10 Simple Ways to Find Balance and Get Your Life Back. Part II

 

21. Spend Time Alone

Alone time is good for you, although some people aren’t comfortable with it. It could take practice getting used to the quiet, and making room for your inner voice. It sounds new-agey, but it’s extremely calming. And this quiet is necessary for finding out what’s important to you.

22. Eat Slowly

If you cram your food down your throat, you are not only missing out on the great taste of the food, but you are not eating healthy. Slow down to lose weight, improve digestion, and enjoy life more.

23. Drive Slowly

Most people rush through traffic, honking and getting angry and frustrated and stressed out, and endangering themselves and others in the meantime. Driving slower is not only safer, but it is better on your fuel bill, and can be incredibly peaceful.

24. Be Present

These two words can make a huge difference when you want to simplify your life. Living here and now, in the moment, keeps you aware of life, of what is going on around you and within you. It does wonders for your sanity.

25. Streamline Your Life

Many times we live with unplanned, complex systems in our lives because we haven’t given them much thought. Instead, focus on one system at a time (your laundry system, your errands system, your paperwork system, your email system, etc.) and try to make it simplified, efficient, and written. Then, stick to it. 

26. Create a Simple Paperwork System

If you don’t have a system, this stuff will pile up. A simple organization system will keep everything in order and simplify your life.

27. Create a Simple System for Housework

Another example of a simple system is clean-as-you-go with a burst.

28. Clear Your Desk

If you have a cluttered desk, it can be distracting and stressful. A clear desk, however, is only a couple of simple habits away.

29. Establish Routines

The key to keeping your life simple is to create simple routines.

30. Keep Your Email Inbox Empty

Is your email inbox overflowing with new and read messages? Do the messages just keep piling up? If so, you’re normal — but you could be more efficient, and your email life could be simplified with a few simple steps.

31. Learn to Live Frugally

Living frugally means buying less, wanting less, and leaving less of a footprint on the earth. It’s directly related to simplicity.

32. Go Minimalist

A minimalist house has what is necessary, and not much else, so it’s a great place to start to simplify your life. It’s also extremely peaceful (not to mention easy to clean). You can find ways to be minimalist in other areas of your life, as well. 

33. Consider a Smaller Home

If you rid your home of stuff, you might find you don’t need so much space. If you can be comfortable in a smaller home, it will not only be less expensive, but easier to maintain, and it will greatly simplify your life.

34. Consider a Smaller Car

This is a big move, but if you have a large car or SUV, you may not really need something that big. It’s more expensive, uses more gas, is harder to maintain, and harder to park. Simplify your life with less car.

You don’t need to go tiny, especially if you have a family, but try to find as small a car as can fit you or your family comfortably.

35. Learn What “Enough” Is

Our materialistic society today is about getting more and more, with no end in sight. Sure, you can get the latest gadget, and more clothes and shoes, but when will you have enough? Most people don’t know, and thus they keep buying more. It’s a never-ending cycle.

Get off the cycle by figuring out how much is enough, and then stop when you get there.

36. Create a Weekly Dinner Menu

If figuring out what’s for dinner is a nightly stressor for you or your family, consider creating a weekly meal plan. Decide on a week’s worth of simple dinners, set a specific dinner for each night of the week, and go grocery shopping for the ingredients.

Now you know what’s for dinner each night, and you have all the ingredients necessary. No need for difficult recipes — find ones that can be done in 10-15 minutes (or less).

37. Eat Healthy

It might not be obvious how eating healthy relates to simplicity, but think about the opposite: if you eat fatty, greasy, salty, sugary, fried foods all the time, you are sure to have higher medical needs over the long term.

We could be talking years from now, but imagine frequent doctor visits, hospitalization, going to the pharmacist, getting therapy, having surgery, taking insulin shots… you get the idea. Being unhealthy is complicated. Eating healthy simplifies all of that greatly over the long term.

38. Exercise

This goes along the same lines as eating healthy, as it works to simplify your life in the long run, but it goes even further: exercise helps burn off stress and makes you feel better.

39. Declutter Before Organizing

Many people make the mistake of taking a cluttered desk, filing cabinet or closet, and trying to organize it. Unfortunately, that’s not only hard to do, but it keeps things complicated. Simplify the process by getting rid of as much of the junk as possible, and then organizing. If you declutter enough, you won’t need to organize at all.

40. Have a Place for Everything

Age-old advice, but it’s the best advice on keeping things organized after you declutter.

Source: https://bit.ly/2Xp0KmC

The author Leo Babauta is a professional writer and blogs about goals, habits, productivity, GTD, simplifying and more