5 (simple) ways to simplify your life

Sometimes we make our lives more complicated than need be, which can cause chronic overwhelm! Simplifying is one way to increase your happiness, decrease stress and enhance your overall well-being.

I’ve included five of the many ways that you can simplify your daily life.

1. Say no to things you really don’t want to do. When you do things that feel heavy to you, you also bring that energy (even unconsciously) with you when you go. Be mindful of when you want to say "no" in the first place. Saying no to the unwanted event or task allows you say yes to something else that will help you feel lighter, without the resentment.

2.  Declutter.  One of my favorite strategy here is the “touch it once “ concept. When I receive ”junk” mail, I like to put it straight in the recycle. The same can go with opening mail right away and recycling the envelopes. I have opted out of major coupons, ad flyers, newspaper mailings and catalogs to help decrease the amount of unwanted / unsolicited mail in the first place. Our external environment has a great deal of impact on how we feel.

3.  Spend consciously. If you’re buying clothes, only buy if they make you feel amazing and fabulous. Don’t buy things when you don’t love them (or they’re not functional) just because they’re on sale. You’ll only have to deal with them later and make the decision again at some point weather to keep it or not. On a similar note, you don’t have to accept all free stuff from festivals, fairs and the like, simply because it’s free.

4. Group “like” tasks together.  I find this helpful to simplify my schedule and the overall feel of my days, although keep in mind you have to do what works well for you. While we cannot necessarily compartmentalize our whole lives, it is often helpful for me to lump together office time, creation time, client time, etc. It takes more time and energy for me to continually switch gears throughout the day and multitasking can limit productivity and efficiency. My days seem to flow a little better when I have time carved out for “like” tasks together.

5.  Be present and listen to what your body needs. This is all about prevention. If you’re body is whispering (or screaming) that it needs some down time, slow down when you need to slow down, or else your body will force you to do so! Doing what you can to prevent stress, illness and overwhelm will help simplify and increase your overall quality of your life.

These are just some of ways to simplify. What has helped you simplify YOUR life?  Please share your hacks in the comments below!