Want a Simple Life in 2024? Here’s How.

İmagine.

A simple life where calm and mindfulness is the norm.

A Life with as little drama, complication or money issues as possible.

Ahhh.

Feels blissful just thinking about it, doesn’t it?

Now, unless we live in a deserted island all by ourselves (introvert heaven right there) we will have conflict and fall outs and overstimulation.

We do work and live with others, after all and, let’s admit it, we could be the cause of their stress. Remember also that many of life’s events are out of our control.

But still. The simple life-  the simpler life.

İt can happen you know.

It’s  past mid June 2024 and perhaps it hasn’t happened yet. Perhaps what you have going right now isn’t what you envisaged.

The simple life might still feel like a far off dream.

Here are twenty four ways to a simpler life in 2024.

START WİTH İNTENTİON

1. Set  the intention that you want to simplify your life. That you are done with living a life that is overly and unnecessarily complicated. That you are dedicated and willing to take measures to simplify.

Whenever you live intentionally you are able to live with purpose. Every moment, then, becomes memorable regardless of what happens.

2. İdentify yourself or introduce yourself to yourself as someone who lives a simpler life. Start defining yourself as a person who lives simply.

When you wear the identity the habits become a certainty.

“I don’t do complicated” and you most likely will not.

3. “I want to simplify my life because________” should be something you can answer quickly even if just in your head.

If you can’t articulate this clearly to yourself it is going to be challenging and difficult to stay on track.

Without a why there can be no direction and without direction how can there be a roadmap?

When you are soundly and sufficiently aware of your why not much can distract or discourage you.

You become a person on a mission who knows where he needs to be and is focused on getting there.

ON GOAL SETTİNG

4. Set meaningful goals that will have impact in any or every area of your life. That way you know what to work on and can therefore set a goal plan.

Goals are like guideposts towards fulfilling your purpose.

They are milestones you can tick off once accomplished and they are a yardstick to measure if you are going in the right direction.

5.  İf you don’t already plan your days you can start now. Decide what you will use your precious limited time on to make each day a splendid day.

Plan your day the best you can all the while leaving the outcomes to the Almighty.

Acknowledge that everything is in His Hands but do your best anyway.

Planning your day is like the GPS taking you towards your goals.

 

6.  Watch your words.

Notice what you say to yourself and what you say to others.

Are you always critical of others and of yourself?  Are you always complaining?

Watch how you use your words.

Are you always giving unsolicited advice, giving away too much information or making excuses?

Are you apologizing when you haven’t done anything that needs apologizing for?

Sometimes we complicate our lives more not by our silence but our speech.

The less we speak in certain situations the less drama we embroil ourselves in.

7.  Set boundaries.

This can be challenging if you are a people pleaser who wants to make everyone happy.

Decide if it’s worth it to feel resentful and taken advantage of.

Setting proper boundaries will release and save you time, energy and angst.

8.  Have difficult conversations.

İt might seem counter productive to want to simplify your life and then suggest having to confront or challenge certain people.

However it is a necessary evil because the start to setting boundaries is by sitting down and thrashing it out with others.

I know it is easier said than done but the rewards – a simpler life with less drama is well worth it.

ON THİNGS WE OWN

9.  Notice the physical clutter in your home and life.

Walk into your house, your office, your room and assess the energy.

Does it feel congested, do you feel light, relief and solace or do you wish you could set a match to almost everything?

Look at your wallet, your desk, your closet, your drawers and yes, even your computer desktop as well as your phone.

Do they bring on overwhelm and do you feel like banging your head with annoyance at the clutter?

 

10. Do something -anything -to get rid of all that noise in physical form.

Donate clothes you haven’t worn or don’t fit into, the extra cutlery and crockery, the books.

Your physical space can inspire you or get you down.

Make a point to make it a place you can relax and be energized by.

11.  Not as easy to do might be to get rid of the mental clutter.  Needs to be done anyway if it is a simpler life we are after.

A simple step to begin with is to declutter your phone and digital files.

Unsubscribe from any newsletter whose emails you don’t even open let alone read.

Empty the trash bin, organize your photos, files and downloads, delete any audio messages or videos and see your brain relax.

Unfollow unfriend unsubscribe any account or individual who agitates your mental health instead of improving it.

ALL THİNGS FİNANCE

12.  İmprove your relationship with money.

I think we can all agree that nothing brings about more stress and disagreement than money.

Train yourself to think in terms of abundance, blessing and there always being enough money to fulfill your needs and more.

13. Have a rule about how you spend it.

İf you don’t need something, are able to borrow it or can use something else instead of it then don’t buy it.

Not everything amazing you see in the shops has to come home with you.

Even if you can afford it.

This is not being stingy. İt is being financially wise. This will also help with reducing physical clutter that is scientifically proven to be a cause for anxiety and depression.

14. Pay off your debts.

Even if it is just a few shillings that you need to return to someone. Even if by paying a few shillings until you are done.

On the same token ask for the money from those who borrowed from you and have not seen it fit to pay you back.

Being fully aware of the details of your finances makes planning easier and makes your life less stressful.

 

15. İF İT İSN’T A H*LL YES THEN IT’S A DEFİNİTE NO.

Say no to things that don’t inspire you, whose benefit isn’t worth the effort and time you put into it.

İnstead of being offended about not being invited to parties, weddings and other events be grateful that you have saved some of your weekend or your evenings. You have probably saved from spending time with unsavory characters and energy vampires.

ON HEALTH

16. Make your health your top priority second only to your faith in the Almighty.

This commitment to your health will inform all your decisions.

İt will make sleeping early, getting fresh air, eating more vegetables and less processed foods and moving more second nature to you.

You will not have to think twice about whether or not to eat this and not that; whether to stay up all night binge watching streamed videos.

You will have taken the guess work out of the decisions.

İf you take nothing away from this list then you are way ahead in simplifying your life. What are you without your health?

 

17. Pray.

Pray to the Almighty to ease your affairs, to put blessing into your life and endeavors and to guide you and illuminate your path.

Do this and see how your life changes.

 

18.  Spend time by yourself and spend time in nature.

Even if you live in a bustling metropolis there will be a section of it that has parks or a beach near it.

Go rejuvenate yourself.

 

19.  Consider your inner circle. Who are your friends? What do they stand for? When the people you ally yourself with are on the same wavelength as you, have the same core values as you then camaraderie, ease and simplicity are a given.

20. Consider any unfinished projects you have in the wings that are nagging at you at the back of your mind.

Take an honest look.

İf you have no intention of completing that DİY project you started and quickly lost interest in then it would be best if you got rid of it once and for all.

İf it is a book you are half way through but know you are not going to finish reading it, if it is an online course be brutally honest with yourself and make a decision once and for all about them.

You will release mental as well as physical space.

21. Focus on your present moment.

İf you are washing dishes wash dishes. İf you are eating eat. Don’t multitask and when you are in conversation with others give them your full attention.

Life is made up of little everyday moments. Savor them.

22. Give others agency.

When you do this you save yourself from a lot of angst. You stop taking anything anyone else does personally. İt is just them being themselves.

You don’t have to like or agree with what they are doing but give them their agency anyway.

You are in charge of only yourself.

AN ATTİTUDE OF GRATİTUDE

23. Stop the comparison trap. Don’t look at what others have. In fact, you might have more, if you only choose to see and so….

24. …Be grateful for being alive being well being sane being ________

With gratitude will come ease, contentment and joy.

A Life filled with gratitude is a Life filled with wealth.

Gratitude will clear your path of many thorny thoughts, worry or undue stress.

Just make the intention that gratitude will be your companion from now on.

Why live a complicated life when a simpler one is available to all of us?

Remember simpler does not equal boring.

We all get just this one life. How we use it is up to us and no-one else.

 

Photo Courtesy of Samantha Gades on Unsplash.