stuff you regularly use and truly need).
Donate, sell, or give away something you haven’t used or worn in the past year.
Spend 10 minutes every evening preparing for work the next day: make your lunch, pick out your clothes, put your bag by the door, etc.
10 Ways to Simplify Your Psychological World
Set an alarm or notification for random times throughout the day. When alerted, pause, take five deep breaths, and simply be in the present moment. Notice something in that moment (a sound, a sight, a feeling in your body).
Clear something non-important from your calendar. (Use the newfound time for #3, 4, or 5 below.)
Make time for an activity that renews you.
Make time for true rest (not just sleep, although that’s important, too!).
Try a mindfulness practice for a week.
Take a prolonged break (one day? one week?) from social media.
Use a mind map to help you figure out your top 5-7 priorities in life. Commit to only scheduling things on the calendar that connect with one of those areas of focus.
Pay attention to the number of times you say “I have to…” and notice what you’re saying it about. Get in the habit of pausing when you say that, and ask yourself, “Do I really HAVE to or am I choosing to? What terrible consequences would befall me or my loved ones if I chose not to? What benefit might I experience if I choose not to?”
Decide to distance from a relationship that’s not life-giving.
Create a mind map about what “Simplifying Your Life” might mean for you. Choose one idea to implement first.
Now in the spirit of simplification, let me remind you: it’s best to only choose ONE of these small suggestions to start with. Start SIMPLE. That’s kind of the point. If you find success and want more, then you can always grab another idea and put that into action, too. But for starters, keep it simple. Choose one.
Happy Simplifying!