Simplify your life

 

To live a more peaceful and stress-free life, and to clarify what really matters in my life, I began the process of simplifying my life.

This journey, that I find super exciting, started last year when I discovered “The Life-Changing Magic of Tying Up” by Marie Kondo, or as most people refer to it: The KonMari Method.

It made me change my perspective – putting less focus on the things I own in my life, and a bigger focus on how I want to live my life.

Though I’m just in the beginning and still have a long way ahead of me, I decided to share my notes, tips and guidelines I try to follow to declutter my physical space as well as my mental space.

Some of the ideas I’ll mention here will be further broken down in separate posts, to keep this one’s length reasonable.

 

Find your “Why” & Visualize your Destination

The first important step you shouldn’t skip is to ask yourself why you made the decision to take on this journey and try to visualize the ideal lifestyle you dream of.

In my case, I want to stop being overwhelmed by the amount of unnecessary stuff in my life and I want to know exactly what I own or what is missing.

Also, as we are expecting a little addition to our family, we are preparing to move to a bigger apartment, so I don’t want to drag unnecessary things to our new home, especially with a baby in the picture.

I want our home to be clutter-free and consist only from the items we love, a place we can relax after a long day and enjoy ourselves.

 

De-Clutter & Organize your Physical Space

I’ve always had this hobbit to clean when I feel stressed.

Cluttered space can be a huge obstacle while trying to deal with a cluttered mind that overwhelmed with thoughts and struggling with all sort of feelings.

Reducing clutter feels absolutely freeing.

Something to keep in mind when it comes to our belongings is to only surround ourselves with what we use, what we need, and what we love – Ditch what isn’t useful, valuable, or meaningful for you.

Also, decluttering can get overwhelming if you just jump into it. Instead, plan your progress, and maybe use KonMari Tidying Order to do so.

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Declutter & Organize your Digital Space

We live in a digital world, so naturally, a huge part of our life is sitting in our computers and stored on the internet, which creates a digital clutter.

Make a plan to reduce this clutter from your life.

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Brain Dump

Your brain is not meant to hold all your tasks, projects and ideas and keeping it all up in there will quickly make you feel overwhelmed.

Once a week, brain dump every single thing on your mind to a trusted system.

Make it into a hobbit.

You’ll be amazed by the refreshing feeling you get after completing it.

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Organize your Goals & Make them S.M.A.R.T

Make a list of the things that you want to accomplish in your life, your big goals.

Make them Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Timely.

To not overwhelm yourself, make sure you prioritize your goals by choosing the ones which will make the biggest positive impact in your life first.

Pick your top 1 to 3 goals, and focus only on them. When you finish one, add another from your list.

Organize your goals in a way that will help you to actually get them done.

Break down each of these big goals into actionable steps, i.e. create a small tasks list, and tackle each task one by one. Do something every day from this list, it will help you keep your personal momentum moving towards achieving your goals.

Ultimately, the key to achieving your goals is to constantly review them.

Throughout the year, set regular dates, which can be weekly, monthly or even quarterly, with a clean schedule, when you’ll sit down and review your goals.

 

Evaluate your Commitments & Learn when to say No

Most of us have their days filled with commitments and all sorts of events, which sometimes we take out of feeling guilty from saying ‘No’.

A busy schedule can lead to a stressful day which can lead to a stressful life.

Learn when you need to say no, and release yourself from time-consuming activities that are not in line with your interests and goals in life.

 

Show Gratitude & Practice Being Present

At the end of each day, take a few minutes to mentally run back over your day and bring into focus the moments that meant something to you, big ones or small ones, and write out 3 simple things that you are grateful for that day.

Keeping a log of all the things you are grateful for slowly conditions your mind to constantly think about the things that are going well in your life rather than dwelling on negative thoughts.

 

Create your Happy List

Knowing the little things that make you smile, will help you understand what really makes you happy and lights you up.

It can also be a great resource for those times you feel a little down to help lift your spirit up.

 

Practise Self-Care every day

Taking time to do something you love might be exactly what you need in order to go through a stressful day.

To live a more fulfilling and happy life, incorporate little self-care habits into your daily life.

Don’t feel guilty or selfish for taking the time to yourself, and remember, before we can help others, we need to help ourselves first.

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“Do something today that your future self will thank you for.”