Life can be complicated — it always seems like there is a trade-off. If you’re keeping up with work, then your home’s a mess.
If you’re socializing with friends, you have no time for yourself. Where do you start when you want to simplify your life?
SIMPLIFY YOUR RELATIONSHIPS
Strained relationships increase the risk of internal inflammation, which can lead to cardiovascular disease, diabetes, dementia and arthritis.
How to simplify:
1. Write a list of pros and cons of negative relationships and set boundaries. If you establish a person whose cons outweigh the pros, limit your time with them. Set a goal of not contacting them for three months and see how you feel after.
2. Write a list of supportive people in your life and reach out to them. This includes people you currently stay in contact with and those who you wish to reconnect with. Send them a Facebook message asking them how they are and what they’ve been up to.
3. Schedule time in your calendar to call friends and family. Use the opportunity to catch-up and plan activities together. Over the phone is good, but face-to-face is better.
SIMPLIFY YOUR WORK LIFE
Nearly two thirds of employees feel overwhelmed at work and are often distracted. Some check their phones up to 150 times per day.
How to simplify:
1. List everything you need to do, pick the three most important and do them first. This will help you focus on prioritizing urgent tasks.
2. If you can finish something in two minutes, do it right away. This can help you avoid procrastinating and making small tasks into long, drawn-out tasks.
3. Start saying no to extra work when you don’t have the time. Be honest and straightforward. Explain that you already have projects you’re working on and cannot take on anything else at the moment.
SIMPLIFY YOUR HOME
Personal possessions can build up quickly and fill your home with clutter, causing you to have negative feelings about your house and your ability to keep things organized.
How to simplify:
1. Choose items you want to keep and discard the rest. Hold an item in your hands and ask yourself if it brings you joy. If the answer is yes, it stays. If the answer is no, get rid of it.
2. Organize your home by category, not by room. Organizing by room simply shuffles items from one location to another. Start with your clothes, followed by books, papers, small and sentimental items.
3. Wait four days to buy something after you see it.
By day four, you will probably have forgotten about the item and no longer want to purchase it.
SIMPLIFY YOUR MIND
When you’re anxious, your mind puts your body in a constant “fight or flight” mode, causing elevated blood pressure, a depressed immune system and even depression.
How to simplify:
1. Take a short walk in the mornings or evenings. When we walk, jog or run, our brain releases neurons that reduce anxiety. Walking in the morning sets you up for the day, while in the evening it can help you process events that happened.
2. Write down three things every evening that went well and explain why. Those who practice this experience a continual boost in happiness.
3. Download “Headspace” and practice 10 minutes of guided meditation every day. Studies have shown meditation improves our ability to regulate emotions in the brain. Using an app to guide you through will keep it easy and simple.
Still don't know where to start simplifying your life? Take the quiz from NetCredit on https://www.netcredit.com/blog/how-to-simplify-your-life/
Marilyn is a freelance writer and digital nomad currently living in rainy yet wonderful London. She writes (and reads!) about personal growth, productivity in the workplace, self improvement, and the importance of work/life balance and how to achieve it.