Life is crazy. There is so much going on all the time it is easy to get overwhelmed or burnt out.
I was in the constant roller coaster of doing everything all the time to completely crashing. And the crashes were rough and led to a lot of wasted time. I knew it wasn’t a sustainable way to live life.
Through reading, studying, and watching others I started to uncover how people were doing it all. They broke it down to a simple life.
As I came across practices of others, I would adapt them to what would work for me and my life.
It wasn’t always enjoyable to make the changes and it certainly wasn’t easy. But, I would never go back.
Simplifying your life doesn’t have to mean you get rid of all of your belongings and live in a stark white house. You can certainly do that but its not the only way.
Always remember that your life is your own. You should always create your own vision of what you want it to look like. No matter what that vision is I truly believe there is no downside to simplifying the way you live.
That doesn’t mean you stop doing all of the things you like. But it does mean doing them in an intentional and smart way.
This was my focus as I started on my path to simplify my life. Through my journey I adopted 5 habits to help simplify my life.
5 Habits that Simplified My Life
Deciding ahead of time
I decide ahead of time for things I am doing like what I will eat and what I will wear. This takes away the drama of having to decide in the moment. I don’t have to give thought to my food for the day because I already decided at least 24 hours in advance what I will be eating.
This takes time to practice and build up to. You truly have to honor what you decide for it to be effective. When I was building up to wearing what I picked out I would put together outfits for the whole week. From those I could choose what I would wear each day. Eventually, I would assign an outfit for each day and that is what I would wear.
I also decide ahead of time what I want to think and feel about certain situations. There are times where you know you are going to experience or go through something before it actually happens. At those times you can decide ahead of time what you want to think and feel.
This could be when I am going to attend a family gathering and can expect a certain family member to make comments. Or when I am choosing to exercise and know that I’m not going to be thrilled about it. I get to make it mean whatever I want.
When you decide ahead of time how you want to think and feel you don’t have to react in the moment. You are prepared.
Resources – How Your Thoughts Create Your Feelings
Scheduling my Free Time
I actually schedule all of my time but scheduling my free time was really impactful on the rest of my time. I can focus on the task at hand knowing that I will also have time to relax and do what I want.
Many people think of scheduling their time as restrictive. I find it to be freeing. I don’t have to worry about when things will get done. I always know what to work on and where to be. Things don’t end up on the back burner because they have a place on my calendar.
The mind space you can get back and put towards other things is worth the scheduling.
Resources –
The Ultimate Productivity Guide (Free Download)
How I Get Up at 4AM Everyday (Blog Post)
Instantly Get More Time (Blog Post)
Minding my own business
No else’s feelings are any of my business. I cannot make someone feel a certain way. Trying to control what other people think and feel is futile. Yet so many of us will try to do just that.
By truly understanding that I can’t control how anyone else feels (even though it would be nice) I can focus on what I want to do and how it makes me feel. This allows me to not have unnecessary negative emotions.
This also means that I don’t spend time comparing myself to where others are in their life. Their story is not my story. There is no benchmark that says where you have to be in your life. You can’t fall behind and you don’t have to “catch up”. Comparison can be an instant dream killer.
Resource –
How to Stop Worrying About Everything (Blog Post)
Compare and Despair (Blog Post)
Waiting 3 Days
For bigger decisions or impulse situation in my life I have a 3-day waiting period. This works especially well with shopping.
When I am online shopping, I will leave the items in my cart for 3 days. By day 3 you’ve already forgotten about it or you very clearly still want it.
Decisions that will have a big impact on my life I will use this for as well. Waiting three days gives me time to process the decision. These decisions can make you feel uncomfortable which is why you want to make one to make that feeling stop. Instead of processing the decision fully you are trying to get away from the discomfort without looking at what the whole impact will be.
If, you already have to sit with it for three days
Resource – The Power of Your Thoughts
Living Intentionally
Intentional living has let me narrow my focus to only what will support my vision of an ideal life. There is an easy five step process that I follow to create an intentional live. This means eliminating anything that wouldn’t get me to that place.
I have simplified my life to only doing actions that will create a life better than I could have imagined. My schedule is tailored to my goals and not my in the moment wants. This habit alone will dramatically change the way you live your life.
Resources –
How to Live Intentionally (Video Masterclass)
What is Intentional Living (Blog Post)
How to Live Intentionally (Blog Post)
10 Habits of Intentional Living (Blog Post)
11 Intentional Living Quotes (Blog Post & Printables)
Final Note –
I never suggest trying to completely overhaul your life at once. If, you are on a journey to simplify your life then pick one habit you want to adopt. Once you have fully implemented that one move on to the next.
Enjoy the process of creating an enjoyable life there is no rush to get to the finish line.
Resources –
Complimentary Coaching Consult (work with me)
How to Live Intentionally (Video Masterclass)
4 Ways to Simplify Your Life & Stop Wasting Your Energy (Blog Post)
