The ancient Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu wrote, “When you realize there is nothing lacking, the whole world belongs to you.”
Making life simple doesn’t mean you have to throw away all of your earthly possessions and move out to the middle of nowhere (unless you really want to). It simply means getting back to the basics of life in order to get rid of unnecessary clutter and stress, so you can focus on more important things like your family and the environment.
Here are 5 easy ways to help keep things simple:
1. Develop a Morning Routine
Today is the first day of the rest of your life. By developing a positive morning routine, you can set a positive tone for the rest of your day.
Try getting up a little earlier in the morning to reflect on all of the things you are thankful for before heading out into the world.
The benefit: You’ll be more calm and peaceful throughout your day.
2. Be Proactive
By being proactive about things like cleaning and getting rid of old or unused items around the house, you can avoid unnecessary clutter, which will in turn make your life simpler.
Try cleaning as you go. Wash your dishes as soon as you’re done with them; take out the garbage as soon as the bag is full; and if you bring home a new object, make an effort to get rid of (or store) another old or unused object around the house.
The benefit: You’ll save time on chores, and you’ll have less clutter!
3. Stay Offline When Possible
I know, with how important technology has become, sometimes it’s difficult to put down the smartphone or close that laptop. But at the end of the day, those are just distractions.
Try turning off the phones during family dinners, and shutting down your laptop if it’s after work hours.
The benefit: You’ll actually be in the moment, and by being present with your loved ones, you will increase communication and help build your relationship with the people you care about.
4. Make Time for Nature
Sometimes, it’s easy to forget that there’s a whole beautiful world outside of our homes and offices. If you take the time to witness the simplicity of nature, it may inspire you to try and simplify the things in your own life.
Try taking a walk through a nearby park if you’re spending too much time indoors.
The benefit: Research shows that spending time in nature and breathing in fresh air can help increase your energy, boost your immune system and even spark creativity!
5. Make a Small, Conscious Change Each Day
Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your new simple life won’t be built in a day either. If you want to simplify your life, you’ll have to take baby steps that will develop into life-changing habits.
Try making easy changes that could help you improve your health, like taking the stairs instead of the elevator, or avoiding products with chemicals that are toxic to your family and the environment.
The benefit: Your small, conscious choices will help instill a sense of confidence that will allow you to make other life changes, and dare you take on bigger challenges in your life as well.
What tips can you share to help simplify life? Please feel free to share in the comment section below!
More Resources:
Ideal Living: National Simplify Life Week
Be More With Less: 7 Ways to Simplify Your Life
EcoSalon: 11 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life Today
Huffington Post: Why Getting Fresh Air Is So Good For You
I love #5 because it seems as I achieve one small step my eyes are opened to the many other steps I can take to simplify and improve the health of my home and family. But it’s those intentional steps taken daily that really lead to lasting change.
thanks Ginger, it IS that small change that really does add up.
I live off grid and have no running water or electricity and have an outhouse.You don’t know how much you don’t need.If I want WIFI I volunteer at my local library once a week or go to McDonald’s for coffee and WiFi.My partner and I shower with 5gallons of water and I wash my hair(down to my butt) and he makes sure it rinses good.
Love these!! Even on days when I can’t get outside I still look out the window and really take a good look at the trees, flowers, plants or creatures, reflecting on the changes, growth and beauty. It helps to calm me down and make me more aware.
Nature is such a healer..healer of negative thoughts. When we observe God’s creation, we are thankful.
#3 is hard for me and a lot of others I know. But if I would only do that, all the others will come much easier.
I am going to work on the daily schedule getting up in the morning, relaxing with my devotions and then hitting my tasks of the day one at a time instead of all at once. I need to have a list and finish one thing at a time.
Lynn Crane, If that’s your goal you should definitely pick up the book by Hal Elrod called “The Miracle Morning – The not-so-obvious secret guaranteed to transform your life before 8:00 AM”. It has changed hundreds of thousands of people’s lives! They have a Facebook Group page too: The Miracle Morning Community. I hope to see you there! It’s fun and uplifting! 🙂
Thanks for sharing that Nicole…will be checking that out.
These are all great. I find that using the word rhythm rather than routine is helpful to me. And – while the morning rhythm is KEY, having daily, weekly, monthly and annual rhythms helps support the kind of life our family wants to live. Thanks for this post!
i like the idea of using the word rhythm vs. routine.
Good idea! Routine sounds very mundane. Rhythm sounds like picking favorite music and dancing into your morning or day or week. And looking back over the year’s calendar may help me understand some of my own subtle annual rhythms. Thanks for posting, Carrie, even if the post is quite old.
Great list Amy. I think my favorite is number 2 – be more proactive. That can really make the bigger chores seem that much easier. Nice site, by the way. I started mine to help combat air pollution.
If I compare my life pre Norwex to they way we live now, I am so pleased with all the changes we have made. One conscious step at a time. Everything from reducing chemicals and the use of plastic, to composting, container gardening and living with less ‘stuff’. I also really agree with making time for nature.
Great ideas to live by!
I need to work on my morning routine.
I love the idea of starting my day by being grateful. Really joy comes through being grateful. What a great way to also end your day, being grateful for all the good that has come our way.
This makes me think of the 40 bags in 40 days challenge. I can easily rid my house of 40 bags of things I never use!
Share your appreciations with others – there is so much power and positive energy in it!
I think I need to be proactice more, the rest of the list I think I’m doing ok. That’s a great list. I too can’t believe how much has changed for me and my house since finding Norwex!
🙂
🙂 I guess I’m still a work in progress!
Thankfulness is truly the key to a satisfying and full life! 🙂
I am in the process of listing EVERY SINGLE ITEM I OWN in an effort to really drive home how much I own, and how much I need (or rather, don’t need!)
This is great! #3 is definitely a struggle!!
Good article.
These 5 things are so true!! I really need to make it a point everyday to follow all of these to help reduce anxiety and to feel overall better having 1 year old twins 🙂