Anyone else feeling overwhelmed lately? Glad it’s not just me! I needed a reminder to slow down, so last month I sat down with a pen and paper to come up with a plan to simplify my life. Here is what I have implemented and it has worked “swimmingly”, so I can spend more time at the pool! I hope some of these tips (or all of them) help you, as well!
Limit your options. Particularly in your closet - having 15 shirts to select from instead of 50 will seriously cut down on the time it takes to pick out an outfit each morning. Same goes for your shoes, purses, jewelry, etc. Consider moving anything you don’t love or doesn’t fit (you OR your season of life) out of your closet. You can store the items you remove in a secondary area (ideally a labeled bin with a lid) or donate them.
Practice saying no. As a people pleaser, this is something I have struggled with my whole life and it has often landed me in situations where I was committed to a responsibility long-term that I never really wanted to do in the first place. Practicing how to tactfully say no has been a game-changer. Instead of immediately saying yes, try responding with “I will think about it and let you know.” Or if you know you don’t want to do it or don’t have the time, consider saying something like this: “Unfortunately, I don’t have the bandwidth at this time, but if that changes, I will let you know.”
Here’s my solution to the “what are we having for dinner” conundrum. Pick 20 meals that you know how to make really well and just rotate them. No one has the energy to learn a new recipe every evening, so give yourself permission to just stick with what you know. Grab a calendar or lined sheet of paper and jot down those 20 meals, including side items and the corresponding date… then on line 21, just repeat that list.
Only have things you regularly use in your primary space, removing the backups and extras. Example: your office desk. You don’t need 100 pens in your desk drawer or overflowing the pen holder on your desk. Pick your 5-8 favorite writing instruments and move the rest to a secondary area (cabinet or backstock drawer). Or better yet - declutter the rest, knowing that pens are easy and inexpensive to obtain if you run out. You can apply this strategy to your closet, pantry, kitchen cabinets, bathroom counter, etc.
Unsubscribe from emails! Sifting through endless emails every day is tiresome and can result in missing something important if you don’t regularly go through them. Set a timer for 10 minutes and unsubscribe from every sender in your inbox that you don’t regularly open or read. For marketing emails - you can almost always find their info online if you need it and there is always the option to re-subscribe. You can also look into Unroll.me, a free service that allows you to easily unsubscribe or “rollup” emails.