6 Easy Ways to Simplify Your Life

August 3, 2015

Janet Barclay

A former professional organizer, I now eliminate stress for my clients by hosting, monitoring, and maintaining their WordPress sites so they don't have to worry about security, downtime or performance issues. When I'm away from my desk, I enjoy reading, photography, watching movies, and cooking.

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During the summer months, many of us change our routines to a slower pace than the rest of the year. Wouldn’t it be nice to be that relaxed all the time?

I don’t have the power to make it summer all year round, but since the first week of August is Simplify Your Life Week, I’m going to share a few of the things I do to keep it simple.

If something resonates with you, please click to share it with your Twitter followers.

When you find a product you like, stick with it instead of researching other options. Click to Tweet

Only buy what you need. This saves both money and storage space. Click to Tweet

If you'll only need something once in a while, consider renting or borrowing instead of buying. Click to Tweet

Clean out your wallet. Do you really need all those credit cards and rewards cards? Click to Tweet

Use a separate email account for subscriptions and only check it when you've got time to read them. Click to Tweet

Take time to get away from your day-to-day activities, even if it's only for a few hours. Click to Tweet

In the comments, please share what YOU do to keep it simple. If you don’t, what’s stopping you?

This post was originally published on From the Desk of Janet Barclay in 2011 and has been updated for Your Organizing Business.

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12 Comments

Ellen Delap on August 4, 2011 at 9:09 am

I like to live by the Keep It Simple Sweetie motto. I limit my choices in making decisions. I keep my options to only 3, so it is easier to make a decision whether it is food, clothes or events. Too simple, but it works for me!

Reply
Janet Barclay on August 4, 2011 at 9:43 am

Decision-making is one of my weak points, so I’ll have to keep your strategy in mind, Ellen. Thanks for sharing!

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Evelyn Cucchiara on August 5, 2011 at 8:12 am

Love your tips about cleaning out your wallet. It’s amazing. My husband’s wallet has receipts from years ago stored in there!

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Janet Barclay on August 5, 2011 at 9:41 am

I have to admit that it took me a few years to finally rid myself of all those cards, but now that I have, shopping is much simpler!

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Kathy Stinson on August 8, 2011 at 8:42 am

That’s a beautiful photo on this post, Janet. I hope you’ll be back there again before too long.

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Janet Barclay on August 8, 2011 at 9:01 am

Me too, Kathy! 🙂

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Jo Bennett on August 4, 2015 at 10:31 am

I’m a minimalist. Enough said ;-p

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- Janet Barclay on August 4, 2015 at 1:11 pm
  
  That about covers it! 🙂
  
  Reply
Autumn Leopold on August 5, 2015 at 1:48 pm

I love the idea of sticking with a product. Too much money and time can be wasted looking for a cheaper version when you will only end up going back to the original anyway! I feel this same way about eating out. Once in awhile if you have heard good reviews of a place it’s nice to make a switch. But I like to stick with what I know and like because it seems like when we try new things without any reviews we hate it and wasted time and money. What do you think about that Janet?

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- Janet Barclay on August 5, 2015 at 2:22 pm
  
  I’m not sure. I like to try different dishes, so if I go back to the same place too often, I get tired of it – though, now that I think of it, there are a few restaurants where that doesn’t happen. In my younger life I was a waitress, and we had customers who came in once a week and ordered the exact same thing every time. We even had an older gentleman who had the same thing every night of the week!
  
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Hazel Thornton on August 8, 2016 at 9:31 am

I say No when I don’t want to do something. Saying Yes when you want to say No just adds a layer of un-simple to your life.

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- Janet Barclay on August 9, 2016 at 6:07 am
  
  Great point, Hazel! I’ve learned that this is good advice to follow, but never thought of it in terms of simplifying.
  
  Reply