I’m so excited to be sharing these simplicity tips for life and business – I want you (and me) to have a life you absolutely love.
Simplicity for me means more time and energy for the things that are important to me, the things that really matter to me, the things I love and value.
I created a Simplicity series over on my YouTube channel – You can head over there and watch the videos.
I also wanted to put together this post to share simplicity tips to specifically help you in life and business.
I also created a the Simplicity Goal Setting Pack where we look at 8 key areas of life to simplify, focusing on key areas and setting goals that really matter to you.
You can find out more about the Simplicity Goal Setting Pack HERE
So let’s get to the simplicity tips. I love finding ways to simplify my own life and business and I really hope you find these tips helpful.
Simplicity tips – Simplify your life
These tips will focus on simplifying your personal life – Freeing up time and energy to focus on the things that really matter to you.
1. Breathe in calm and clarity
Calm and clarity to me are powerful for simplifying your life. I see so many people rushing through life, stressed, often exhausted and spending time BUSY on things that really aren’t important to them. This simple breathing exercise will really help gain calm and clarity.
Breathe in calm and clarity
Breathe out chaos and confusion
2. EFT for Clarity
EFT stands for Emotional Freedom Techniques – This EFT video is designed to help you clear out any mind clutter so that you can really get clear about what you really want to focus on.
Watch the video and follow along with the script – EFT for clarity video
3. Clear out your mind clutter
If you feel like you’ve got so much going on in your mind, you can’t focus on what’s important. You can try this powerful exercise – Take a sheet of paper (or a few) and simply write out everything that’s in your head. This isn’t a to-do list, although you can do this alongside your to-do list. The idea is to get the garbage out of your head so that you free yourself up to focus on what matters to you.
4. Organize mail coming into your home
Have a simple system for mail coming into your home. Get rid of junk mail immediately. Then what I recommend is to deal with and file as much as possible. If it can’t be completed immediately either place the letter in your planner or have a set place for to-do mail and make sure you act on it quickly. For example: If I receive a letter to make an appointment at the doctors and the doctors practice is closed, I place the letter in my to-do area and act on it as quickly as possible. I keep a recycling bin close to the door where the mail comes in. Junk mail and envelopes (non-personal) papers go straight in the bin. I also have a bag that I keep close by in a cupboard to put confidential paperwork in – You could keep a shredder close by too.
5. Ask the right questions to simplify your life
Questions are actually really powerful. Ask the right questions and your thoughts and subconscious mind will kick in to support you. Here’s your simplicity power question – How can I simplify this area of my life? or, How can I simplify this area of my life even more?
This works for all areas of life – How can I simplify the journey to school with the kids? How can I simplify the morning routine? How can I simplify the weekly grocery shop?
6. Simplify paperwork
Whilst so much is done online nowadays and we can file things in folders on our laptops/phones… most of us still have a fair amount of paperwork, receipts, insurance documents, medical notes…
I want you to create an important documents folder with anything really important that you may need to grab quickly – Imagine that for some reason you needed someone else to go and find your important documents and you need to direct them quickly and easily to the folder.
Things I keep in the Important Documents folder…
- Current Home insurance policy
- Current Car insurance policy
- Breakdown cover details
- Health Insurance policy
- Important contact numbers
I also keep a smaller folder inside this main folder containing passports and any important travel docs or cards
Then I recommend buying a pack of folders or a filing box, etc to separate paperwork that you need to keep but isn’t that super important. Here are a few folders that I have for home.
- Regular bills
- Banking
- Receipts
- Warranties and instruction manuals
- School/college (per child)
- Pet information
- Medical information
- House documents
- Useful numbers (I also put leaflets and business cards in this folder)
- Appointments – I add appointments to my calendar then place any paperwork that I need for that appointment in the folder
You may have different folders. Just do what works for you.
7. Know your areas of clutter
I definitely have areas of clutter in my life – The side pockets in the car, the shelve in the kitchen, the second drawer in the kitchen, a corner in my bedroom… Don’t judge, I never said I was perfect at this simplicity stuff.
Here’s what to do. Know where your areas of clutter are and mini tackle them. What I mean by this is don’t try to tackle them all at the same time.
Try setting a timer for 5 minutes and see how much you can do in that time, or, create a rule that every time you pass the area, you tidy or organise 5 things (10 things, you choose). This way it doesn’t seem like a big job and you can make a big difference.
8. Sort your emails
Emails can really take over your life if you’re not careful. So, to start with this is going to take some time. I recommend that you set aside either an hour or 10 minutes a day until you’ve done these tips.
- Create folders for regular messages – For example, hobbies, banking, receipts, personal to keep…
- Go through emails in your inbox – Unsubscribe to everything that’s not really important to you or that you really love to read. If it’s something you want to keep, put it into a folder and delete everything else. Follow the rule of a place for everything.
9. Clear out your social media
Again, social media can be a real time and energy drainer – Unlike, unfollow anything that you don’t love. Also on Facebook, you can stay friends with people but unfollow them so that you’re not seeing all their posts. Also, you really don’t need to be on every social media platform, pick one or two to really enjoy. Also, I want you to question why you’re spending time on social media. Do you feel great, positive, happy, relaxed… when you spend time on a particular site?
If you do want to use social media, allow yourself time to really enjoy the experience. Then switch off and focus on other things you love.
10. Allow buffer time
Rushing around like a lunatic is not a simplicity life. I see people drive bandly, be rude.. when they are rushing and it’s also a time we make the most mistakes. Allow yourself buffer time to get to appointments (5-10 minutes extra) getting out the door on time for the school run, extra time for completing tasks… This means if you or your child have to run back inside to grab something forgotten, you don’t end up being late or driving crazy, you don’t end up making silly mistakes on tasks because you’re rushing.
If you arrive early, use the time to say affirmations or visualize the life you want.
11. Communicate your plans effectively with other people
Give clear instructions, tell people what you want…
For example, If you want your husband to help more around the home, don’t complain that he doesn’t do anything to help, ask him clearly and calmly explaining clearly what you would like him to do – Be specific, he’s not a mind reader.
Same goes for your kids, tell them what you want them to do with clear instructions.
12. Reflection and gratitude time
Take some time every day to reflect on your day and express gratitude. What’s gone well? What didn’t go so well and how would you like that to change or be different and what are you grateful for today. This daily practice will really help you to focus on what’s really important and the positive things in your life.
13. Simplify your wardrobe
Perhaps you could go for a few colours that mix and match or even just one colour. Do what works for you. I personally like a lot of black, grey and blues. Most of my clothes mix and match so choosing my outfits each day is super simple. I also recommend having a regular de-clutter so that you only keep the clothes you really love in your wardrobe, cupboards, and drawers.
14. Simplify your morning routine
Mornings can often be quite chaotic, at least they can, if I’m not careful in my house. Simplify your morning routine so that the start of your day is as calm and relaxed as possible. Prepare as much as possible the night before, stick to a routine and allow enough time for calm. Read a positive start to the day.
15. Simplify your evening routine
Your morning routine and evening routine go hand in hand. The more organized you are in the evening, the easier your morning will be. Allow yourself time in the evening to do a quick pick up so that your house looks and feels calm in the morning, sort out your clothes for the next day, pack lunches and/or plan meals for the next day, check in with other family members so that everyone knows plans for the day, take time to relax and reflect on the day.
16. Get enough sleep
Sleep makes life so much calmer and easier. If you’re tired all the time because you don’t get enough sleep, even the smallest task can seem like a mountain to climb. For me, when I don’t prioritize getting enough sleep, all areas of my life suffers, especially how productive I am. Read more: Sleep improves your productivity levels.
17.Make time for things that really matter to you
Get clear about the things that are really important, this is really where the Simplicity Goal Setting Pack comes into its own as it helps you really clarify the things that are most important to you and free up your time for those things.
18. Be Yourself
You are completely unique and that’s what makes you special. trying to be someone you’re not is hard work. Relax and just be yourself. The people that matter will love it and you’ll start to attract people that you’re a real match with.
19. Automate your finances
Dealing with bills coming in takes so much time and energy, instead automate all regular bills so that they come straight out of your bank on a set day each month and automate regular savings.
20. Ask for help and accept it
So many of us are really bad at asking for help and accepting it when it’s offered. Where do you need help? Is it with keeping on top of the house jobs, ask other family members to help, give your kids a few set tasks to complete each day or week, ask a friend, family member, babysitter to take care of the kids for a few hours, hire a cleaner, ask for emotional support…
Here’s a video well worth watching Stop trying to be superwoman (or superman)
21. Do what works for you
Decide what you want your life to be like, don’t ever compare it with others and do what works for you. Remember that we are all unique. What works for other people may not be the thing that works for you. Do what works for you and your family.
22. Ditch the drama
Don’t get dragged into other people’s life drama, this includes things you see on TV too. Focus on the way you want to live your life and create that. Drama takes you away from what’s important.
23. Simplify your cleaning routine
Try having set days for set jobs, get other people to help and de-clutter as much as possible so that you have less to clean around.
24. Try meal planning
Find your own style of course – Here’s what I do. On a Sunday evening, I check what food I have leftover and plan the week’s meals using up these leftovers and make my list of new food I need to buy. I personally don’t like being restricted to what meals I cook each day, so what I do is plan 8 main meals for the week and each night I choose what meal I want for the next day based on what’s going on.
So these are my top Simplicity Tips for general life, If you have more ideas please do let me know in the comment below. I love hearing your ideas. Now, I’ve got a few more tips that are more specific to simplifying your business.
Of course, many of the tips I’ve already shared can be applied to your business as well.
Tips To Simplify Your Business
25. Simplify your immediate workspace
Keep this area nice and tidy with only your key items that you need to work effectively. Also make this area a nice place for you to work, maybe adding a pot of nice pens, buying a nice notepad, adding a few candles and a houseplant. It’s not about having nothing, it’s about making your space nice and effective. If you use an item daily, you’ll want it at hand not put away in the cupboard.
26. Work out your most important tasks and focus on them
I want you to think more in less time – Think effective and focused working rather than working more and more hours. What are the tasks in your business that generate the most income, that are essential tasks, that grow your business? These are your key tasks and these are the things you need to focus on.
27. When it’s work time, work
This ties in with the last tip but so many people aren’t doing this consistently. I’m sure a lot of people think I don’t work. I often work only 2-3 hours a day, yes I also have those 10+ hours now and again, but when I’m working I really am working on important tasks that make a difference in my business. This means when I’m not working, I can totally enjoy that time without worrying that I should be working.
28. Hire out tasks you don’t need to do
If you’re in a financial position to do this, hire out tasks that aren’t important for you personally to do. This may be, hiring a bookkeeper, a cleaner, a social media manager, a VA to take care of emails that aren’t important for you personally to deal with and send out a regular email to subscribers… There are so many tasks we can hire out and with VA’s (virtual Assistants) this is so easy to do without having to employ staff. This free’s your time and energy up for things that are really important in your business.
29. Use time slots for different tasks
Break your work day into key time slots (not necessarily hourly slots) – For example, my time slots are usually something like this – 1st Social Media and emails (with my cup of tea) This is my time to switch from being mum to focusing on my business. I also make sure this is focused time for my business rather than getting drawn into browsing friends posts, etc. Next is Project work, this is either writing a blog post, creating a Video for YouTube or working on a new download. At this point, I’ll take a break and do some house jobs or browse friends on Facebook for 10 minutes, I also have a money matter time slot to sort out PayPal payments that have come in and I update my money tracker and accounts. Depending on how long I’m working, for me, I simply repeat this in the afternoon. I find that keeping the same routine is most effective so that you create a habit and you’re not thinking about what’s next.
30. Busy is NOT the same as successful
So many people see busy as successful. If you’re working and they can see that you’re working super long hours, then you must be successful. I can tell you 100% that this is not true and it’s a classic limiting belief. I definitely know people who work incredibly hard and long hours but they’re not financially successful and many are very miserable in their work, NOT successful. So, I want to encourage you to think EFFECTIVE working rather than busy. A brilliant book to read is the 4-hour work week and really think of the mindset connected with the hours worked.
31. Take time to plan
When you take time to plan out your day, week… you always know what to do straight away rather than wasting time and mental energy deciding what needs doing at each point through the day. I recommend taking a few minutes before you finish off work for the day to plan out your next day’s work making sure you’re planning in time to work specifically on your goals. I also include home times in my work day if needed. This might include things like making a doctors or dentist appointment and learning time, I’m always learning how to improve my business, whether that’s learning how to make the most of Pinterest or SEO, there’s always something to learn. This might also include curling up on the sofa on a Friday afternoon with a book I’m learning from.
32. Be a ‘Do It Now’ person
If you know that there’s something important that needs doing, do it now. When we put off things that are important, we add to our stress levels and that’s not helpful. Also, if you find yourself with a few minutes to spare during work time, complete one of those small jobs you need to do. I keep a list of small (5 minutes or less) jobs and I fit these in when I have waiting time – Waiting time for me is when I’m waiting for a video to upload, if I’ve completed a blog post and I want to give myself a short break before I read through to check for errors. Most of us can find these short breaks in the day. Some of my 5 minutes jobs are: Answer questions on a niche forum/Facebook group… Share other people’s pins on Pinterest, Clear my email (unsubscribing to anything I don’t love)…
33. Choose your commitments wisely
Don’t say yes to everything that comes your way. I highly recommend that you read Why it’s so important to say “NO” Choose wisely the things you commit too. Every day I get emails asking me to alter a blog post to include a link to someone’s article that they think is amazing. Seriously, it’s not going to happen. I used to click through and look at every article and reply to everyone, now I mostly just trash the message. If it’s written in a really genuine way, I’ll send a quick thanks but no thanks message, that’s it. This is not a priority for me and whilst it’s nice to help other people, if I said yes to this, I’d take up so much of my workday. When I do commit to something, I do it quickly. For example, I sometimes write for the Business Rocks Magazine – Now Emma who created the magazine has been a fantastic business friend over the years, she supports me and I support her, so when she asks for something, if I can, I commit to it and get it done. Don’t say Yes, If you can’t get it done in a reasonable time.
Okay, that’s where I’m going to leave it. I hope you’ve found these simplicity tips super helpful. I’m sure they’ll be more, so if you think of anything, please do go ahead and leave a comment below.
One final thing I want to say before I finish up is this – I created this post and the Simplicity Goal Setting Pack to help you create a life you absolutely love. To me simplicity free’s up your time and energy for the things that are most important to you, that really matter to you and the things you really love.
Check out the Simplicity Goal Setting and let me know what you think of these tips.
