“As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness.”~ Henry David Thoreau
Sometimes life can feel chaotic. Dealing with the everyday stressors can make us feel like we need to make changes. I felt this way, and decided to make changes. I learned of some ways to simplify my life in order to be more productive. Here are some of them.
8 Effective Ways to Simplify Your Life and Make It Less Stressful
Planning your life the night before relieves stress and gives you direction for the upcoming day.
Creating a to-do list can keep you on track for your goals, increases productivity, and improves memory. I love keeping a planner and putting my priorities in it to reduce anxiety and know what to focus on the next day. A to-do list is a great and simple way to accomplish your goals.
Every now and then, I believe everyone should reevaluate and ask themselves “What is really important to me?”
Whether it’s your personal life, your career, your wellbeing, etc., it’s important to know what you value the most and to follow that daily. I like to review my priorities daily to make sure I am not straying away from what matters to me most
3. Finding a place for everything (declutter your space).
A messy area is equivalent to a messy mind. It’s important to keep a clean area and get rid of junk that no longer serves you. It can be trash, old clothes, or anything you don’t use anymore. After you declutter your space, it’s important to reorganize your area by having designed areas for your belongings.
When I started to incorporate this tip into my life, I noticed that my mind felt clear. Not only did I mentally feel better, but also physically I felt better as well. It was also easier for me to find things that I needed, now that I had a designed area for it. Life became much simpler once I decluttered my area.
4. Keeping your word.
One of the greatest values a person can possess is integrity. One of the quickest ways to lose respect as a person is to not keep your word. If you say you will do something, keep your word.
It’s that simple.
I learned that it’s better to be silent than to open my mouth and say something I don’t mean.
5. Make time to do things you enjoy.
Life shouldn’t always be serious. It can be easy to get lost in the responsibilities of adulthood, such as paying bills, providing for family, and accomplishing goals. We tend to forget that life isn’t all about paying bills. We must not forget that we are here to enjoy life as well.
I am getting back to doing things I enjoyed as a child. I listen to old songs I liked while in public school, playing more basketball, and reconnecting with some old friends. Everyone is different, but make time after work to do things that you enjoy doing. By doing this, you will experience more joy and peace within your life.
I will admit. I am the biggest fan of Twitter. I will spend many hours on that app and lose track of the day if I let myself. However, I noticed that whenever I did that, I felt bad about myself. I felt unproductive, ashamed, and lacked self-confidence because of it.
I recently began a social media fast, particularly from Instagram and Twitter (since that’s the two social media apps I spend the most time on.) I can tell you that I am much more productive since going on this fast. I am more in tune with myself and learn more about myself daily.
This is an area that I still struggle with currently, especially with my loved ones. Nobody likes to disappoint the people they love or let them down. Because of that, we say yes to everything they ask of us to do. Even if you just cannot help them, you still go out your way to find someone who can. This can lead to exhaustion, and even future disappointment.
When you learn to say no, you build your self-esteem back up. You learn that you don’t need to go out of your way to help people. If you really can’t help someone with something, that is ok. Don’t feel bad about it.
It seems like both gossiping and complaining are the norm in today’s society. How often do you get around people who are either talking about someone’s business, or always talking about the bad in their own lives? Being around this energy constantly is a fast way to drain you of your energy.
I practice no gossip or complaining. I learned that doing both is really a waste of time. Minding my business not only brings peace, but it helps simplify your life. I also learned that if you have energy to complain about something you don’t like, you have the energy to change it. If you can’t change the thing you’re complaining about, then you shouldn’t worry about it.
Here are my ways of how I simplified my life. Have you tried any of these tips? If so, let me know how they worked for you. If you know of any additional ways you used to simplify your life, feel free to let me know.
