1. Watch less TV & movies
This is one area that I know I'm extremely terrible at. In fact it's one of my 101 list tasks! I always like to have some sound playing in the background but tend to find myself getting distracted when it's a screen instead of something like music. Americans watch just over 35 hours of TV a week or 77 days a year!!! 77 days a year?! That's 20% of the year. Not getting dragged into the screen will help you not only simplify but focus yourself this year.
2. Declutter your life
Having piles of stuff around you can be extremely stressful. I know that with the holidays we were just piling things in the living room and kitchen. Last week I had a bit of a freak out because it just stressed me out to have so much stuff everywhere.
Take some time to get rid of extra stuff you're not using. I took some time to go through all of my make up and body products. There is so much that I haven't even used and it's just taking up all sorts of space in our cabinets. Do you have an area of your life that could use some decluttering? By making sure you're not bringing new clutter into your life you'll keep things simply as well as saving money!
3. Stop multi-tasking
We rush through life and have the tendency to multitask in order to speed through tasks. For many people it's actually counterproductive to multitask. The act of switching tasks throws them off so they end up spending even more time switching than it would if they just did one at a time. Even if you are a fast multitasker I find that multitasking doesn't allow for completing the task to it's best or sometimes getting all the tasks finished. By focusing on a single task and fully completing each task in front of you will help you better focus on the ways to simplify your life.
3. Stop subscribing
The phenomenon of subscriptions has really exploded over the past five years. You can subscribe to things like from TV to beauty products to even your nightly meals and literally everything in between. If I had to guess I'd say that the average person probably has at least 10-12 different subscriptions at once. Take time and audit all of your subscriptions. Does that box of goodies just end up tucked into your cabinet and you never use it? Or are you so excited to enjoy that scrapbook subscription box you make the layouts the same day? Work on cancelling some of your subscriptions and simplify. You might find that you're still subscribed to and paying for things you didn't even remember and don't even use.
4. Have a budget
Not knowing where your money is going every month can be extremely stressful and complicated. You're always worried about how much you spent eating out but you don't know how much you actually spent. You don't know where you money is even going. Kevin and I are still working on our budgeting but it's made a huge difference in how I feel about our finances. I don't feel that overwhelmed, out of control feeling.
5. Work on contentment
In this shiny perfect social media world it's really easy to feel less than. This is something I know I struggle with and am actively working on. Finding the ability to be content and not let what's happening in others lives affect you will simplify your life so much. You'll find you don't spend so much time focusing on silly things and focused on what's important to you and your life.
6. Become debt free
Kevin and I are debt free except for our mortgage! We started Financial Peace University earlier in the spring and really committed to being free from all of our consumer debt. Taking away those payments, which can be extremely stressful, will simplify not only your budgeting but also your finances. You're able to focus your attention on the good part of your finances like building your retirement.
7. Organize your life
Being unorganized is probably the most stressful area of this list for me. When things are unorganized I waste time trying to find them, sometimes waste money having to buy new ones and just gets me ridiculously stressed.
When you let being unorganized get the best of you it can lead to you loosing not just basic items but important items like important papers or even money. Working together with getting organized and decluttering can lead to stress free days. Don't forget to keep your schedule organized as well, if you're a planner person use it! Make sure to add reminders as well whether it's digital with your phone or even post it notes all over the house.
8. Use social media less
Have you ever found yourself saying you'll check Facebook for a couple of minutes than half an hour later you look up and realize you haven't gotten anything done. Plus you've been playing the comparison game and are now feeling down on yourself. That's why cutting back on social media in 2020 will be a huge time and stress saver. Maybe make a point of only going on those websites on your computer for a certain time each day.
9. Say no
One doesn't always think about their time commitments when it comes to simplifying. This past year I made a point to step back from some of the involvements I was in so I could stop spreading my time thin. Is there something in your life that takes up time that you really wish you had said no to? That might be something you'll want to take of your plate. Focus on what you truly want to spend your time on in 2020 so you can simplify your life.
Thanks so much for stopping by! You can also join me on Instagram, Twitter, and Pinterest. In addition to life-capades and doing it for yourself, I love all things 'real life' so use the hashtag #museumfanatic on social media so I can see your beautiful unstaged life. Oh and on the top of the side bar to your right, you can follow me on Bloglovin or on social media to be alerted to each new post!
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