simple lifestyle tips
This list of simple lifestyle tips will help you to curate a home and life that is more intentional each day. What you can do to streamline your rooms to be efficient so you can complete daily tasks more quickly.
Living a simple life is easy when you have a home and routine that is more focused on your goals.
As I get older, I find my priorities are changing. In my younger years, being busy is what kept me moving. The more hectic my schedule was, the more I felt I was killing it. It’s funny when I look back on how I lived my life all those years ago.
Now, my goals have shifted and having more down time is what makes drives my days. Finding time to put my feet up and enjoy a cup of coffee outside with only the birds to keep me company. Now that is a good goal to have!
Simplifying your lifestyle can help you to put your energy where it is needed most. To be efficient with your hours, you can relax at the end of each day without being so exhausted that you fall asleep sitting up. To take time to smell the flowers every day.
simple lifestyle tips for Midlife and beyond
This list of ten tips will help you set up your living space to support a more simplified lifestyle. To create a plan that is more productive and less overwhelming. To put emphasis on the important and free up time to relax and reflect.
Be sure to grab the FREE 10 Habits for a Simplified Home checklist below!
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#1. Declutter Your Home
When you hear the word simplicity in the home the word minimalism comes to mind. And that word can be scary especially if you are just starting out.
To simplify your home is to only have a reasonable number of items inside. So, instead of 9 spatulas, you have 3. This approach will help you to remove the excess and free up space giving a more relaxed feeling to your home.
How it Works:
- Start by letting go of items that you no longer use or need.
- Tackle one room at a time, sorting belongings into categories such as ‘keep’, ‘put away’, ‘donate’, ‘sell’.
- Be honest about what truly adds value to your life and what merely takes up space.
- Once you’ve pared down your possessions, organize what is staying in a way that makes sense for your daily routine.
- Be sure to give everything a home so it is easier to put things away when you are finished using them.
Decluttering will help to clear your rooms and bring a sense of calm and order, making it much easier to keep things neat and put away.
#2. Simplify Your Wardrobe
Simplifying your wardrobe is more than just reducing the amount of clothing you own; it’s about paring down to those pieces that truly make you feel good and serve a purpose in your daily life. The concept of a capsule wardrobe, where each item is versatile and easily paired with others, can significantly alleviate the stress of choosing what to wear each day.
Use the hanger trick to help you more easily identify the things you routinely wear and the items you skip over.
How it Works:
- Turn all the hangers in your closet in the opposite direction so they hang on the rod backward.
- Each time you wear an item, turn the hanger in the correct direction.
- At the end of the month, any hangers that are still backward are things you haven’t worn in 30 days.
- This trick can help identify things you do not like, no longer fit, or are out of style.
- Repeat this tip every three months for a clutter-free closet.
This approach not only declutters your closet, making it more manageable, but also streamlines your morning routine making it easier to choose an outfit and get started with your day.
#3. Set up a Household Budget
Creating a simplified household budget is an important step towards achieving a debt-free and less stressful lifestyle.
How it works:
- Begin by tracking your income and expenses to understand where your money is going.
- Prioritize savings by setting aside a portion of your income as soon as you receive it, treating it as a non-negotiable expense.
- Divide the remaining funds for essential expenses, such as housing, utilities, and groceries, followed by discretionary spending.
- Use budgeting tools or apps to help automate some of these steps.
By emphasizing savings and being more intentional with your spending, you can build a budget that brings peace of mind, making a debt-style living a thing of the past.
#4. Create Routines
Setting up routines for routine tasks such as laundry, cleaning, shopping, and cooking can free up time in each day. By assigning certain tasks to specific days and times you can set up a plan that is less overwhelming.
How it works:
- For Cleaning: Assign a room to clean each day of the week. This will take just minutes to complete instead of hours doing a full home in one day.
- For Laundry: Put a load of dirty clothes in the laundry each morning moving the wet clothes to the dryer. Fold and put away any clean clothes turning this project into a few minutes instead of a day long chore.
- For Cooking: Assign a theme to each day to simplify dinner prep. Things like ‘Chicken Monday’ or ‘Soup and Sandwich Friday’ can streamline yoru time in the kitchen. Meal planning makes it easier to cook healthier meals becuase you are no longer rushed to get food on the table.
- For Errands: Choose a day each week to run your errands. This will not only save time but money as well. The night before make a list of stops and gather up any returns you need to take care of.
By streamlining these tasks, you not only streamline your day but also free up mental space and free up time to do other things you enjoy. Routines are easy to set up and can remove daily stress and overwhelm.
More Cleaning Tips:
#5. Use a Weekly Schedule
At the beginning of each week, take the time to write out your weekly schedule. Be sure to include tasks, appointments, and any family’s commitments.
How it works:
- Start by listing out any appointments scheduled for the week ahead. Be sure to refer to your calendar and ask your family if there are any items missing.
- Add in any tasks that need to be completed for the week.
- Write what meals you plan to make for each day taking into account how busy each day is.
- Hold a brief family meeting to ensure everyone knows what is planned and to ask if there is anything missing.
Mapping out the week will help you to create a schedule that is a tool to keep you on task getting more down without wasting time. This proactive approach minimizes last-minute surprises and forgotten tasks.
#6. Do a Room Reset
A room reset is a great way to keep a neater home that takes just a few minutes to complete. By spending a few minutes neatening up the busy rooms of your home you can remove the mess and with it any stress clutter can bring.
How it works:
- Choose three rooms that get the most use by you and your family each day. The most common areas are the kitchen, family room, and bedroom.
- In the kitchen, a reset would involve washing dishes, clearing countertops, and cleaning any dirty areas.
- For the living room, returning pillows and blankets, picking up toys, and putting TV remotes in the container.
- In the bedroom, a reset would be making the bed, putting clothes away, and decluttering any surfaces.
Performing reset takes only minutes and not only keeps your home neater it also creates a more peaceful living space.
#7. Grow Your Own Food
Growing your own food does take work but it can help you to cook meals that are nutritious and full of amazing flavor. You can grow a backyard garden, a container garden on a patio, or even use straw bales to grow food in a more confined area.
How it works:
- Choose a growing option that fits your time of life. You can use a backyard setup, grow in containers, or use straw bales for your garden area.
- Choose the seeds and seedlings of plants you and your family eat most.
- Plant enough to feed your family this summer.
- Add in extra if you plan to preserve food to enjoy later.
- Be sure you have a routine set up for watering, weeding, and pest control.
- Set aside time for harvesting later in the summer.
- Have family help with any food preserving such as canning, drying, and freezing.
- Close up your garden for the fall.
- Keep notes in a gardening journal to refer to for next year.
More Gardening Reads:
Growing your own food is a great way to practice self-sufficiency both in your kitchen and with your household budget. Gardening is also a great way to relax and enjoy time outside in nature.
#8. Connect With Family and Friends
As we get older going out becomes more of a chore than a pleasure and that may mean our connections are falling to the wayside. Do your best to reach out to family and friends and bring them back into your life.
How it works:
- Write a letter or note to someone that is stuck and home. A piece of mail can completely change a person’s outlook to the day ahead.
- Set aside time each week to call a friend or relative.
- Call a neighbor and have them over for afternoon coffee or tea.
- Go for a walk and visit a shut in.
- Cook a delicious Sunday dinner and invite your family to attend.
Nurturing relationships, can bring comfort, encouragement, and the warmth of knowing we are part of a family and community.
#9. Simplify Your Home
Simplifying your home to create a less cluttered and more peaceful space begins with being intentional with your things.
How it works:
- Be aware of the stuff around you and look for items you can put into a donation box.
- Work to keep only what you use and need or any mementos that bring you joy.
- Work to keep surfaces clear of things giving more simplified look to a space.
- Use containers to hold daily items and sort through them at the end of each day putting things away where they belong.
- Keep decor to a minimum highlighting things that make you happy.
- Keep enough furntiure without have more than you need giving a crowded look to a room.
By simplifying your living space, you create a calm atmosphere, one that promotes relaxation and mindfulness in everyday life.
#10. Read and Relax
Having hobbies is a great way to bring peace to a busy day helping your mind and body to calm down and relax. You can read, sew, paint, or garden whatever hobby that you look forward to is a great one to have.
How it works:
- If you don’t have a hobby, find one that helps you to decompress at the end of a long day.
- Find something you enjoy doing outside such as hiking or fishing. This will give you something to look forward to each week.
- Go to the library and check out a few books. Set aside time each afternoon or evening to read.
- Learn a new skill online such as quilting or woodworking.
Setting aside time for a hobby can improve our focus and productivity during the day. Also, having time to relax each day will give our minds a chance to rest and recharge.
In a world that constantly demands our attention, creating a home that is calm and streamlined can help keep our minds positive and our health in check. Use these simple lifestyle tips to create a home that is comfortable and efficient, a life that is less stressful and more joyful, and relationships that help us feel the love and companionship of others.
Each tip will help you to set up a space and life that is motivating to others and fulfilling to you.
