Nowadays we feel the need to do more and more, to fit in as much as possible. Squeeze everything together. I personally have the feeling that by doing many things in the same time is productive but that is totally wrong. Trying to do everything at once not only burns you out faster but it doesn’t give you the 100% joy in what you are doing. It’s not fun to get caught up in the crazy pace of our culture; instead we have to improve every day little by little, live simple and see where the true value is. So our first step is to:
- Give value to what is valuable for you. Remember what I said to you “valuable to you” nor to your friends or even to your parents.
- Create routines. By creating routines reduces the energy of thinking. It’s a bit hard to create good habits but by the time you create them your life will get easier. It’s like brushing your teeth and having your dinner; you don’t even think about them, you do them automatically. Tip: creating a morning routine is the best you can start with, it will change your life.
- Tidy up. Start by tiding up the space that you spend most of your time. It may be your office, your bedroom, your bathroom or your kitchen. Having everything in place makes everything easier and easy to find. For example how many times have you been in the situation of rushing to go out and trying to find your keys or your wallet? Having a special place for the things you use regularly it will save you time and energy. Then you can tidy each room in your house and especially your wardrobe. Organise the clothes that you have or even get rid of some that you don’t wear. Every day you come into quandary of what to wear to be more attractive, but believe me; you are beautiful whatever you choose. Your feelings are what make you more beautiful, so wear what makes YOU feel good.
- Simplify your decisions. Such as what are you going to wear, where you are going to have your coffee and many other small decisions that we take during the day. A great book that a friend suggested me about making life simple is “the art of simple living“.
- Start giving and I don’t mean money. We can all give something that we have and that’s a bit of our time, energy, a small act of kindness or even a smile. We first have to give in order to receive. By doing these kind of acts, our lives will get better, happier and more simple. This is an example of what happened to me two weeks ago. One early morning I saw my neighbour struggling with her shopping and I offered to give her a hand. It wasn’t something hard to do but a simple question and an act of kindness. I wasn’t expecting anything in return; I just did it because it made me feel good.
- Take breaks. Before you even get tired, take a small break to rest and refresh your mind. Taking often breaks it won’t slow you down; instead it will make you more productive. Breaks are not only for when you are working but for everything in life. I would suggest you to spend some time alone to reflect, think about what you value most in life and to be grateful for what you already have. When you spend time alone you can ask yourself “what is making me anxious or stressing me out?”, “how can I live my life simple and with less distractions?”
- Say NO more often. Saying no to things we don’t really enjoy doing and don’t have the time for, is not bad. Instead of feeling guilty, feel great for showing that you value your time and energy to what truly matters to you. Keeping a balance with your time shows maturity.
These are some of the steps that are helping me, I think they are the most important to live a simple life in my opinion. Feel free to add more tips or actions that you think are necessary in the comments; I would like to know your thoughts.
By living your life simple, I don’t mean to live a poor life or without big expectations; I mean live with less distractions and stress. A simple living makes everything easier, giving you more energy, productivity and focus on the things that matter to you most. Be true to yourself and your values.
Simple life for me means more energy, more life through less decision and less abstraction.
Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated
Live Happy 