The challenge to living simpler is that we have thousands upon thousands of options in every area throughout our daily routines. The 24/7 news cycle and social media only add to this challenge. Food options are also available around the clock. The internet allows us to shop or communicate around the clock; this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The goal of living simpler is not just about focusing on tasks but also about preparation. Get started by thinking about what you can purge from your daily routine. What do you do every day that you don’t need to do? Personally, part of the issue is trying to fit too much into one day rather than spreading out my tasks. That’s another symptom of the news and social media cycle.
We feel the need to buy now, cook now, read now, and travel now. Everything needs to happen right now. The truth is not everything needs to happen right now. Most things can usually wait. To live simpler, we must train our minds not to think about the ten things we are doing to feel accomplished but rather about the one thing that will help us feel productive and refresh and reset us.
We are at our best when we are refreshed. We get more done, we’re kinder to those around us, and our energy is at its best. And guess what? People notice! That’s right.
Must Read: 4 of the Best Keys to Avoiding Burnout
When you are refreshed and your best qualities shine through, people around you will take notice without you saying a word. When we think about what it takes to live, we often think of more complicated things, but being refreshed should be at the top of the list.
Reducing stress can be challenging not because of the practices that help us reduce our stress level but rather because of all those obstacles that are getting in the way of developing healthy habits and practices.
Related Resource: 6 Awesome Stress-Reducing Travel Destinations
Furthermore, what are you doing that stresses you out, and do you know you would be better off removing that activity from your schedule?
Action item: Choose two things today that you will identify to remove from your daily routine, whether it is making task lists, getting on social media, maybe just choosing one type, or shopping, cleaning, or whatever task that could be considered busy work take it out of your routine. We are used to adding things to our routine out of habit but not necessarily out of necessity or what we want to do. Doing more of what we enjoy feels less like work, and we are much more productive and ready to live simpler.
Now that the runway is clear, let’s consider how simple we can make your day. The more you have going on around you, the more opportunity to focus.
Live Simpler Everyday
The best part is that you can repeat these steps daily if necessary. All you need to do is rinse and repeat these steps for results.
Write out the plan for your day.
The practice of writing out your plan puts us in a highly effective space because it instantly creates boundaries around our activity. When we write our plan for the day, we remind ourselves of what’s truly a priority. This prevents unnecessary and draining tasks from entering our daily routine and, ultimately, our daily lives.
The beginnings and ends of our days are especially important. You want to start the day well because our mornings set the tone for the rest of the day. Even when we have the worst days, if the beginning of our day goes well, it will help to endure the remainder of our day. Think about how you can bring yourself joy daily, whether through a podcast, texting or talking with a friend, a conversation with your spouse, or playtime with a pet. We live simpler and better when our mornings go well.
The end of the day is just as important, if not more important. We want to be sure to unpack the day as best we can. Do your best to talk with someone about big issues weighing on your mind and heart. The only thing we should sleep on is a big decision, but even then, we should find someone to talk with so we don’t burden ourselves when we go to sleep. Don’t keep exercising or eating too close to bedtime so your body has a chance to rest.
Set a time to reflect.
If you’re anything like me, you won’t take the time to reflect if you don’t set a time to do it. If remembering to take time for yourself is difficult, try setting the alarm. I know, right? Alarms are for the mornings. But they can also be helpful throughout your day to keep you on task, reducing stress, not just adding to it.
Set a time for anything helpful, whether exercise, breathing, winding down for the night, or anything you feel will add to your ability to live simpler and not take away from it.
Note: If you are planning a wedding, ask your wedding party, bridesmaids, and groomsmen to help out in this area. This can be helpful to you during the difficult planning process, and they will be happy to help in any area you need.
It sounds so simple, but the secret is that we are doing much more by taking time to reflect, just like in our first step. We don’t have to focus on these things, but we intentionally take time for ourselves when we reflect. To live simpler mostly means to provide ourselves with enough space. We relieve stress by evaluating how our day went and allowing space to reveal our emotions.
From there, we allow ourselves to respond accordingly to our emotions. We also get to think about our plan for the next day. So, what does successfully setting a plan to live simpler look like? Well, when we reflect on our day, hopefully, we can think about what we want to write down for our plan the next day.
Another great action item is breathing exercises to help reduce your stress level. Here is a video from Johns Hopkins University with a breathing exercise for you:
That’s it! These two steps will change your daily routine, as hectic as your day may be.
Next, find a time of day that works best for you to implement these steps and live simpler!
Please share these tips with someone who you think might find them helpful. I know they are not the flashiest suggestions, but I can assure you they work from practice! Check this blog regularly for more tips on reducing stress, especially for wedding planning.
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