(This post was last updated on: 12/24/20.)
Are you looking for ways to get more time in your day? Do you feel burned out and like you can never keep up? We all have so many responsibilities and obligations in life that it can get overwhelming. Have you thought about trying to simplify things? Take back control of your life today with these 5 ways to simplify your life. Live your life the way you want, on your terms, not dictated by how other people think you should be living. Let me show you how to get started.
5 Ways to Simplify Your Life:
1. Automate
Think about all of the things in your life that you are responsible for at home, work, family, etc. You could even keep a running list for one week, similar to a food diary. Write down everything you have to do in one week. Then look at how many of those tasks that you could automate. The easiest example that comes to mind would be to set up as many of your bills on auto draft as possible.
Another example would be to schedule routine appointments for the entire year- Personal- hair, nails, facial, massage, Medical- yearly physicals, vaccinations, eye exams, dental cleanings, Pets- veterinarian check-ups, vaccinations, Car- routine maintenance, oil changes, Home- lawn care, pool cleaning, housekeeping, etc.
There are companies out there that can deliver items to you on a routine basis. I know many times when I check out on Amazon, they ask if I want to subscribe in order to have the item sent to me automatically every so often. Some online shops will also automate mailing you a shipment of pet food or medication as well. So depending on what your specific needs are, you can have supplies that you routinely use, shipped to you on an automatic basis however often you want.
2. Call the Guy
I know this can be a hard one. My husband and I are cheap and he hates hiring people to do projects around the house because, “They will never do it correctly.” I know they won’t but sometimes it’s just so much easier to call the guy. When you live in an old house like we do, something is always breaking and sometimes it’s hard to keep up as one thing breaks after another. So when things get overwhelming, sometimes it’s better to call in reinforcements.
And that’s not always easy. It seems hard to find good, reliable contractors that will show up when they say they will. And then you worry that they are over charging you. But when I look around at unfinished projects, after awhile, sometimes years, you have to realize it won’t get done unless you can find someone with the time to do it. There’s no shame in getting help with those things that you can’t do, don’t know how to do or just don’t want to do.
3. Set up Google Calendar
This has been a game changer for us! It’s a free app that you can use as long as you have a gmail account. It’s been great to set up reminders for important tasks that I need to accomplish. I love that we can have several calendars, one per family member if needed, and anyone can view your calendar that you grant access to.
For family events and trips, I put it on the electronic calendar and send an email invite to whoever I want to know about it. They can then accept the invite so I know they received it and they will receive updates if I change any of the event details. I especially like that anywhere I or my husband go, we always have our phones on us, so we both can easily see what we have scheduled so we never double book ourselves and each other as a couple.
One tip is that I have all of our important dates (birthdays, anniversaries, etc.) on the calendar and they are set up to reoccur on that day every year. Then I set up a reminder one week and one day prior to that event, so I can remember to buy and send out a gift, then I remember to call or text the person on the actual day. No more belated birthday gifts from us! Cause it was getting pretty bad there for awhile.
4. Meal Plan & Grocery Shop Online
Pick one day a week to sit down and write out your meal plan for the week. I usually do this on Sunday and I only plan out dinners for the upcoming week. Then I go into my Walmart grocery app to place my order. I love it! I can grocery shop in about 5 minutes, now that all of my favorite items are stored on my phone. Walmart makes it so easy to place your order, pay online, pick a day/ time to pick up and that’s it, couldn’t be easier.
5. Learn to Say “No”
If you feel that your schedule is always so jammed packed that you have no time to do anything for yourself, you are probably over committing yourself. So this week, your assignment is to look over your weekly calendar and figure out which items are really necessary and are bringing you closer to your goals in life. This is actually my favorite tip out of our list of 5 ways to simplify your life!
The tasks and events on your calendar that you only agreed to do out of feeling an obligation or you secretly hate doing and that do not serve you in a positive way; cancel them. Yup, I said it. Cancel them all. These to-do’s are consuming your very valuable time that could be spent working towards your goals, big or small, or spending more time with family and friends or at the least doing some much overdue self care.
From now on, before you commit to anything ask yourself if this is really serving you, your family and where you want to be in life. If not, just say no. Trust me, the more you do it, the easier it will become. Like any muscle, you have to exercise it and over time it will grow bigger.
What are your favorite tips for simplifying your life? Please share in a comment below. Do you think any of these 5 ways to simplify your life tips will be helpful to you in the upcoming year?
