Complicated makes for an interesting TV drama, but it’s not so great for your day-to-day. We thrive with stability and routine. Sure, it might sound boring. However, if you’re struggling with motivation, productivity, or just moving forward in life, the first place you should be looking is how to simplify things.
I love simplifying things. It makes life easier, more predictable, and more manageable. And who doesn’t need some of that these days?
It also makes it possible to take on my big goals. If my life is streamlined, then I have more space for taking on (and accomplishing) big projects, spending time with family, and trying new things.
These are the five rules I live by to create a life, not only worth living, but also capable of living freely.
1. Stop buying things.
This is a standard rule. The more things you buy, the more things you have, which means you’ll have more things around. Crammed closets. Overstuffed drawers. Storage spaces that no longer have room for anything.
This unnecessarily overcomplicates things. It’s just stuff. More stuff to keep track of and more stuff you have to take care of. There’s a reason that minimalism has caught on so strongly over the years. It’s because it brings a peace of mind. It’s much simpler to have everything on your phone instead of trying to figure out what’s been transferred to your laptop. Or is it on the desktop? Maybe it’s only on the iPad? You get the point.
When you decide not to buy, you save money and sanity. In addition, committing to using things to their full extent before getting more is not just friendly for your mental health and wallet, but also the environment.
2. Say “no” to clutter.
Clutter is suffocating. It suffocates your creativity and critical thinking more than anything. While it may feel easier to plop things down wherever and walk away, it’s actually simpler to put everything back into its respected place.
Aim to keep your home clutter-free by spending 10 minutes every day clearing your space. Make your bed. Toss things you don’t need (trash, mail, old food). Put away papers. Put items back where they’re meant to be, such as books back in the bookcase and plates back into the cupboard. You’d be surprised how little time it takes to declutter and it’s worth it.
I love simplifying things. It makes life easier, more predictable, and more manageable. And who doesn't need some of that these days? Click To Tweet3. Detox your relationships.
You know what’s complicated? Toxic relationships. You can read more here specifically about purging toxic relationships. The gist is to let those relationships go.
It may difficult to even pinpoint at first which relationships are toxic and which aren’t, especially if you’re used to a high volume of toxicity. The most essential question you can ask yourself is “Does this person help me feel good about myself?” If not, or if you have to think about it for awhile, it’s probably a toxic relationship.
You don’t have time for other people’s bullshit. You have goals. You have dreams. You’re trying to move forward with your life and become a better person every step of the way. There’s no space for people who aren’t on your team and are trying to undermine those efforts. It makes everything feel harder than what it is. So, let go of people who aren’t cheering for you.
4. Cook for yourself.
There’s many, many benefits of cooking for yourself. You don’t have to be a Michelin chef in order to accomplish this. For the most part, people stick to the same 12 ingredients for everything. It’s routine. It’s easy. It’s simple. This is what you want.
By streamlining breakfast, lunch, and dinner, you free up a lot of time, stress, and energy. If you’re struggling to get on track with your own routine, try searching out cookbooks that match your palette. Simple does not have to mean bland.
5. Swear off drama.
This goes with point #3, but more in-depth. We love drama. You can see it in our Netflix suggestions. However entertaining it is on the big screen, it doesn’t translate the same in real life. In reality, drama is exhausting.
What if you just have a dramatic life? No. No one happens upon a dramatic life. Yes, life itself can be quite dramatic. But our reactions do not have to be dramatic, as well.
Choose responding over reacting. This means instead of making a decision out of panic, take your time to weigh your options. Use your critical thinking abilities to make a thoughtful decision.
Otherwise to minimize drama in your life is to say “no” to triangulation (aka “he said” “she said”, just go straight to the person and discuss), decide your life is your own, and stop trying to be a savior/martyr/hapless victim/any other position that projects your baggage onto others.
Harsh? Maybe. Effective? Incredibly.
If you got value out of this post, I would love if you shared it with someone you think would value it, too.
Simone says
Loved reading this!
Sofia Battaglia says
Thank you so much! I hope it helped!
Nathalie says
Full disclaimer: I will never stop buying things and I don’t want to 😊
However, I totally relate to your pursuit of simplicity. I spent so many years in toxic relationships and in drama, thinking that it meant passion and true love and true life. Now I finally learned that it just meant toxicity, and that we can only be truly happy when things are simple, when we can breathe.
Sofia Battaglia says
Love never means disrespect. Such a hard, but important lesson to learn!