It’s common for clients to come into my office and tell me how they just want peace and simplicity in their lives. They are tired of the daily grind.
When clients share how they want to simplify, I challenge them and ask “What steps have been taken towards simplification?”. Often their faces become blank. And that is how I decipher whether or not they have come to vent their frustrations or ask for my advice.
And hey, there is nothing wrong with venting. It is a way of releasing built-up low-frequency energy that is weighing you down, and that is a great ROI for the cash you hand over to your therapist. You will likely live a few more years healthier and happier because of it.
But for those who genuinely want advice and not just vent, I share my advice or steps towards gaining simplicity.
These clients are aware that they were happiest when they had the least.
So let’s talk about simplifying your life which will no doubt bring you more peace.
Here are some suggestions that come to mind:
| 1. | When online shopping, place it in your cart, but don’t buy it. Shut down the browser and leave it for a few days. If it turns out that after some time, if you actually need it, you will return to the cart. In my own experience, 80% of the time I come back, see it in my cart and think “ How did that get there?” |
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2. |
Do a bi-annual (May and September) clothes donation/purge. The more often you do this, the more often you realise you wear the same two pairs of pants, same 5 shirts, 3 pairs of underwear, 3 shirts, 2 sweaters, and 2 pairs of socks. You get my point. |
| 3. | Build the smallest kitchen with zero cupboard space and tiniest bit of counter space to avoid the ‘next best gadget’ that will save you hours of prep time. And it turns out that when you do this, your arms get some nice muscular definition. Bonus! |
| 4. | Keep your fridge looking like a pandemic hit and all grocery stores were shut down for days. When I stay in Europe, and open up my host’s fridge (which is half the size of mine) it is normally empty. Yet miraculously, I eat gourmet meals during my stay. Hint: Frozen, canned produce or fish, or non-perishable goods like rice, pasta and potatoes, and the occasional piece of meat, along with spices, herbs, and simple oils and vinegars, can make delicious meals. |
| 5. | Simple, classical, ‘rarely goes out of style’ type of decor will always keep your house looking fine. Not to mention decorating it with nature in the form of adding branches to vases and simple wildflowers can add in a dash or colour to brighten a room. |
| 6. | Drop decision fatigue and dopamine overload by reading more books and cancelling your Cable, Netflix or Prime Video subscriptions. Take more walks without music and podcasts infiltrating your overtired brain and listen to the sounds of nature instead. |
| 7. | Cycle or walk to work rather than sitting in long traffic lines. |
| 8. | Clean out that drawer or closet that you walk by everyday today rather than going to the effort of writing it down on your ToDo List that simply gets transferred to tomorrow’s list every night as you tidy up your desk. Because you know it as well as I do – you could have cleaned out that drawer 10x for all the times you transferred that task to the next day. |
Basic is bliss.
After the eighth tip, I paused and thought “What else… as it would be nice for the readers to have ten steps”. Then I questioned why I would go to the trouble of thinking up another tip just to have ten steps?
I may be just a bit of a rebel by nature.
It is also my way of making things even more simple for you.
Finally, I don’t expect any of you to do any of the eight steps this week, but perhaps you might just contemplate just doing one. I hope so.