3307: 6 Practical Steps to Start Living More Simply by Julianna Poplin of The Simplicity Habit on Minimalism

It's a minimalist Monday edition of optimal living daily six practical steps to start living more simply by Julianne poplin of the simplicity habit calm and I'm just a molecular personal narrator reading to you with permission from the authors on Mondays I usually cover minimalism one of our most requested topics so with that let's get right to the minimalist Monday post as we optimize your life six practical steps to start living more simply by Julianne poplin of the simplicity habit calm in recent years the idea of living a more simple life has gained more traction and become increasingly appealing is easy to see why modern society is busy frantic stressful between demanding jobs overbooked calendars and messy homes finding a moment to truly clear your mind and relax can feel challenging if not totally impossible while some people thrive on that kind of chaos most of us weren't really meant for that kind of ever present stress in our lives at our core we need ease comfort simplicity we need time to focus on the things that truly matter to us to live intentionally not chaotically if you're ready to start living a more simple life you've come to the right place keep listening to learn how you can truly simplify your life why should I live more simply while some people immediately see the benefits of living more simply others aren't quite convinced that simple living is the right choice but the truth of the matter is virtually everyone could benefit from a little more simplicity living a simple life means focusing on the things that really matter your values your relationships your dreams it's getting rid of the clutter and the noise so that you're left with the things you cherish the most it's giving yourself the space the time and the freedom to truly enjoy those things without the distractions that modern living brings and the best part living more simply doesn't have to be hard but even when it does feel challenging it's completely worth it six steps you can take to live a more simple life ready to start living more simply from cutting back on your physical possessions to saying goodbye to some of your ongoing obligations there are lots of different ways you can simplify your life not sure where to start here a few steps you can take to make your life a little bit simpler number one embrace having less in your home one of the easiest ways you can make your life a little more simple is to simplify your home many of us fill our homes with stuff cabinets filled with dishes and glassware linen closet overflowing with extra bedding gallery walls filled with photos it all adds up if you're living with a lot of clutter there's a good chance that it's causing you unneeded stress even if you don't actually recognize the cause having too much stuff in your house can be overwhelming it's a great place to start if you're trying to start living more simply by getting rid of the things that don't bring you joy keeping counters free of clutter and common areas tidy and choosing a few tasteful accents to decorate your home can reflect the simple lifestyle you hope to achieve number two start saying no while saying yes isn't a bad thing it's an easy way to find yourself overwhelmed over scheduled and overworked if you're ready to live a more simple life it's time to embrace the idea that you don't have to say yes to everything you can and should reassess your commitments to decide what fits with your values and goals and what doesn't you don't have to go to every single dinner or party you're invited to you don't have to sign up for that class you don't have to buy that stuff i'm talking to you amazon as difficult as it can be at first to say no it's like a muscle more often you exercise it the stronger it becomes turning down invitations and plans might feel tough at first but with a little practice you'll be a pro number three simplify your meals if you're helping to create a more simple life for yourself it's important to factor in the foods you eat after all you likely spend a good amount of time meal planning preparing food and eating it's important to not only consider your meals but also the food you consume focus on simple foods that can stand alone or measly pair with others to make a meal stock your fridge with fresh fruits veggies and essentials and keep your favorite seasonings and spices on hand make a list of go-to meals you can pull together without much stress or hassle you'll be well on your way to a simpler diet and a simpler life if theme nights work for you that's another great way to simplify meals and meal planning think meatless monday's taco tuesday's etc we have a long standing tradition of doing breakfast for dinner on sundays for movie night which we've enjoyed do what works for you and your household take it a step further by getting together with friends to prepare freezer meals or arrange a meal swap create a system with like-minded friends who want to simplify meals so that you can all enjoy the benefits to create a more efficient kitchen keep the essentials and declutter unnecessary items this is especially important if you're working in a smaller space cooking is more enjoyable when you're able to find the items you need and you have countertop space available to do your prepping number four get your budget under control making and managing a budget is an incredibly effective way to support your goal of living a more simple life if you don't check your bank account often you might be shocked to see where your money is actually going chances are you'll find a subscription or two that you don't actually need you might be surprised to see just how much you spend on frivolous stuff clothes you didn't actually need or a fast food lunch you didn't even really want and for the stuff you actually do need to stay on top of like your electric bill take advantage of auto pay and stop stressing about missed due dates by automating the process of paying your bills you'll save time and energy by getting your finances under control you can streamline and simplify your budget and expenses and eliminate a lot of unwanted stress and stuff from your life all while saving more money number five simplify your morning routine one unexpected source of stress and overwhelm in our lives can be our wardrobes and getting ready routine if you've got a closet bursting at the seams with options that might sound like a good thing but really it makes it difficult to find what you're actually looking for increase unnecessary mess and clutter if it takes you longer than you'd like to get ready for your day or you're guilty of keeping way too much stuff in your closet it's time to streamline and simplify getting rid of unwanted clothes makes getting ready much simpler and less stressful another way to simplify your mornings is to make planning for the following day part of your evening routine when you've already thought through what you need to have ready and have mentally prepared for the day the night before the morning runs much more smoothly which sets the tone for the rest of the day number six create boundaries with technology and social media one more important way to start living more simply is to be thoughtful and intentional with your social media usage it's easy for technology to take up a significant amount of our time and attention if we allow it to create boundaries for where and when you will use your devices protect your meal times and allow plenty of screen free time in the evenings before going a bit how you choose to use technology impacts your relationships but also can influence your well-being be selective with who you follow and what you allow into your mind be intentional with your time spent online so that it furthers your goals rather than steals your time you just listen to the post titled six practical steps to start living more simply by julianna poplin of the simplicity habit dot com i'll be right back with my commentary this episode is brought to you by samsung canada you work on your phone all day but it's your phone working for you samsung galaxy s 26 ultra is the ai phone built to help businesses so teams can move smarter and get more done with built-in privacy display security from the chip up and battery for busy schedules samsung galaxy s 26 ultra works as hard as you do visit samsung dot com slash business to learn more i'm constantly thinking about how to optimize my health what supplements to take hours of sleep what my diet should focus on super power finally takes the guessing out of it one simple lab test covers over 100 biomarkers and their app gives you a complete picture of your heart liver hormones metabolism even environmental toxins plus it used to cost $499 right now it's just $199 and head to super power dot com and use code old at checkout for an additional $20 off your membership thank you julianna all great steps to take if you're actively looking to simplify your life we've only talked about a few of these before saying no more often having less of course working on our morning and evening routines social media one that can be really important and i talked about this recently is tracking your expenses and working with a budget i don't find a budget necessary if you start the first habit of tracking your expenses because just by tracking you might find that your average a month is quite good so budgeting might just be overkill in a waste of time but you'll never know unless you do take that first step of seeing how much money comes in and then goes out on a day-to-day basis i used to do it manually with excel if you listen to this podcast before you might have heard me talk about my excel spreadsheet but tools and apps have become so good now that i switched over to an app and it's made the whole thing a lot more simple and enjoyable really you can see the one i use at oldpodcast.com slash track doing taxes every year is now a breeze since every penny is already accounted for and i do think it's a great way to start and living more simply figuring out exactly what's coming in and knowing how much is going out and then deciding if setting a budget is best for you so do try it out as an experiment if you can tracking your income and expenses again you can see what i'm using at oldpodcast.com slash track and have a great rest of your day i'll be here curating articles for you again tomorrow where you're out in my life i wait