5 Things You Can Do to Simplify Your Life Right Now

by Amanda Abella on January 3, 2011 · 1 Comment

Image via euart @ Flickr

On a recent post I described what some of my goals were for 2011. These goals included blogging, my side business, and continuing to put my finances in order. What I forgot to mention was that I would also be trying to simplify my life.

You are probably scratching your head wondering what I mean by that. To put it simply (no pun intended), I will strive to minimize the excess in my life. This mostly includes excess spending and material things, but I also strive to simplify other aspects of my life, such as relationships and project management.

I have been frazzled for far too long, which has only been fueled by the fact that I am trying to run my own business. And while I have made tremendous strides in simplicity, like giving away half my clothes and not spending so much money bar hopping, I feel like I still have a lot to learn.

The Benefits of Simplifying Your Life

Who wouldn’t want to take things from complex to simple? Simplicity not only makes our lives easier, it also opens the door for creation, peace, and believe it or not happiness. When we have less stuff to worry about, we have more time to do what we love and significantly less stress.

The small changes I have made to my life have actually helped. I am much more organized, I mostly stick to what I am supposed to do on any given day, and there is certainly much less drama if any at all. I hope to continue on this path and see what other aspects of my life will be positively affected by moving toward simplicity.

5 Things You Can Do to Simplify Your Life Right Now

1. Donate clothes that you don’t need.

The number one place where many of us have become hoarders is in our own closets. How many of us have all this excess clothes that we don’t use? How long has something that doesn’t fit you been sitting in your closet?

Now is as good a time as any to look through your closet and donate anything that you don’t need.

2. Close your eyes and breathe.

Try to close your eyes and focus on your breath. Whenever your mind starts to wonder just remind yourself to focus on your breathing. I sometimes count as a way of reminding myself what I am supposed to be paying attention to, however eventually I hope that I won’t even need to start to do that.

Taking simple breaks like these will greatly improve your outlook and recharge you.

3. Avoid buying new stuff.

Up until recently I suffered from what I like to call “Ooooh Shiny!” syndrome. That is to say, if I saw something that I liked and I happened to have enough funds, I would buy it.

Big mistake. Before I knew it I had a ton of crap all over the place and I didn’t even know where it had all come from.

If you ever find yourself on the verge of buying something new step back, count to ten, and then ask yourself if you actually need it. This will subdue any impulse you may have of buying something new (and possibly racking up debt) and give you a chance to reevaluate.

4. Organize your desk.

My home office used to look like a hurricane had come through. I had papers everywhere, notes scribbled on random notepads, electronics in varying places, and I couldn’t even see my desk. Now I have reduced my office to two TV dinner tables, one for my laptop and the other for my desk organizer. This has proven to be very effective as now I know where everything is.

5. Clear Your Inbox

This is a personal favorite. I used to be one of those people who never deleted anything in my inbox for fear of losing something important. What ended up happening was that I would end up being bombarded with a myriad of emails every time I opened my inbox.

Not too long ago I decided to go through it and see what I actually needed. Turns out most of the emails in my inbox were either subscriptions, random emails from friends and family, and marketing. Needless to say I deleted all of those.

As for emails I actually needed, like receipts or payment agreements from clients, I now clip them to Evernote or Archive them so that they does not clutter up my inbox.

More on Simplifying Your Life

Check out some of these great articles and blog posts about the benefits of simplifying your life.

Zen Habits – Simplify, and Savor Life

Becoming Minimalist – The Freedom of Less

Miss Minimalist – The Minsumer Movement: A Quiet Revolution

Mnmlist – Minimalist Facts

Far Beyond the Stars – Free e-book: Minimalist Workday: 50 Strategies for Working Less

Amanda Abella

Amanda Abella is a freelance writer and language instructor based out of Miami, Florida. She has been writing professionally since 2009 and holds a degree in English Literature from Ave Maria University. Amanda Abella is available for freelance work, why not hire her?

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