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Spring is coming and you know what that means: spring cleaning time!
People usually spring clean their homes around this time, but what about the rest of our lives? Our relationships, goals, time, etc. We can declutter and clean those areas of our lives too!
As someone who has major anxiety struggles, simplicity is important to me.
But even if you don’t have anxiety, simplicity is a good thing. It means less stress, less overwhelm, and more happiness.
When you declutter your life, you’ll be able to focus more on what matters to you. Whether that’s your family, your goals, your hobbies, or whatever brings you happiness.
Getting rid of both physical and mental clutter can create a sense of calm in your mind and your soul. It just makes life so much more simple and more enjoyable.
So, here are 15 ways to simplify and declutter your life!
Declutter your environment:
1) Eliminate paper clutter. I feel like we all have paper clutter – or at least I do. Go through all of your papers and decide what needs to be thrown away, shredded, or saved. For all of the things that you need to save, create some sort of filing system. And go paperless with anything that you’re able to, to save yourself from future paper clutter!
2) Use the “4-box” method for your possessions. Fewer possessions = a simpler life. And one of the easiest ways I’ve found for decluttering your home is the 4-box method. You find 4 empty boxes and label them: one for things you’re keeping, one for things you’re selling or donating, one for things you’re throwing away, and one for things you need to store. You can find a more detailed article all about it right here!
3) Shop less. As I said above, owning fewer possessions means living a simpler life. So this is important if you’re someone who tends to do a lot of shopping and purchase a bunch of stuff that you don’t actually need or maybe even want. Of course, going on a shopping spree is fun once in a while. But overall, try to stick to a general rule of only purchasing items that you actually need.
You might like – Spring Cleaning: 50 Things to Get Rid of Today
Declutter your time:
4) Get clear on your priorities. It’s important to have clear priorities in life. This will allow you to have a better idea of what is worth your time, what’s important to you, what you’re working for, etc. So set yourself clear and simple goals, learn what your top priorities are, and try to spend your time on activities that align with your priorities and get you closer to those goals. Create daily to-do lists so you know what you want to spend your time on, too!
5) Create schedules and routines. Having some sort of schedule or routine in your life allows you to make sure that you’re spending your time wisely and it also simplifies your time and your life in general. I know it’s not always possible to stick to an exact schedule, but I’m saying that some sort of routine can be a definite stress reliever. Even if it’s just a simple morning and nighttime routine, or just a work routine!
6) Reduce your commitments. One huge way that many people make their life more difficult is by signing up to do more than they should. It’s good to help people out but you don’t need to say yes to everything. A helpful question to ask yourself when you’re making a time commitment is, do the benefits of doing this thing outweigh the stress and time I put into it? If the answer is mostly a no, then you should probably say no to that opportunity next time. Try to stick to commitments that align with your priorities and goals.
7) Don’t multitask. For very few people, multitasking works. But for the majority of us, no matter how much we try to convince ourselves otherwise, multitasking isn’t good. Switching your attention back and forth between multiple tasks causes your brain to have to refocus every time. You end up spending more time on those 2+ tasks than you would’ve if you just focused on one at a time. Sometimes multitasking works, like when you’re listening to a podcast while washing dishes. But for the most part, it’s good to focus on just one task at a time and then move on!
Declutter your digital life:
8) Clean up your inbox. Having a messy inbox was such an annoyance to me until I finally cleaned it up. Every time I was waiting for an important email, I would have 100 random subscriptions filling up my folder. It made it impossible to find anything important. So, unsubscribe to anything that you’re not interested in and make your inbox a happier place. You can unsubscribe from each email individually or you can use a service like Leave Me Alone.
9) Purge files and apps. Our phones and computers can gather up digital clutter quickly. Photos, apps, messages, files. Go through everything and delete what you don’t or need. Find somewhere to store important photos that you want to keep but don’t actually need on your device. Delete apps that you never use. You get the idea!
10) Unfollow and unsubscribe. When we open an app, wouldn’t it be nice if we only saw things that we actually were interested in? It would make life happier and more simple. So, unsubscribe or unfollow anyone/anything that you aren’t actually interested in. This goes for social media, YouTube, podcast apps, and everything. It will make your digital life more simple!
11) Take breaks from social media. So many of us spend way too much time on social media and I’ll be the first to admit that I’m guilty of this too. Don’t get me wrong, I know that social media is a great way to connect with new people, keep up with loved ones we don’t see very often, etc. But it can also cause us to feel envious, depressed, and insecure. There’s no reason to spend hours on it every day. If you want more extra free time, try to create a designated time for social media every day.
Other ways to declutter your life:
12) Let go of toxic people. Whether it’s a friend who is always bringing you down or a family member who’s constantly judging your choices, toxic people can cause a lot of emotional baggage. I know it’s not always possible to completely cut ties with people in life, but you should at least limit the time you spend on them.
13) Take control of your finances. I’ve had my fair share of money struggles, so I get how hard this one can be. But taking control of your finances can be one of the biggest ways to simplify and declutter your life. Figure out a debt payoff plan, create a monthly budget, find a good side hustle, or do whatever you need to do to gain better control of your financial situation.
14) Get rid of bad mental habits. Bad mental habits can weigh us down a lot, so you need to deal with them as soon as you can. So if you’re dwelling on the past too much, find a way to get over it. If you’re constantly thinking negative thoughts, learn to flip them around. If you notice you have a bad mental habit, do some research and figure out how to get rid of it.
15) Buy a slow cooker. Okay, so this is less of a general tip and more of my personal opinion, haha. But getting a slow cooker was a life-changer for me. On busy days, it’s nice to come home to a meal waiting for you so you don’t have to spend forever in the kitchen. Plus, there are so many yummy and healthy slow cooker recipes out there. It was definitely something that simplified my life!
Is there anything you need to do in order to declutter your life? Let’s chat in the comments!
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