How I’m Simplifying My Life in Ways That Actually Matter
7 Ways I’m Simplifying My Everyday Life That Truly Help
Let’s talk about how I’m simplifying my life in ways that actually matter.
And by actually matter, I mean they impact my daily life.
Simplifying our lives can and will look different for all of us. We all might have different ideas that come to mind when we think about simplifying.
I don’t think this is an area with clear right and wrong ways to go about things. Most things in life aren’t that way.
That can make things tricky sometimes. I love riding in the middle lane of things and being open to different ideas or perspectives.
But sometimes, this can cause some confusion about what I really want or need for my life. With a little rolling-up-my-sleeves action, I can usually get to the bottom of things.
For a long time, when I thought about simplifying my life, my mind immediately went to stuff.
And stuff is a heavy hitter in this department. (More on this in a minute.)
But I have realized there is more to simplifying my life than just reducing the amount of physical things in front of me.
You can declutter until the cows come home and still feel like something is off.
What does it actually mean to simplify my life? This is a question I have been bouncing around in my head. And my husband and I have been bouncing ideas back and forth on this.
I love a good solo conversation with myself, but having someone else when dealing with this topic has been really nice.
I want to make everyday life feel a little lighter.
And I’m realizing that doesn’t necessarily require some huge life overhaul. Sometimes it’s about looking at the things I do, think about, own, or give my time to every single day and asking whether they’re adding to my life or slowly making it feel heavier.
This post contains affiliate links, which means I may receive a small commission, at no cost to you, if you make a purchase through a link. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Here’s How I’m Simplifying My Life in Ways That Seem to Be Having an Impact
1) Less Stuff
Okay, I know I said that simplifying is about more than stuff.
But we had to touch on stuff just a little bit.
About five years ago, my family moved…and then we moved again and again. There were three moves in about three years. During those moves, I became the head of the “we don’t need that” committee.
It was literally insane to me how much stuff we had accumulated. And I cannot remember now what most of it was that I said goodbye to.
So now, I try really hard to keep an eye on how many physical things we have in our home. Not because I am trying to be a minimalist, but because I know how quickly stuff can start requiring my time and attention.
Things need a place, and they need to be tended to. Having an abundance of moving parts is not something I can ignore.
I still buy things, of course. The truth is that decluttering is an ongoing process.
But I’ve become much more aware that the things I bring into our home eventually become things I need to manage. And I don’t want to be the manager of all the things.
Less stuff doesn’t solve everything, but for me, it really does make everyday life feel a little simpler.
Also, my mind is so much less anxious when I don’t have a bunch of stuff sitting around competing for my attention. I swear my kids’ toys taunt me sometimes. Or maybe I have just watched the Toy Story movies a few too many times.
2) Everything Is Not Urgent
I wish there was a magical number of times you could say this and then poof…you believed it wholeheartedly and navigated your life differently from here on out.
No such luck, though.
I can turn almost anything into something that needs to happen right now. Or something that requires me to rush around.
But when everything feels urgent, then nothing is truly urgent. And life can feel frantic, which seems like the opposite of what simplifying is going for.
There will always be things that are somewhat time-sensitive. But most things can wait.
The laundry doesn’t become an emergency because I noticed it. An email doesn’t necessarily require an immediate response. (Those school emails really give it their best shot, though.)
Something I suddenly remembered I need to buy doesn’t mean I stop what I’m doing and order it right this second.
And maybe you are like me and feel like if you don’t do things right away, then you will forget. That’s me all day. That’s where the notes section on my phone or a simple notebook can come in handy.
I’m simply trying to separate the idea this needs to be done from the idea that this needs to be done immediately. Because treating everything like it was high stakes was becoming really exhausting.
3) Spending Less Time on My Phone
We know less time spent on our phones is good for us. But that doesn’t mean we always go with that approach.
I realized what I was saying about screen time and what I was actually doing about screen time were not in sync. Like, not at all.
I could tell myself I wanted to spend less time on my phone, but then I actually had to change something. Words and actions are very different concepts.
And this isn’t just about social media being good or bad. Phones are useful. I use mine for so many things, just as many people do.
This could also relate to just consuming in general.
The convenience of knowing what’s happening at all times is a lot.
I wanted some mental space back.
It wasn’t about removing something from my life, but rather giving fewer things constant access to my attention.
4) Simple Defaults
You know what makes life simple and feel good?
Things that work.
This could be dinners, outfits, or routines. It can relate to anything.
I spent a lot of time making things harder than they needed to be. And that’s not a dig at myself. I think I had been taking in too much outside information and some wires got crossed.
It’s easy to absorb things from the outside and try to make them fit into your life even if you had something going on that was working fine.
Maybe someone else’s morning routine looks amazing. Maybe their meal-planning system is incredibly organized and you feel those pangs of jealousy. And maybe their closet seems to be filled with all the right stuff that you’re sure would make getting dressed a breeze.
But you know what? Sometimes my regular old systems are working, and replacing them is not doing much for me.
There’s this need to optimize every single thing in our lives.
Simple defaults mean fewer decisions, and fewer decisions sound really nice.
5) Embracing Empty Space on the Calendar
This is going to look different for everyone.
Some people might laugh about the idea of any empty space on their calendar. Others might feel like they’ve had their fill of empty space.
For a very long time, I truly believed that busy was better. It somehow made me think I was doing life right.
And this isn’t about sitting around all the time having nothing to do or look forward to.
I like plans. I like having things on the calendar or something fun coming up.
But just because something could fit doesn’t mean it needs to go there.
Empty space gives us somewhere to put life. This also brings up that idea of embracing boredom or downtime.
Open space on a calendar is not a problem to be solved.
6) Enough & Good Enough
The word enough can feel so mysterious. Add good in front of it and it can take on a whole other meaning.
When it comes to enough, I think I almost had to implement a visual tool to help me get there.
For me, that’s a simple to-do list notepad.
Before I started using this, there would be a million different thoughts floating around in my head.
I could do this or this, and oh yeah, don’t forget about that other thing.
And even if I did accomplish quite a bit that day, my brain was a pro at reminding me of something else I could have done.
Writing down a few things that I actually want to or need to accomplish gives “enough” some boundaries.
If I wait until absolutely everything is done before I allow myself to feel finished, I’m never going to feel finished. Or I need to find a creative way to only get two hours of sleep a night.
The idea of enough, and especially good enough, can take over our lives if we don’t find some ways to keep them in check.
7) What Do I Want My Life to Feel Like?
It’s very easy to get stuck in routines or habits and then keep those going because that’s just the way it has been.
Doing things differently sounds great in theory, but it doesn’t just happen overnight.
I have found myself stuck on autopilot at times and not sure how I got there. It’s not like I intentionally switch to that setting.
And honestly, sometimes autopilot seems to help me get things done. But other times, it sort of stops me in my tracks and doesn’t feel good.
Simplifying used to feel like another buzzword that I had to fit into my life in some way.
Now I’m trying to look at it differently.
Instead of asking myself what a simplified life is supposed to look like, I’m asking what I want my own life to feel like.
I always felt like I was doing something wrong in life because the answers weren’t obvious. The fact that I had to put some thought into it made me question things even more.
But questioning things is good. Peeling back the layers and poking around is good.
Maybe I was convinced that simplifying my life should be simple. And this isn’t to say it’s hard beyond belief.
When I stopped trying to label everything or assume things, I was able to actually make some progress.
And it’s surprising what sitting with yourself and your thoughts will do.
Final Thoughts…
Simplifying my life isn’t one big project I’m eventually going to finish.
I’m never going to reach this perfect baseline in any area of my life.
But thankfully, that’s not the goal.
The goal I want to have going forward is not being afraid or too uncomfortable to question things. To dig a little deeper.
To sit with myself and evaluate. And I’m not suggesting you carve out twenty minutes a day for some deep soul-searching.
Although, the insane car line at my daughter’s school does make this very possible for me.
Simplifying my life has become less about finding the perfect system and more about paying attention to the vibe of my everyday life. I’m going to hype up “vibe checks” from here on out.
I’m sure the ways I simplify my life will continue to change as my life changes. And that’s okay.
I’m not a project. Life is not a project.
But I’m also not afraid to go back to the drawing board every now and then to make sure I’m having a good time.
What would you add to this list of how I’m simplifying my life?
You Might Also Like:
Things I Thought Would Completely Change My Life
6 Expectations That Were Making Me Miserable
6 Things I Stopped Believing About a Good Life
How I Started Taking Better Care of Myself (Without Overhauling My Life)
Leave a Reply