20 Best Ways to Simplify Your Life

Life is constantly pulling us in hundreds of directions! From work and family obligations to keeping the house clean, and even making time for yourself to recharge can feel exhausting and make you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and tired! So how do you find balance? First, you need to simplify your life to focus your time and energy on important moments and people.

But simplifying your life sounds easier than done. That’s why I wanted to share best ways that I use to simplify my life that could benefit you! So, keep reading to discover 20 best ways to simplify your life.

Meal Plan

An easy way to start simplifying your life is to meal plan. Meal planning each week can not only help you know what’s going to be on the dinner menu, but it also helps you from stopping at fast food places. Before going to the store, consider what your family likes to eat regularly and write down all the items you need. And if you are trying a new recipe, have that recipe printed out with the ingredients you need, and you don’t need to worry about searching your browsing history to find it.

Here’s a great read to help you start meal planning today, 14 Meal Prep Best Practices

Keep Your House Tidy and Picked Up

When you are busy, it can feel impossible to have a clean home; clothes pile up, dishes are uncleaned in the sink, and kids’ belongings start to feel like they are taking over every aspect of your home.

If your home feels unorganized, so do you. Picking up and tidying your house can help you simply not only your life but also your mind can start feeling at peace. Having your family focus on tidying certain rooms daily for 15 to 20 minutes can help your house get clean and stay clean.

Optimize Your Time

I’m sure you have heard the old saying, “Everyone has the same 24 hours in the day.” While this is true, how you spend your time can make your life easier or make it more difficult. That is why you need to optimize your time and find ways to be more productive.

This means waking up earlier so you have time for yourself before your family starts their day. I’ve also found that being intentional about how you spend your day and prioritizing what’s important can make you feel like you have more hours in the day.

Create a Morning Routine

You must create a morning routine if you dread getting out of bed in the morning. Creating a morning routine that you love can help you get excited about waking up, and it can help you set your day up for success.

For example, my morning routine consists of journaling, praying, reading, working out, and eating a healthy breakfast. Your morning routine should have essential activities and help you stay focused and grounded on why you do what you do. Remember when creating your morning routine that it shouldn’t feel like a chore to get through but something you want to do!

Get Serious About Your Health and Fitness

Your health is the most important thing to you. So getting serious about your health and fitness is necessary if you want to simplify your life. But many times, when people want to get serious about their health and wellness, they create unrealistic goals and then feel disappointed when they cannot keep up with them. That’s why you must focus on finding simple and realistic ways to incorporate healthy eating and fitness into your everyday routine.

For some people, it could look like walking the dog for 20 minutes a day and cutting back on the number of sweets you bring into the house. For others, doing an exercise class and investing in meal kits could be better. There is no right or wrong way to stay healthy and active!

Here’s a great workout to help you get started! Morning Workout Routine, 7 Daily Moves to Tone Up

Keep Your Finances in Check

Finance is a topic that can stress out even the calmest of people, so it is crucial to keep your finances in check- especially when you want to simplify your life. Every household needs to put together a monthly budget so you can tell your money where to go instead of wondering where it went.

Now, especially since we are heading into a recession, you want to plan to save more and come up with creative ways to diversify your income. When you have more than one income stream, you are putting yourself into a better position just in case one source of income fails.

Delegate Chores and Housework

When you are running a household, it can feel like you have to do everything by yourself. But this is not true! The best way to simplify your life is to delegate chores and housework by involving your family. By creating a master plan for your house, you can establish simple routines that involve the whole family.

For example, you and your family can work on certain sections of the house for a few minutes daily to help keep your home clean year-round. Also, think about delegating significant responsibilities that take up time. For example, hiring people to mow the yard, handle dry cleaning, and do the house’s deep cleaning can help you get back time in your day.

Establish an Evening Routine

Earlier, we discussed the importance of a morning routine, but establishing an evening routine is one of the best ways to simplify your life.  Likewise, an evening routine can help you prepare for the next day and give you time to unwind and relax before bed.

In addition, putting together a routine that you love before bedtime can help clear your mind of stressors and help remind you of the important moments of your day.

Organize Your Closet and Clothes

I cannot be the only person who has looked at their overstuffed closet and thought, I have nothing to wear. And if you have ever been in that position, then I’m here to tell you that you need to organize your clothes and closet. Organizing my closet was a great way to simplify my life since I knew what clothes I had.

When cleaning out your closet, go through each piece you have and only keep the items you love. Then before each week, plan out your outfits in advance by setting them aside and style them with the accessories you want to wear. I promise this will save you so much time in the morning!

Say No and Own it!

One of the best practices I used to help simplify my life was to say no and not go back on my word. So, I’m here to tell you that you can say no to things that aren’t important to you or your family.

If someone asks you to volunteer for something you generally do not want to do or have the time for, just gently but firmly say that it will not fit your schedule. Remember, at the end of the day, you know what is best for your time, and do not feel bad for making a choice that is prioritizing you and your family.

Get Rid of Paper Clutter

Paper clutter is one of the easiest messes that can pile up in your house without warning. Paper clutter happens throughout the house, from papers your children bring home, bills, magazines, and work items. To simplify your life, you must go through your paper clutter and see what you don’t need.

For example, shred old bills that you have paid for, cancel magazine subscriptions you don’t need, and set up a filing system so you can sort your essential papers.

Clear Your Mind

It doesn’t matter how clean and organized your house is; if you do not have a clear mind, you will never have a simple, peaceful life. One technique I use to help clear my mind is getting a journal and doing a brain dump.

Getting all the tasks and thoughts you’ve been thinking about onto paper can help you see what is essential and what was taking up mental space. Additionally, you can set up small goals, and action plans to achieve your dreams using your journal.

If you’re looking for more inspiration on journaling, read my Bible Journaling How-To With These 7 Tips

Make Self Care a Priority

When you are so focused on everything and everyone else, it can be easy to forget to prioritize yourself. That’s why you need to make sure to make self-care a priority.

Self-care can look different for everybody. But whether you journal, take a long bath, go for a walk, or pamper yourself by getting your nails done, you need to find time to remind yourself that you are important and you are allowed to put yourself first now and then. I recommend that once a week, you need to make yourself a priority and focus on your self-care!

Get Organized

If you truly want to simplify your life, you must get organized and stop going with the flow. Getting organized can take time, but trust me, it is worth it! First, you must prepare and make plans for all areas of your life to be prepared when something pops up.

Organize your home, finances, kids’ schedules, work, and anything else that consumes much of your time. Next, talk to your partner about organizing everything so you can divide and tackle these tasks based on your strengths. Then after you get organized, stay organized. I’ve learned that staying organized will help you simplify your life in ways you can’t imagine!

Rest!

Something that many people forget that can help simplify their lives. In my household, one of the things we talk about often in our house is having a place of rest; mentally, physically, and emotionally. We all need to be able to quiet our minds, turn off our phones, find rest to be present, and enjoy important moments and relationships.

We try as a family to actively take an afternoon or a full day each week to rest and recharge. Our bodies cannot run properly if we have overdone it daily, so listen to your body and allow it to rest and recharge.

Manage Expectations

When you are surrounded by social media posts, books, and magazines about living and having a perfect life and home, it can be hard not to compare yourself to others and start to feel like you are not good enough.

If you genuinely want to live a simple life, you must stop comparing yourself to others. You need to be realistic about what is real and what is just made and edited for social media. Focus on your priorities and what is important to you and your family.

Develop Better Relationships

If you truly want to simplify your life, you need to develop better relationships and focus on the people who matter to you. Of course, there are friendships that you will want to put your time and energy towards.

But you also need to be honest and look at the relationships that are not worth keeping. You need to eliminate and “break up” with toxic and negative people bringing you down and not worth your time.

Make a Daily Routine

Creating a daily routine is a must-have when you are simplifying your life. Before each day, make a list of everything you need to do and prioritize what needs to get done asap. Then you can time-block and plan a routine that will help keep you on track.

Some people might find that planning out every hour of their day is beneficial, while others might need to focus on the big picture items of their day—either way, you need to get intentional about your time and make your time work for you.

Cut Down Screen Time

Devices are everywhere nowadays. Though it has made our life better in many ways, it has also taken over our free time. To simplify your life, you need to cut down on screen time.

I’m not saying that you can never watch your favorite T.V show again or scroll through Pinterest. But I am saying be mindful of your daily time on your devices. When you cut down on screen time, you are allowing yourself to live in the moment and focus on important things for you.

Clean Your Purse

Cleaning out and organizing your purse is a great way to simplify your life. Only put things back in your purse you know you constantly need.

Also, when putting items back into your bag, do not put in any heavy items! You will find running errands when your purse is cleaned and organized can make shopping easier and help your neck and shoulder feel better when it is not as heavy.

Gain Your Life Back

If you are at a crossroads and you are starting to simplify your life, take your time. You don’t need to start all of these suggestions at once.

Instead, I recommend taking one or two at a time, so you do not feel overwhelmed and over time incorporate some or all of these 20 best ways to simplify your life in your daily routine.

If you end up using any of my tips, leave a comment below or tag us on social media @ourfarmerhouse

XO,