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Simplifying isn’t necessarily a new topic, but it seems to be all the rage right now. With the viral popularity of Marie Kondo’s book, “The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up”, everyone is trying to get back to basics in multiple areas of their lives.
You need to ACT: assess your situation, commit to a plan, take action (being disorganized actually costs you! Think of how many pairs of black shoes you have or how many jars of poultry seasoning you have in your kitchen!). Consider what you want, when you want to achieve that goal, and what you’re willing to do to get it.
When you remove the unnecessary clutter – both literally and internally – you’ll be able to better focus on what’s really important: making memories with friends and family. Today we’ll look at how to simplify your life in some of the most important areas: food, work, cleaning, organization, parenting, health & money.
7 Simple Ways to Simplify Your Life
Simplified Food
* Cook once, eat twice: make meat in the crock pot to eat for dinner that night and then use in another meal later in the week
* Try sheet pan suppers – cooking your entire meal on a sheet pan in the oven
* Buy produce in bulk, eating it fresh early in the week and freezing as soon as you get home to use later
Simplified Work
* Ask for a raise/opportunity to work from home (70% of people get raises/ 0% lose money)
* Designate certain times of day to answer email/phone calls
* Only touch papers once
Simplified Parenting
* Reduce screen time and encourage kids to get outside to stimulate creativity and problem solving
* Set aside seasons where there are not multiple activities going on at one time
* Agree on one afternoon/night per week for family time without technology
Simplified Cleaning
* Clean more at once: use cold water so you don’t have to worry about separating
* Use less products that actually do more (multi-purpose cleaners)
* Keep ALL cleaning products in one area, not spread out around the house
Simplified Organization
* organizing requires you to think about what’s most important to you – what you really love and want – and then making decisions based on that knowledge
* Set up bins: Keep, Toss, Sell, Store Somewhere Else
* Organize shelves & hangers from back to front (or labels/hangers backwards). If something is not facing the proper way or makes it up to the front after 3 months, time to get rid of it.
Simplified Health
* start every morning with some sort of movement (even if just a few deep breaths)
* Fill your kitchen with real food that mirror the colors of the rainbow
* Focus on adding positive behaviors rather than removing negative behaviors
* Practice daily moments of gratitude
Simplified Spending
* Set up direct deposit for income and direct pay for bills (bank account)
* Eliminate unnecessary credit cards & accounts (you know all of us have signed up for a random credit card for a freebie in a moment of weakness)
* Separate your money into two buckets: daily lifestyle & debt payback/wealth building
“With patience, perseverance and a little know-how, you can accomplish anything!” ~ Organizing plain and simple
Don’t forget that once you simplify and get back all that time and get rid of all that stuff, you’ll want to cash in on those treasures you don’t need or at least donate it to a good cause.
Watch my TV segment on the same topic from Talk of the Town:
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