If you’re like me, then you’re on a journey to simplify. You’d like to spend less time having to make useless decisions, organizing unnecessary items, and carrying out unimportant obligations.
Despite having a strong sense of what I care about and don’t care about, I still spend a good part of my daily life rearranging, organizing, choosing, rescheduling, and planning. And while none of those things are bad per se, I would like my life to be a bit more streamlined. A little less complicated.
But when we think about it, simplicity can be a pretty abstract concept. We might desire simplicity but not know where to start.
In the upcoming weeks, I’ll be sharing a bit more about how I pursue simplicity in various areas of my daily life. And I hope you’ll follow along!
5 Areas of Our Lives That Need Simplicity
1) Our Closets. This includes clothing, accessories, shoes, bags, jewelry and beauty products. I’ll be sharing about my seasonal wardrobe next week, and how we can pare down to the basics and avoid those overflowing drawers or chairs-used-as-extra-coat-racks.
2) Our Food. Go to any supermarket and you’ll see thousands– yes thousands– of packaged food choices. From frozen meals to cereals to canned tomatoes, there’s almost no end to the number of decisions we have to make. Furthermore, read the ingredients list on most of these items and you’ll see much more more than you probably bargained for. I’ll continue to share recipes and methods for eating simple, delicious real food on a daily basis.
3) Our Subscriptions. At one time or another we subscribe to (or follow) various companies, individuals and organizations. But, while our interests change over time, our subscriptions often do not. Let’s think carefully about what is flooding our inboxes, our mailboxes, our news-feeds, and our screens in general.
4) Our Schedules. Yes, most of us have to work, and whether we love our jobs is a conversation for another time. But do our schedules really reflect our priorities? Are we “busy,” but unproductive or totally unhappy?
5) Our Budgets. If we make a list off the top of our heads of the things we need and things we enjoy, it may not be a very long list. But, a look at our credit card records would suggest that there are many other things we’ll spend money on. Simplifying does not necessarily mean being cheap or miserly, but it does mean that our money goes toward things we truly value. I’ll be sharing more about how we budget for necessities, pleasures, and generosity.
What are some areas of your life that you would like to simplify?
