Five Tips to Simplify Your Life

Nowadays there is a wave of simplicity overcoming the lifestyles of people in all walks of life. People are growing tired of being controlled by their lifestyle, and are gaining new strength by taking control.

Some of the benefits of this simplicity include less stress, more leisure and family time, improved health and increased happiness. It also feels good just to have control over your own life, and can be fun to come up with new ways to do it.

For someone looking to improve life by simplifying it, here are five ways to simplify that I have found to work for my household.

Clear clutter

This has long been known to reduce stress. It also can save time in the long run with not having to sort through all that clutter just to find something. It can also reduce health hazards (what is it that someone is always tripping over in the basement or garage, yet is never used? Get rid of it). Cleaning out long-unused items from storage closets can also yield a surprising amount of storage space for things that are used. Tips for clearing away clutter can also be found here.

Organize

Once the clutter is gone, then it's time to organize. This, again, can be time-saving, as well as stress-relieving. As the old saying goes, "a place for everything and everything in its place" means never having to waste time or get frustrated with searching for something. Once you're done using something, just get in the habit of putting it back. Being organized also keeps things simple.

Downsize where possible

This doesn't mean sacrifice, as sacrifice can also lead to unhappiness. This does mean to let go of the bigger, better, and likely more expensive version in cases where it will benefit you and your family to do so. This can include doing things such as mowing the lawn with a push mower instead of the more expensive to buy-and-maintain riding lawn mower. Push mowing will also help to improve your health, so it's a win-win situation. There are many areas where downsizing can be quite beneficial, though each individual will need to decide what will work for his or her family's needs.

Work with what you have

Repairing any vehicle that you already own is a much less costly endeavor than purchasing a new one. If your cell phone is still working, sticking with it is much less costly than upgrading every year. Adding more memory to a computer will generally cost around a hundred dollars, as opposed to the five to twelve hundred or more that any new one can cost. This isn't about being cheap, it's about simplifying budgetary means. Once that old one actually dies completely, then it's time to buy one, unless there is a real need to upgrade any sooner. When you do buy, buy a good one.

Reduce debt

Debt can complicate life in many ways. Saving money on expenditures will also allow more for paying down of any debt. In my household, we have also learned pay cash for any necessary major purchases whenever possible. This happens with lump sum income of any type, whether it be large jobs, tax returns, stock dividends, sweepstakes winnings, selling something, or anything else that may come up. This allows more of the regular income to go towards reducing debt in other areas, without any new payments. Yet, we have not been forced to go without these necessities. It also helps when times are tough, as with the current state of the economy when so many are without the work they need to pay for those bills. Currently, other than house payments, everything I own is debt-free.

Keep in mind that these things aren't about being a perfectionist. Simplifying your life means just what it says. Keep it simple. It's a natural way to be.