Simplifying your life is a great way to free your schedule and be less stressed. As I told you in this post one of my goals for 2012 is to be more calm. There are many ways to simplify and different people have different needs to simplify. I can tell you what has worked for me. With us moving around so much I have to keep clutter to a minimum, otherwise it is just more stuff to lugg around and unpack. Here are some great tips that work for our family to streamline your daily life and become more productive and fullfilled.
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1. Get rid of unwanted stuff
Stuff takes up space and takes up your time. You have to find room to store it and then you have to try to remember what you have and where it is. I have been wanting to get rid of that storage room for the past oh, I don't know how many moves. I hung on to a lot of things because I just couldn't bring myself to throw it out or I didn't know where to start. One day I just did it-dove right in and never looked back. Recycle, donate, sell, throw away-your preference. A yard sale is a great way to get rid of unwanted stuff.
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2. Lower your standards
Ouch, that is a tough one for me. I'm still learning that sometimes it can be 'good enough' instead of 'good'. Meaning I don't have to vaccum every day and accept this is a home, not a house. People live here. Sometimes a semi-homemade meal will do or cookies from the bakery. We all want to be perfect, but we don't always have to be.
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3. Pick up around the house daily
A few minutes of daily cleaning will go a long way! I usually pick up in the morning before leaving for work and at night before dinner. It saves you from weekly monster cleanings. By doing so I only have to do a major clean up about once a month.
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4. Ask for help
So simple yet so hard to do for some of us. You will be surprised how easy things get once you have helpers. Ask your family to pitch in cleaning, and ask a friend to bring you back bread when she goes to the store. That way you don't have to run out for one or two items. My neighbour and friend Rita now brings back fresh rolls on Saturday mornings-no need for both of us to head to the same store.
5. Identify what sets you off
Find those things that will drive you crazy if they don't get done, and then make sure these are done first. If you can live with not having the bed made, but can't stand dishes in the sink, then do the dishes and overlook the bed. There are certain things that don't bother me at all, but others will drive me insane. Different for every person.
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6. Plan your meals
Plan your meals on a weekly or monthly basis, depending on how often you go grocery shopping. That way you know what to buy and what to cook. No more guessing what's for dinner at 1800 hours! My DH would ask daily what's on the menu, meal plan implementation has been wonderful for us.
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7. Go electronic&unsubscribe
My inbox had become cluttered on a daily basis with emails from every store I ever bought anything from and from subscriptions to blogs. It was a pain at first, but I simply started to unsubscribe from every email message that came in and within a week or so my inbox was much less cluttered. I started unsubscribing from a lot of mailing lists and blogs, I just felt overwhelmed by trying to read it all.
My home mailbox had become cluttered, too, and I ended up with lot's of paper trash to either shred or recycle. I signed up to have all my documents delivered via email or to just read them at the respective web site. Now I only get the weekly paper and flyers in my box and I can recycle that or reuse it when painting or cleaning.
8. Just say no
Don't take on anything unless you really feel good about or want to do it. Ask yourself what is the price of doing this activity? Will it stress me out or will it take time away from my family? What will I gain from it? Unless you have a good answer, politely decline. Not only will it get easier with time, the same people will also bug you less. My new neighbour used to call me several times a day or come by and wanted me to go to events I had no interest in and didn't fit my schedule. I had to keep telling her no and now she is much less pushy and we can go to an occassional event that we both enjoy.
9. Avoid doing things last minute
Give yourself some room to finish a project - nothing worse than rushing last minute and then something comes up that prevents you from getting it done. Same goes for traveling or commuting places-I always leave early. Simply put my motto is 'get it done while you can'. It has served me well over time.
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10. Have a command center
Self explanatory, right? Yet it is unbelieveable how many people have things gathered at different places around the house. It is much more convinient to have everything in one central location where everyone can access it and knows where it is. While a nice area is great to have for a command center a small space in your kitchen will do. It is all a matter of organization. See the links under the photos for some great examples.
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So, which one will you start today? Linking up here. Until next time,
