“The ability to simplify means to eliminate the unnecessary so that the necessary may speak.”
– Hans Hofmann
When we think of simplifying our lives, our first thought usually goes to our closets, our cupboards or our bookshelves. We’ve heard it time and time again: simplify, declutter, get rid of things you don’t need and you’ll have more freedom, be happier and more effective. While simplifying our physical world can help create a sense of ease and space, simplicity can be applied to much more than just our possessions.
The definition of simplicity is “the quality or condition of being easy to understand or do.” Simple, isn’t it? Simplicity simply means easy, non-complex.
With the continual barrage of information and options we are presented with day to day it’s easy to get overwhelmed, take on more than we need to, and to lose sight of our fundamental priorities. The concept of ease may even sound alien but it is attainable and simplicity is the key.
Taking steps to simplify our lives means focusing on the things that really matter and letting go of things that don’t. It means being able to notice and be grateful for the things we have, rather than continually striving for more. Aligning with simplicity brings focus, gratitude, perspective, space, peace, calm, joy and ease.
How do we find simplicity? It starts with making conscious choices about where to put our focus.
Read on for 7 areas of your life to simplify:
#1 – Your Thoughts.
Ever notice your mental to do list chattering on, making it hard to focus and hard to think or let go of thoughts!
Meditation is an excellent way to let go of unwanted thoughts and help create order in your mind. Giving yourself even just a few minutes a day (try setting an alarm for 5-10 mins) to sit quietly and assess what’s in your head, without adding any extra stimuli, will give your brain a chance to catch up.
Journaling is another great way to download excess thoughts from your head. Getting it all out on the page, can help you let go of extra thoughts and create room to breathe.
Concentrated effort on an activity you enjoy or physical activity is also a great way to focus your mind. When we are focused on the present moment and what we are doing, unnecessary thoughts about the past or future take a back seat and become easier to let go of.
Try one of these methods now to check in with your mental storage and see if there’s anything you can clear out and simplify to allow for more presence, focus, and peace in this moment.
#2 – Your Words.
Many of our interpersonal conflicts can be distilled down to one core issue – communication. Clear communication is a challenge for many of us! Especially when we each have our own unique way of communicating and perceiving communication. Simplicity is a powerful tool that can be used to help create more clear and focused communication, resulting in less conflict and more ease. Simplify your words. Really think about what it is you are trying to communicate before speaking and weed out any unnecessary information — get to the root of what you are trying to convey. Checking in with ourselves and our intention before choosing our words, will help to create a clearer, simpler exchange of information.
#3 – Your Actions.
Do you ever feel like you’re running around in circles doing so much but at the end of the day it doesn’t feel like you’ve accomplished much of anything? This may be a result of un-focused actions.
Most of us have been taught that in order to be valuable you need to be productive, causing a lot of our focus to be on doing, doing doing. But what ARE you doing? Is it something that gives your life meaning or has positive repercussions? If the answer is no, then why are you doing it? Simplify your actions.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your to do list or constantly out of energy, take an inventory of everything that you’re doing and simplify it wherever you can. Prioritize and focus on the activities that matter most or reap the greatest rewards.
Remember, you are a human BEing, not a human DOing. When you allow yourself more time and space to just be, rather than engaging in constant activity, the quality of what you do decide to do tends to be richer, more fulfilling and more effective. Do less, be more.
#4 – Your Surroundings.
It’s really hard to think clearly or act simply if your surroundings are bombarding you. Is the physical space around you overflowing with more than you need or can realistically handle? So take charge – clean it up and clear it out! Our homes, our cars, our workspaces, anywhere that we spend a significant amount of time, best serves us when it’s a supportive environment. These physical spaces tend to be a reflection of what’s going on inside us. Take stock of your surroundings and take steps to donate or repurpose anything that you don’t really need. If you need help, ask a friend or hire a professional organizer to help guide you. There’s a wealth of information and resources in books and on the internet. Often our intuition makes a great guide if we just take the time to look around and get real about the things we actually do “need” and what we can live without. Once you start you may find this process easier and easier to achieve and keep up! Happy simplifying!
#5 – Your Feelings.
How often do you stop to ask yourself how you’re really doing? Sometimes, we get so busy that we aren’t even aware of how we’re feeling. Emotions may go unnoticed, lying beneath the surface, influencing our behavior, reactions and mood without us even realizing it. Sometimes, they overwhelm us. Simplicity can help here. Emotions themselves are generally not complicated. It is our disconnection from our emotions which leaves us feeling confused or overwhelmed. Getting in touch with, feeling and releasing our emotions is a healthy practice. Check in with yourself, ask yourself several times a day how you feel and acknowledge your feelings. Once you’ve done this, it will be easier to let go of your feelings rather than stockpiling them for a time that feels “right” to process them, allowing them to get jumbled and overcomplicated in the meantime.
#6 – Your Objectives.
What do you want? What are your goals, dreams, desires, intentions? Often our goals can seem incredibly overwhelming or unattainable. We look at our bucket list or New Year’s resolutions; on a great day they seem totally achievable, but on another day, they may seem impossible.
Simplifying your goals makes them more focused, easier to remember and accomplish. Imagine trying to hit a bullseye when there are so many targets you’re not even sure where to shoot the arrow. If you take a look at your list of objectives, you might find a lot of redundancy. Here’s a few short tips to streamline them.
Look at your list – group like items together into categories. Ex: if you have “exercise more” “eat healthier” “get more sleep” “stop biting my nails” & “get a massage once a month” on your list, these can be distilled down to “Make my health and well-being a priority” or “Treat my body like the treasured temple that it is”. If you focus on that singular intention, then your list of methods towards achieving that goal (and others you may not have even thought of) will follow suit. Let go of the details and focus on the big picture.
Once you’ve eliminated redundancies, get rid of any negatives and shoot for what you really want. Rather than “Try to find a way to stop being so hard on myself and telling myself negative stories” choose the simpler version: “Love and support myself”.
After you’ve done that, if you have a list longer than 3 objectives, choose your top 2 or 3 and focus on those for now. You can always go back and revisit your list later to re-prioritize.
#7 – Your Expectations.
Goals and expectations tend to go hand in hand. Sometimes, we can get off-track about what it is that we really want and our expectations become unreasonable and complicated. It is a healthy practice to let go of expectations. Often, our expectations get in the way of true happiness.
Simplifying your expectations can be achieved by letting go of most of them and then identifying your main expectations. Finally, ask yourself where the need or desire for a certain outcome is coming from?
Much like having a simple goal, having simple expectations means letting go of the details and being realistic. Everything doesn’t need to go exactly as you might expect in order for you to be happy. For example- if your best friend is throwing you a bridal shower, if you expect that there be a certain number of people there, a specific type of food and for the activities to be exactly a certain way, the likelihood of your expectations being met isn’t very high. But if you expect that you will be surrounded by people who care about you and that your best friend is going to do her best (whatever that may look like) to celebrate you, then you’re probably going to be pretty happy with the results. It’s more than likely that you care more about those things than you do the flavor of the cake.
TOP