Simplifying your life doesn’t have to be complicated!

Do you find yourself yearning for the days when life was simpler? We understand! There definitely were some advantages to those times. We found ourselves talking about that exact idea recently. How ironic it was when we learned that the first week in August is “National Simplify Your Life Week”. The purpose of the week is devoted to helping free us all from physical and psychological clutter.

The concept of ‘simplifying’ your life doesn’t have to be complicated. In fact, we teach people how to simplify and declutter. But, sometimes when you’re busy and living in it, you get so used to it that you don’t even see it. Recently, we were out of town for an extended period. When we came home, we saw our home with ‘fresh eyes’. We couldn’t believe all the ‘clutter’. Maybe when people were encouraged to stay home, you used that time to simplify and declutter. If so, congratulations!

For us, we realized we needed to get working on the physical clutter, so we would again enjoy our surroundings. When we did a little research on ‘simplify your life’ we learned that millions of people were also interested in the topic. We see that some people are taking big actions to simplify their lives by getting away from cities and moving to small towns. Others, like us, are looking to simplify life in their present environments. It’s good to know we aren’t alone.

A great way to simplify is to declutter. It’s been shown that physical clutter can contribute to feelings of overwhelm and keep people stuck. Whether you fully realize it or not, your environment affects you both physically and mentally.

So, let’s see what we can do to move forward to feel calmer and have a more simplified life. Barbara Hemphill, author of Less Clutter More Life said, “Clutter is postponed decisions.” Here are some ways that may help you to make those decisions needed to declutter and simplify.

Start by deciding to clean up spaces that you use most often. To avoid feeling overwhelmed and to get some momentum, start with an area that you can organize in a short time. We learned that people can lose 12 days of the year looking for things they can’t find. It’s easier to find what you need when it’s in a specified, convenient place. A clean space not only frees up the space, it also frees up the mind to be more organized, efficient, and able to start and progress on projects. People are more creative when they feel in control of their space.

Getting rid of items that have sentimental value can be difficult. In these cases, Marie Kondo author of Tidying Up with Marie Kondo, suggests that you take everything out of a closet. Next, touch the item and see if it sparks joy for you. If not, sell it, or donate it so it can go to someone else who will enjoy it.

Is it just us, or does paper clutter seem to multiply overnight? Paper and digital clutter, such as email, needs to be viewed, organized and cleaned out where necessary.

Now let’s declutter the mind. Decluttering the mind happens by stopping negative thoughts and replacing them with positive ones. You may say that’s easier said than done, but this actually does get easier with practice. Ask yourself if the thought serves you well or not. If not, stop those bad thoughts because negative thinking grows as you replay it. Also, how about letting go of unforgiveness and guilt from the past that clutters your mind and affects how you feel.

Decluttering and simplifying your life may also include getting rid of toxic people in your life who are always negative and drain your energy. This doesn’t mean ignoring someone if they’re going through tough times, but it does mean setting boundaries for yourself so you stay emotionally healthy. And add positive people who give you energy and help you stay balanced.

Another area that you might not think of decluttering and simplifying, is the area of finances. It may mean creating a budget and doing online automatic bill paying. These strategies can end up saving you time and money as well, by avoiding any late fees .

What about you? As Julianna Poplin says, “Clutter is the excess that stands between you and your beautifully simplified life”. Remember, simplifying your life doesn’t have to be complicated. We’ll certainly be working on decluttering our home. If you see areas of your life that need attention, we encourage you to use the strategies suggested so you also can enjoy your decluttered and simplified life even more.

Chanhassen MN residents, Doug and Lynn Nodland are success coaches and owners of The Balance Center in Excelsior. Contact them at WeCare@SharingLifesLessons.com

© Doug and Lynn Nodland 2022 Articles and videos may be shared in their entirety with attribution.