“You buy furniture. You tell yourself, this is the last sofa I will ever need in my life. Buy the sofa, then for a couple years you’re satisfied that no matter what goes wrong, at least you’ve got your sofa issue handled. Then the right set of dishes. Then the perfect bed. The drapes. The rug. Then you’re trapped in your lovely nest, and the things you used to own, now they own you.”
― Chuck Palahniuk, Fight Club
At times, most people feel as though too much is happening around them. Some level of stress is a part of the normal experience of living. However, when you constantly feel as though your life is far too complex, take some time to simplify.
Allocate Your Time
You might often feel stressed because you do not think you have enough time each day to allocate to all of the necessary tasks. Try to divide your day up. For example, if you are struggling to balance cleaning the house with working out, decide that you will spend 30 minutes each day on each task. You can add other tasks into the mix too so that you do not feel as though you are neglecting one part of your life. Rand Fishkin has some helpful time management tips he has used to increase the simplicity of his life.
Clear the Clutter
Another reason you may feel overwhelmed is due to the clutter in your house. According to a Storage Facility in Memphis, our culture’s increasing obsession with stuff has made it more important than ever to sort, organize, and store clutter. Start by donating, selling or disposing of items that you no longer need. Then, start to assess what you do not need to use on a regular basis, and consider placing these items in storage units. As long as you have fast and easy access to the units, you should not feel without.
Reduce Social Obligations
When you’re running from one party to the next on a regular basis, you may start to feel stressed out. Instead of saying “yes” to every single invitations, plan more carefully. For example, you may want to decide that you will attend only one social event per day and decide which one to go to based on priority.
Cut Some Classes
If you are constantly driving your kids to an assortment of different activities, you will likely begin to feel burnt out. Your children do not need to participate in every activity out there to have a well-rounded existence. If you sense that you or your children is becoming overwhelmed by the piano lessons, martial arts classes, and soccer practice, it may be time to cut back. Many parents, for example, decide that their children will participate in religious instruction and one other activity.
Reduce Your Spending
When you are throwing around extravagant amounts of money on a regular basis, you can start to feel as though you are living a life you were never intended to live. The exact amount of money you can allocate to different areas of your life depends upon your financial needs. However, when you start to work within a budget, you may find that you spend less time making wild purchases and more time focusing on you.
A simple life does not have to be a boring life. In fact, it can be one where you spend more time doing what you love and more time with the people whom you love.
