Life is like a tangled bunch of hair that refuses to be untangled without annoying us to the core. No matter how hard you try, you will always find yourself juggling between cleaning your house, paying your bills, hanging out with friends and handling your work responsibilities. The complications of life keep us on our toes throughout the day and we tend to make peace with these complications thinking that that’s how life is supposed to be lived.

But the fact of the matter is, although it’s impossible to get rid of the complications that life comes with, we can always strive to simplify them a bit to our advantage. Try these 15 ways to simplify your life and you will find it much easier than ever to manage it:

1. Use less of social media: An average human being, in 2019, spends anywhere between three to five hours of the day jumping from one social media platform to another. This is not just a sheer waste of time but also leaves you feeling sad and dissatisfied from your own life. Now imagine what all productive things you can do in the time that you’ll earn by cutting down on some social media usage with happiness being the added bonus.

Try limiting your social media use to just one hour a day and utilize the hours you’re spared with in reading a good book, relaxing your brain, taking a walk, cooking, dancing or anything that serves as a good return on the invested time. Why let social media get the best of you when there are so many things that are not only deserving of your time but can also help you grow.  

2. Get rid of negativity: Disappointment, guilt, resentment are a few of the negative feelings that can steal your happiness thereby complicating your life even more. Stop feeling disappointed because someone you had a lot of expectations from didn’t match up to them. Don’t feel guilty because you forgot to wish your best friend on her birthday, and ditch that bitterness for someone that you’re still holding on to because they used to badmouth you while in school. Half your complications will vanish once you start focusing on the positives.

A study says that an average human spends 52 minutes gossiping every day. Now that should not mean that you stop socializing but taking it in a rather different way – what if you spend those 52 minutes with your friends in doing something fun like mastering a new recipe, playing board games or simply supporting each other by sharing your problems.   

3. Automate your expenses: The best thing you can do to avoid the last minute hassle of paying your bills is automating your bill payments and expenses thereby letting yourself focus on other important issues of life. Automating your credit card payments and monthly bills (like internet bill, gas, heating, cell phone bill, electricity bill and other utility bills) will not only ease off some of your worries but will also help you avoid any late fees arising due to delayed bill payments. 

4. Declutter your home and life: Your life will be a lot easier if you get rid of the unnecessary stuff in your home that might have been lying unused for years. Clothes that are old or the ones that don’t fit you anymore, books that are no longer of use and stuff that you bought but never used are some of the things that you can donate to the ones who need them more. Stop buying things on impulse and get only the things that you actually need.

Decluttering your life is as important as decluttering your home. Get rid of people who are being a bad influence on you, are negative in their approach or the ones who are suppressing your opinion in any way. Jim Rohn, a motivational speaker, once said that “you are the average of the five people you spend the most time with.” Make those five count by choosing those who help you grow as a person.

5. Organize your life: Things lying broken or unrepaired do no good to anyone and usually end up creating unnecessary complications. If you wish to organize your home life, get that broken tap repaired and replace/remove that damaged glassware that is taking up some extra space. Put things where they belong to avoid the last minute hassle of searching them. Even better, put things back in their places after using them and arrange the items in your shelves according to the frequency of their use. Furthermore, label the food containers in your kitchen to save time, put together your papers and documents in folders and make your bed right when you wake up in the morning.

6. Pay down your debt: If you owe someone money or find yourself buried in debt, your life can be a lot simpler if you repay that money as soon as possible. Debt repayment worries can sometimes divert your focus from work and other important stuff in life. Paying off your debt can clear out most of your stress thereby letting you focus on other unaddressed areas of your work and home life. So if you feel that your life is way more complicated than it should be, try clearing out that home loan, car loan, education loan or any other loan you might have taken, in the next few months if possible.

7. Forgive & seek forgiveness: Forgiving someone who has hurt you in the past can’t always be easy, but forgiveness once given can help you move on and focus on the current state of affairs. Similarly, you may find yourself feeling regretful for having hurt someone in the past for which seeking forgiveness from the person may be the only cure. So grant forgiveness to those who have hurt you in any way even if you haven’t been asked for it and make amends for any wrongdoing on your part to give yourself the gift of peace.

8. Develop confidence in yourself: Confidence can help you seize every opportunity that comes your way and will always make you believe in yourself in difficult situations. Self-Confidence is what shall push you ahead when you fail and it gets a boost every time you succeed in life. If you are looking to gain some confidence this year, read this article that enlists 10 ways to be a more confident person.

9. Have some ‘Me-Time’ everyday: Scoop out an hour or two from your busy schedule to be spent on yourself, especially if you are a working professional or a housewife. No amount of work or day-to-day tasks shall prevent you from having some me-time to do what makes you happy. Do what you want in your me-time – read, dance, spend a few minutes in nature or simply sit quietly and meditate.

10. Practice saying ‘No’: Learn to say ‘No’ sometimes in order to get rid of the complications of having too much on your plate. If you have the habit of giving a nod to everything that comes your way, you will never be able to give your 100% to anything. Try not to commit yourself to everything that is asked of you and learn to say ‘No’ sometimes to the extra workload handed over to you because a co-worker is on leave or to friends when invited over for a party when you are trying to save money.

11. Learn to prioritize things: Try prioritizing the things on the basis of what is more important at the moment while also taking into consideration your own good. You will often find yourself stuck between tasks when choosing what to do and what to let go will be your only resort. Prioritization will prevent you from juggling between the things and will make your life more organized.

12. Set reminders: If your life is too busy or if you find it hard to remember things, setting reminders can help you deal with the problem. In order to avoid forgetting things and to complete your commitments in time, set reminders and get back to what you were doing. You will automatically be reminded when it’s time to pay your bills and when you have to be ready for an event or a meeting.

13. Make peace with yourself: A lot of your complications will vanish once you stop dwelling in the past and accept who you are. Stop trying to be someone else and learn to respect the fact that you are unique in your own ways. Make peace with yourself and don’t waste your time thinking what if you’d have done this or done that.

14. Slow down: Stop with all the hassle and take things easy. When you are always running around without taking a break, your life is bound to feel unorganized and complex. Ditch the fast moving life and slow down a bit in order to see the best results.

15. Establish a routine: Life is much easier with a routine in place. Routine helps you avoid randomness and works like a system in place to line up your tasks for the day leaving little room for complexities. Have proper morning and evening routines in place, and set rules for things that are important for your health – timings for your meals, time before which you should hit the bed, etc.

If you have any other suggestions on how you can go about simplifying your life, feel free to drop a comment below. You can also write me at richi@askmisswhimsical.com. I would love to hear anything from you.