When I think of spring, I think of bare feet, freshly mowed lawns and reading a good book under a tree while soaking up the warmth of the sun at the park. This season begs for a simpler lifestyle. One with fewer distractions. Less clutter. Room to move, breathe and laugh.
What would a simpler life look like for you? Fewer obligations? Fewer possessions? Fewer bills? As our world shifts into a time of refreshing, purging and simplifying, we will find that our lifestyles shift with it. Below are my top 10 ways to simplify your lifestyle (in no particular order). You can start any one of these today and I encourage you to do so! If you like what you’re reading, hop on over to the site and sign up for the Spring Cleaning: Inside and Out Workshop with Carson Tate and yours truly.
10 Ways to Simplify Your Lifestyle TODAY
- Donate what you no longer want or need. Help a good cause while clearing out the clutter that junks up your mind and your home. Donations can be given to charities such as:
Goodwill – for smaller donations such as clothes, furniture or household items.
Habitat for Humanity – help those in need of housing by donating furniture, excess building supplies, remodeling remnants, etc.
The Kidney Foundation – for large donations such as cars, golf clubs or cash.
Swaptree – Tired of your music, books, DVDs or video games? Trade them for free with other users via the web.
Craigslist – Make a profit off of your used gear without the hassle of Ebay listings. - Commit to a few months without tv, internet or cable. Your choice! Without the distraction of your weekly shows you allow for more personal, family or friend time. Decide what is not necessary and do a trial run without it. If you can’t stand the thought of going cold turkey, keep a log of how long you spend on the internet or watching TV at home per week. Those are the hours you could save yourself to do the things that you don’t think you have time for.
- Try to utilize all of your resources before re-using them. For instance, only do laundry when you absolutely need to, or go through all of your plates or silverware before running the dishwasher. This will not only save you electricity, water and time, but also make you aware of where you have excess.
- Go through books, papers and old files. Shred what you don’t need and donate the rest. Folks are working hard in our community to offer the same resources that are sitting and collecting dust on your shelves. Reach out programs like Habitat for Humanity in Charlotte for instance are collecting used books to stock the shelves of their new bookstore. All of the proceeds go to building supplies for houses of those in need. Most libraries also take donations and sites likes GotBooks.com will even come pick them up!
- Eat in more and dine out less. Save money and make family meals more important. Whatever happened to a home cooked family meal around the dinner table? Much less eating a meal sitting down and not on the go! Casseroles and soups make great dishes that can be frozen ahead of time (saving you time during the week) and yield yummy leftovers for snacks and lunches. Reduce junk food as you grocery shop and fill up your fridge with organic fruits and veggies from the farmer’s market (also saving yourself money!).
- Make an ongoing priority list. Get “it” out of your mind and onto a tangible list. Use software like Microsoft Word to create a prioritized list for what you need to get at the grocery store, at target and even of the pesky ‘to-dos’ around the house. When you make a list on the computer, you have the ability to edit, move things up in priority and print it to take with you. This reduces the chances of a hundred post it notes cluttering up your desk and home. Not to mention it frees up your mind to focus on more important tasks than ‘remember to get trash bags.’
- Simplify your routine. Mornings should not be stressful “go” times. Take care of any of the ‘to-dos’ the night before. Have a simple self care routine that includes hygiene, nourishment and movement in the morning. Give yourself plenty of time to relax in your shower, prepare a healthy breakfast that gives you an boost of energy and do a few simple stretches. All of this can still happen in an hour to an hour and a half.
- Know what you mean and say it! We expend a lot of energy holding grudges for situations that the other person has long forgotten, waiting for someone else to guess what we want and hoping things will just change on their own. Let’s take a moment to remember that everyone thinks differently and very few of us can read minds. Our lives would all be a lot more fulfilling if we took the time to understand what we want in any given situation and then provided an explanation to those around us who could help foster the change. *Like this tip? Try reading The Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz*
- Ask for help. Who says you have to do it all alone? If you’re at work and feel behind, stuck or confused after trying to figure something out yourself, speak up! You’ll take up less time stopping to ask for help than spinning your wheels for an hour trying to figure out what should be done. Same principle applies at home. Ask your spouse, a family member or a friend to give you a hand with a large project (or even the small ones!). Most of the time they don’t know you need help unless you ask.
- Take a walk. Simplify your lifestyle with some good old fashioned fresh air. Take 15 minutes (or more!) to get outside either with your favorite person or just with your favorite thoughts about what you want in your life. This time is off limits for negative thoughts, anxiety, worry and stress. *Only* positive, future visualization of what you want your life to be like is appropriate to fill this time. Finding that your negative thoughts tiptoe in anyway? That’s okay, simply take a breath and imagine that worried scenario going exactly as you’d like it to and move on to the next positive thought. *Like this tip? try reading The Law of Attraction by Jerry and Esther Hicks or Excuse Me Your Life is Waiting by Lynn Grabhorn*
These donations and discounts can make a huge difference in the lives of those less fortunate. Especially now. Plus, getting rid of the stuff that is taking up space will only give you more room to breathe, think and relax.
Even if you choose one of these things to tackle, you’ll be well on your way to a simpler lifestyle. Now, get to simplifying. Again, if you feel like you need a little extra support and you like what you’ve read here, then come experience more with Certified Professional Organizer, Carson Tate and myself at the Spring Cleaning: Inside and Out workshop. Click here for more information. Happy Simplifying!
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