7 Tips to live more simply
By Ilana Trombly – Most of us find simple living to be appealing. We’d love to focus on what we care about, leave behind what we don’t while freeing up time and space and energy. We’d love to have more time for our families and other loved ones and freedom to pursue our interests and passion.
It all sounds great in theory, but putting it into practice can be difficult.
Here are 7 practices that I have found invaluable towards this journey.
- Everything has a place
If an object has value in your life, find it a home in your home. Preferably where it will get the most use. You’ll always know where to return it to and you’ll always know where to find it when you’re looking for it. It’s home will clarify its function and frequency of use to you. If you struggle to give it a home, this is a major clue that you don’t need or use it. This is also great for clutter control and simplifies the task of cleaning.
- Wait before you buy
Build in a waiting period when you want to buy something. 48 hours is good, a week may be better – it kinds of depends on you. The idea here is that it eliminates impulse purchases and you may actually discover you don’t need the thing you thought you did or that you have found a solution to the problem using things you already own. Of course, if you’ve waited and still want the thing, you’ve decided that it is worth your time and money. You may have even thought about where you will put it (because everything has a place in your home).
- One in, one out
If something comes in to your life, it is the perfect time to usher something else out. If you apply this rule strictly, you may never aquire more things than you currently own, but I wouldn’t sweat that hard over it (that might take the joy from your journey). Just ask yourself: is this thing replacing something I already own? Evaluate whether the thing you already have really needs replacing. Sometimes, it won’t be a direct replacement. Say, for instance, you buy a tablet and you know that you can get a Kindle app on it. This might be a great time to share your wealth and gift or sell off the dedicated Kindle reader.
- Focus on what you’ll keep (not what you’re getting rid of)
You can forever be weeding things out if you’re not careful. And focusing on what to get rid of puts a negetive slant on the experience of simplifying. If instead, you focus on what you’re most passionate about and what is supportive to what you want to do, the excess is easier to spot and easier to part with.
- Become a pro at saying “no”
Everything you choose to do saps your vital resources. You may enjoy doing it and feel the activity has value, but even in this scenario, you will need to rest and recoup. So, practice saying “no” to anything that you can safely say “no” to. Whether it is an unwanted task or activity, whether it is freebies or junk mail, whatever it is that lacks value to you or leaves you too exhausted. Save your energy for those things you want to say “yes” to.
- Set limits
The word “limit” can seem so unappealing. So … limited. Limits can actually be quite freeing though. This insight has changed my world. For example, if you were preparing to travel, the size of your suitcase sets a cap on the number of jeans you’d be willing to take. Three pairs of jeans might seem excessive. Not only would you feel abundant with your jean-collection, but you’d consider weeding one or two from your travel wardrobe. When you’re at home, a large closet may make that same pile of jeans seem meager and dissapointing. Instead of weeding, you might rush off to the nearest department store to rectify your feeling of lack. We can be our own suitcases. We can choose to feel abundant by deciding that we want less than we could possibly have.
- Tidy as you go
No one likes to clean. I have two young boys and a husband so I get quadruple cleaning duty most of the time. I clean every day. And actually, the more you keep up with the cleaning the easier the tasks become. Don’t believe me? Ever try to clean a blender with 2-day-old smoothie residue all over it? If you’re instead cleaning while you’re cooking, grabbing something on your way up the stairs, or going through the mail as you take it in from the mailbox, you won’t allow tasks to build up into monstrous weekend chores. But if you can only do one thing differently, clean in the kitchen while you cook. You’re stuck in there anyway keeping watch over your dinner and if there is one area in the house where cleanliness has the greatest impact, it’s there.
I invite you to try these tips in your personal pursuit of simplicity. My hope for you is that they allow you to focus on what fuels your fire.